Safety is in high gear at auto show

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - The Buffalo Auto Show kicked into high gear Wednesday, and safety is the name of the game this year.

It looks like a life-sized video game, but it's actually a safe driving simulator that serves as a wake-up call to young, inexperienced drivers.

Niagara County Sheriff James Voutour said, "I think probably the thing that they lack the most is the respect for the 2000 pound bullet that they put themselves behind the wheel of."

The simulator demonstrates just how difficult it is to maneuver on slippery roads, react to sudden distractions, and drive while under the influence; difficult and dangerous for even experienced drivers.

"You went over the line, the center line, four times and you went off the road once."

Several police agencies gathered at the auto show to announce that for the next six weeks, high school students in Erie and Niagara Counties will be able to try it out.

"I think they'll be and hopefully many more of these precious children can be saved."

Mary Brown lost her daughter Katlyn Gosch, a senior at Starpoint, in a weather related car accident in 2004.

Now she's donating her time and money to the program and making it her mission to prevent other families from experiencing a similar tragedy.

Brown said, "What we can do about it is to give kids more experience and make them better drivers. Make them aware of the things that can happen and can go wrong."

Now the agencies are working together to buy the simulator, and make it a permanent fixture in local schools.