Area Students Pledge Not To Text and Drive
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JACKSON, Tenn. – If you have a cell phone, you know the temptation is there to text while you drive. In fact, three out of four teens say texting and driving is “common” among their friends. Wednesday, area students took a stand against that statistic in the “No Text On Board Pledge Day.” The event, coordinated by Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) and AT&T, has the slogan, “It Can Wait.” Many students we spoke with said they knew friends and family members who had been in wrecks caused by texting while driving, and said the risks are not worth it. “Just put your phone down,” said South Side High School senior Allie Mills. “It’s not worth your life. It’s really not worth taking your own life or somebody else’s or possibly a child that doesn’t have anything to do with it. It’s not worth it.” Many students admitted to texting while driving, and say they hope to stop. A recent survey found that 72 percent of teens said adults tell them not to text and drive, but do it themselves anyway. Students at North Side High School watched a school-wide documentary about other teens whose lives were lost or changed forever because of texting while driving. “Some of the documentaries on there made me feel like, ‘Wow. It’s really not worth it for that text message,'” said Akira Reeves. “That one text can cost you your life.” Texting while driving is not only dangerous, but it is illegal in the state of Tennessee, and a violation can cost you up to $50. For more information, log onto http://itcanwait.com/.
