Published by Virtual Driver Interactive
On September 17, 2013, Ohio State senior Maria Tiberi, 21, died when her car hit the back of a stopped semi on I-270. Her phone was locked in her purse. Police believe something distracted her anyway. Her parents, Dom and Terri Tiberi, turned that loss into the Maria Tiberi Foundation. One of its main tools is something you can sit in: a driving simulator.
What does the Maria Tiberi Foundation do with driving simulators?
The Maria Tiberi Foundation buys driving simulators and places them where young drivers can feel the cost of distraction without real risk. It started with single units for police departments, sheriff's offices, universities, and school districts across Ohio. By 2017, the foundation had donated 42 simulators, Youngstown State University reported. All 42 were Virtual Driver Interactive (VDI) units, according to our 2018 post on the foundation.
In 2018, the work grew into full labs. A Honda Traffic Safety Grant helped create three labs of 25 VDI simulators each. As of February 2026, the Catholic Times counted 96 simulators across four school labs in central Ohio. The foundation also runs a free summer defensive driving course and Dom Tiberi's school talk, Maria's Message. The short version: one simulator starts a conversation, and a lab builds practice.
Here's how that plays out. In 2015, Ohio State's police department set up a donated simulator for the campus. A student life coordinator took a test drive and told The Lantern it was hard to stay focused with the distractions. That moment shows the training need. The drive is the practice. A short debrief with an officer is the review.
Whether that's enough depends on your goal, and the evidence has limits we cover below. To see how agencies run these sessions, explore the scenarios on our law enforcement and community safety page.
Why distracted driving is the foundation's focus
The numbers are large and probably low. In 2023, NHTSA counted 3,275 people killed in distraction-affected crashes. That's about 8% of all U.S. traffic deaths, with an estimated 324,819 more people injured.
Teens are part of that picture. NHTSA found 267 distracted drivers ages 15 to 19 in fatal crashes in 2023, and 286 people died in those crashes. NHTSA also says distraction-related deaths and injuries are likely underreported.
Maria's story adds a lesson the data can't. Her phone was put away. Distraction isn't only a phone problem. NHTSA's research note also counts eating and talking with passengers.
Teach attention, not only "put the phone down." A good session shows how any glance away, at a screen, a passenger, or a snack, stretches the time it takes to react.
How the program grew, from one simulator to school labs
The foundation's model changed over time. Early gifts went to police and campuses for outreach. Later gifts built school labs for repeated practice.
Maria Tiberi Foundation simulator milestones, 2013 to 2026
Simulator counts come from different reports with different scopes. They are not one running total.
- September 2013Maria Tiberi dies in a crash on I-270. Her parents start the foundation.Source: Catholic Times, 2026
- October 2015Ohio State police receive a simulator. Dom Tiberi says 23 units have been bought so far, about $14,000 each.Source: The Lantern, 2015
- September 2017Youngstown State police receive a VDI simulator. The foundation's statewide total reaches 42.Source: YSU, 2017
- 2018First school lab opens at Tolles Career & Technical Center in Plain City. It holds 25 simulators today. Watch 10TV's look at the Tolles lab.Source: EFCTS, 2022
- September 2022Second lab, 25 simulators, opens at Eastland Career Center in Groveport. A Honda grant supports three VDI labs.Sources: EFCTS and VDI, 2022
- February 202696 simulators across four school labs, including Fort Hayes and St. Charles Prep. Ten more help new drivers in Springfield.Source: Catholic Times, 2026
What a driving simulator session actually teaches
The 2015 Ohio State unit had a seat, steering wheel, pedals, and a monitor for a windshield. It offered three modes: practice, distracted, and intoxicated. In distracted mode, drivers followed directions, made calls, and sent texts while steering.
The labs go further. Dom Tiberi says the lessons cover speed control, distractions, following distance, and bad weather. At Eastland, criminal justice students trained on the simulators and were set to coach other students. That peer model stretches a small staff.
The goal behind both formats hasn't changed. As Dom Tiberi told The Lantern in 2015, "We want to change habits."
Today, VDI splits these jobs into two programs. Our Distracted Driving Experience (DDE) covers texting, impaired driving, and speeding. It shows errors like lane drift, missed signals, and hard braking as they happen. Our Novice Driving Essentials (NDE) curriculum runs 14 lessons in about three hours, with Vantage reports for instructors. Units placed years ago may run earlier VDI software, so features differ.
What the evidence shows, and where it stops
Crash data shows how big the problem is. It doesn't prove a simulator changes behavior. We didn't find a published study of the foundation's program. Its reach numbers measure who took part, not crashes prevented.
Simulation also complements required training. It doesn't replace it. Since September 30, 2025, Ohio requires first-time drivers under 21 to finish driver training. That means 24 classroom hours and 8 hours on the road with an instructor, plus 50 hours of supervised practice. Rules change and differ by state, so check with your licensing agency.
Judge any simulator program by what it can show. Track who drove, which errors showed up, and whether a second drive went better.
Awareness simulator or full lab: which fits your program?
Most police and community groups face this choice. The foundation has done both, so its path makes a useful guide.
| Factor | Awareness simulator (1 to 2 units) | Simulator lab (about 25 units) |
|---|---|---|
| Main goal | Show how distraction hurts driving, fast | Repeated, structured skill practice |
| Typical home | Police department, campus safety, community events | Career center or high school room |
| Who runs it | An officer or outreach staffer who leads a debrief | Trained staff, sometimes with peer instructors |
| What you can track | Errors seen during each drive | Lesson progress and scores for each student |
| Reported cost per unit | About $14,000 (2015) to $15,000 (2026); get a current quote | |
| Main tradeoff | Reaches many people briefly, with little follow-up | Deeper practice, but needs space, staff, and a schedule |
For police and community groups, start with one or two awareness units and a trained facilitator. Move to a lab only when a school partner can commit a room, staff, and class time. The tradeoff is reach versus depth.
Five questions to settle before you fund a simulator
- Where will it live? Plan storage, power, and transport between events.
- Who leads each drive? Name the person who runs the debrief, not just the setup.
- What will you count? Pick a few measures, like drivers reached and repeat drives.
- Who keeps it running? Assign updates, repairs, and support contacts.
- Does it fit local rules? Confirm it supports, not replaces, required training.
Key takeaways
- The foundation began in 2013 after Maria Tiberi's death. It uses simulators to teach distraction-free driving.
- It moved from single units for police and campuses to school labs, with 96 lab units reported by 2026.
- Distraction is broader than phones, and NHTSA says it's likely undercounted.
- One unit suits outreach. A lab suits structured practice. Both need staff and a debrief.
- Simulation supports required driver training. It doesn't replace it.
Frequently asked questions
Who started the Maria Tiberi Foundation?
Maria's parents, Dom and Terri Tiberi, started it in 2013. Dom is a longtime WBNS-10TV sports anchor in Columbus.
How many simulators has the Maria Tiberi Foundation donated?
Counts vary by report. YSU said 42 by 2017, mostly to police, sheriffs, universities, and schools. The Catholic Times reported 96 across four school labs in 2026, plus 10 placed in Springfield.
Where are the Maria Tiberi Foundation simulator labs?
The Catholic Times lists four: Tolles Career & Technical Center in Plain City, Eastland Career Center in Groveport, Fort Hayes Metropolitan Education Center in Columbus, and St. Charles Preparatory School in Columbus.
Does simulator time count toward Ohio's driver training rules?
Don't assume it does. Ohio requires an approved course and supervised practice for new drivers under 21. Ask your approved driving school or the Ohio BMV what counts.
Bringing Maria's lesson to your community
Maria's story reminds people that distraction can win even when the phone is put away. The foundation shows two ways to respond: short, memorable drives at outreach events, and steady practice in a school lab.
If your agency or foundation is weighing either path, a demo is a low-stakes way to see what participants go through.
Sources
- Maria's Message: Be defensive, not distracted, when driving, The Catholic Times, February 13, 2026.
- Driving simulator donated to Ohio State Police Department on behalf of the Maria Tiberi Foundation, The Lantern, October 27, 2015.
- Distracted driving simulator donated to campus, Youngstown State University, October 6, 2017.
- Driving Simulator Lab Coming to Eastland Career Center, Eastland-Fairfield Career & Technical Schools, 2022.
- Maria Tiberi Foundation Driving Simulation Lab Featured on WBNS 10TV, Eastland-Fairfield Career & Technical Schools, September 9, 2022.
- Distracted Driving in 2023 (Research Note), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- Teens and Distracted Driving in 2023, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- NHTSA Launches Put the Phone Away or Pay Campaign, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, April 2025.
- Maria Tiberi Foundation Establishes First-of-Its-Kind Driving Simulators Labs Providing Teens with a Safe Place to Learn to Drive, Virtual Driver Interactive, September 13, 2022.
- New law requires driver's education for Ohioans under 21, Ohio Capital Journal via Highland County Press, 2025.
Media credits
The milestone timeline and planning comparison are original to this article, compiled by Virtual Driver Interactive in October 2026 from the sources above. No photos or third-party logos are used.