Spot ‘Roadi' this Summer and experience the thrill of Oculus Rift

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, U.K. - July 16, 2015 - PRLog -- Saturday the 18th of July sees the launch of Road Respect’s new Oculus Rift driving simulator and promotional vehicle. Road Respect has developed its own Oculus Rift based driving simulator, allowing visitors to test their driving expertise in a virtual environment. Drivers will recognise familiar landmarks and buildings such as the Angel of The North from across the region and will be able to test their ability and compare their scores with friends and family.

The new Oculus Rift simulator aims to give the public a chance to see how hazards and dangers on the road can appear out of nowhere and how their perceptions and abilities can be affected by distractions or excessive speed. It’s the first of its type in the UK and breaking new ground for road safety.

The team will be travelling to events around the North East in their newly branded van with the apt nickname ‘Roadi’. The van was named by members of the public in a vote on the Road Respect Facebook page earlier this year and will be attending events, big and small, across the region this summer.

Nick Clennett, the chair of the NSRI Steering Group said, "Road Respect has always tried to keep at the front of innovation and new technology to make the biggest impact with road users – The Oculus Rift virtual reality technology and Roadi is the next step! Providing an immersive driving experience and correcting behaviour from our events is a great way to engage and educate. Ultimately the aim is to change driving behaviour, make our roads safer and safe lives. Roadi with Oculus Rift working with our awarding winning events team is another step to making the road better in the North East.”

Social media fans will be encouraged to share their photos of Roadi on the road or their selfies at the events with the hashtag #SpotRoadi with spot prizes for the best submissions, throughout the summer.

You can keep up to date with all the events and where to spot Roadi this summer at www.roadrespect.org

Note To Editors:
About Road Respect

Road Respect is an umbrella campaign providing multiple digital and social media channels to connect and engage with the the Northumbria Safer Roads Initiative.

The Northumbria Safer Roads Initiative consists of Gateshead Council, Newcastle Council, Northumberland Council, South Tyneside Council, North Tyneside Council, Sunderland Council, Northumbria Police, Newcastle University, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Services, Her Majesty’s Court Service and the Highways Agency.

Road Respect is the campaign run by the NSRI to educate drivers about the dangers of speeding and anti-social behaviour on the roads and to change driving culture of North East drivers.  Established in 2006, the campaign has 48% recognition in Northumbria for over 16s and 1 in 2 drivers who have seen campaign messages say it has had a positive impact on their driving behaviour.

An independent market research company conducts the above research for NSRI.  Samples are taken with an age, gender and demographic quota and weighted to ensure the data is representative of the population.

Road Respect campaign - part of the Northumbria Safer Roads Initiative
www.roadrespect.org – www.safespeedforlife.co.uk