QUINCY, ILL. -- It's all the buzz these days, to just let it ring when it comes to texting and driving.
Sunday, hundreds of people took a simulated ride down city streets while trying to text certain phrases. Most participants at the Simmetry Wireless Text Fest were not successful in doing so. While it may not be real to many kids behind the wheel, it was a lesson learned at what could happen if you take your eyes off the road to text a few simple words.
"It's really important, because I looked at my phone for one second and almost ran off the road," said Jordan Bridgeman, a new driver to the Hannibal area.
"I crashed into another car when I was texting.They did a u-turn and I didn't see it because I was texting and I crashed," said Megan Casady, a Quincy driver.
Just outside the Oakley Lindsay Center, people were also offered a chance to actually text and drive, but through an obstacle course and with a state trooper riding in the passenger seat. Weaving in an out of several orange cones while texting left more than one driver with multiple fatalities on their record and a text message that, only half of which, made sense.
KHQA was also at Sunday's Text Fest. We want to help you avoid a tragedy. Join us in pledging to put down your phone and Just Let it Ring...or buzz, or beep. You could be a lucky winner on November 11th when we give away a new Kia Soul!
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKHQA