Some of us will be lucky enough never to be in or witness a car accident. Personally I haven’t been so lucky; I’ve seen one car totalled right in front of my eyes and a pretty horrific collision with a pedestrian over the past few years. I don’t need to be reminded of the importance of driving responsibly, but many young drivers that are just starting out do. Drive VR is a great way to show them.
This UK-made Google Cardboard app was released earlier this year as part of the Safer Roads initiative. Going beyond a simple collection of 360 degree videos, it allows users to choose between one of two characters, presenting a social media-esque timeline for you to follow. At certain points along the timeline you’ll be asked questions about road safety and, depending on the choice you make, you’ll then watch a video showing the consequences of your actions.
Tom, for example, starts his timeline at the end of school, where he’s partying with friends. After smoking a lot of cannabis, however, he jumps in the car. You’re asked whether it’s safe for him to drive home. Now the answer is obvious, but the app lets you watch the video anyway. Instead of the expected collision, Tom is stopped by the police, spends time in prison, and loses his license for 18 months.
As a result, you start to see Tom’s later timeline shift, sort of like Back to the Future, only in reverse. He ends up missing a few holidays he’d long planned for, and even gets dumped by his girlfriend, marrying someone different later down the line.
If you continue to mess with the timeline, Tom might find himself permanently in prison, or simply missing out on the huge opportunities coming his way later in life. There’s a particularly scary sequence inside an ambulance too, that’s sure to be an eye-opener for many young viewers.
“The unfortunate reality is that young people aged 16-24 continue to be over-represented in collision figures, both locally in Warwickshire and West Mercia, and nationally,” says Safer Roads’ Anna Higgins. “Engaging with this age group is a priority for us and we aim to provide them with simple information which will allow them to make the right choices as drivers, passengers and pedestrians.”
Ultimately this is a poignant piece that proves how VR can be used to let us witness our potential mistakes before we make them.
