Two students who told us they're masters at texting were asked to walk and text at the same time - while blindfolded. They discovered it's not so easy.
KEOKUK, IOWA -- KHQA's "Just Let It Ring" campaign is making its way through the Tri-States. Wednesday, we spoke with students and staff at Keokuk High School about the importance of paying attention and being in control when you're driving, and how distractions such as texting can be dangerous to you and others on the road.
"It seems like such a harmless act that we think we're in control, but we don't think what the consequences could be of something like this," said Jeff Kennedy, the president and founder of Kennedy Wealth Group.
"They need to realize texting can cause injuries and even death," said Danielle Vogel, a special education teacher at Keokuk High School.
With today's technology, texting while driving is a serious problem among all ages, and it's going to take the entire community to stop it.
"My dad takes away my phone when I'm driving," said Marti Cook, a student at Keokuk High School.
"I've been guilty of it myself and I had to take a step back and think about it because of my own children," said Kennedy.
During KHQA's visit to Keokuk High, we reminded these students to think twice before taking their eyes off the road, but at first, many seemed resistant to the idea that texting could cause accidents. Two students who told us they're masters at texting were asked to walk and text at the same time - while blindfolded. They discovered it's not so easy.
"Being blindfolded and taking your eye off the road, its not so much about you yourself, but the other person coming down the road. So it was great when they were walking and they hit the pylon. They had to swerve one way or the other, and could run into somebody else and that's the seriousness of it," said Larry Frakes, the high school's principal.
"It wasn't worth the text message to hurt someone else," said Cook.
"At this age, they're dreaming of what they want to be, and those dreams can go up in smoke in one instant with a texting accident," said Kennedy.
"Until it actually happens to them, they don't realize it. We're making them aware of the situation even if it doesn't happen to them, it will be someone else. I want to see them grow up and if one thing like not texting can help with that, then that's wonderful," said Frakes.
The consequences are much harder to deal with.
"Think about those things..the long range ramifications of it before they pick up that phone. (The bell rings.) Just let it ring!" said Kennedy.
After taking off the blindfolds, we read the students' texts to find each spelled only one word correctly. The rest were jumbled.
You can be part of our Just Let It Ring campaign. Make the pledge to 'drive now, text later' on our Website and see how you could win some great prizes, including a new car!
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