Many inexperienced motorists don't know what to do after a noninjury car collision. Or, how to fix a car if it breaks down.
A group of eight high school students aimed to ease this stress by creating CLUTCH Driving, a project through the Ford Dream Builders program. CLUTCH Driving is a wallet-sized card with a QR code, which is a pattern of squares and dots designed to be scanned by a camera on a smartphone. Once scanned, several links appear and offer instructions about fixing a flat tire, the steps to take after an accident, filing an insurance claim and coping with emotions after the collision.
"This is going to offer peace of mind for not only the driver, but for parents as well," said Maggie Gless, a senior at Bakersfield High School and a student on the team. "It's for everyone. We all get into these situations and our minds kind of blank and it's scary. That peace of mind, that cushion it offers, really helps a lot for any type of driver."
The students realized a gap existed for new drivers on the road. They also partnered with Career & Technical Education Center to create videos teaching jump-starting a car and other lessons.
"We had only been taught preventative measures, and never on the steps we must take once a crash or emergency occurs," said a CLUTCH news release. "We wish to help drivers feel prepared and at ease when these instances occur."
Bakersfield Assistant Police Chief Brent Stratton attended a presentation of the product and said the idea sparked innovative thoughts to streamline operations at the agency.
"I think that there's a potential to use it on a macro level across the city," Stratton said. "It (has) stimulated a lot of ideas and conversations internally about what we would be able to do and provide to the public."
The Bakersfield Police Department devotes about 4,000 hours per year deploying officers to smooth over noninjury accidents, Stratton said. Typically, an officer informs people involved in the crash about the information to exchange.
Stratton said the department had traditionally responded to those accidents. However, the card has the potential to take the place of an officer. With the use of the CLUTCH, Stratton said, the department could devote time toward conducting DUI enforcement patrols or combating speed-racing.
The assistant chief added the BPD is determining how to fit technology into its own operations, but the promise is there.
"I have a feeling that the idea that they've come up with is really going to increase our efficiency," Stratton said. "I'm still not 100 percent certain what exactly it looks like, but I know that that's what we're working towards."
©2022 The Bakersfield Californian (Bakersfield, Calif.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
