Join high schoolers around the state on Sept. 19 in taking the 'It Can Wait' pledge not to text while driving

In preparation for its national day of action, the "It Can Wait" campaign teamed up with state legislators in four schools across Kentucky to increase awareness about the risks of texting while driving. Become an advocate too by taking the pledge not to text and drive on Sept 19. 

State Rep. Rick Nelson of Middlesboro, Sen. Brandon Smith of Hazard and AT&T partnered to provide a simulation for students at Bell County High School to learn about dangers of texting while driving. The simulator subjected the participants to a variety of real-life traffic conditions, like driving alongside a bus, showcasing the real-life dangers of texting.

“As a father to teenagers with driver’s licenses, I am personally devoted to spreading awareness of the dangers of texting while driving, Smith told the Middlesboro Daily News. “Drivers who send text messages while driving are 23 times more likely to be in a crash, so it is critical to spread the word that when it comes to texting and driving — it can wait.”

The tour, which is also sponsored by Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile, also stopped in Central Kentucky, where about 200 Scott County High School students participated in the simulation, along with Rep. Ryan Quarles and Sen. Damon Thayer, both of Georgetown. Quarles crashed and Thayer was stopped for driving too slow in the “busy thoroughfare,” reports Dan Adkins of the Kentucky Press News Service. Click here to try the simulator.

The “No Texting While Driving” law has been in place in Kentucky for two years and forbids anyone to send text messages while driving a motor vehicle. The law also forbids any use of a cell phone for driving under 18.

Take the pledge not to text and drive by joining the "It Can Wait" campaign. Click here for more information. You can also download the AT&T DriveMode app that automatically sends a customizable reply to incoming messages to let people know that you'll get back to them at another time.

New study finds texting and driving kills and injures more teens than drinking and driving, and is becoming more prevalent

A new study finds that texting while driving has become more dangerous among teenagers than drinking and driving, and it says the number of teens who are dying or being injured as a result of this habit has "skyrocketed."

Nationwide, more than 3,000 teens are killed and 300,000 are injured as a result of texting and driving, compared to 2,700 deaths and 282,000 injuries from drinking and driving, said researchers at Cohen Children's Medical Center in New Hyde Park, N.Y.

"A person who is texting can be as impaired as a driver who is legally drunk," said Dr. Andrew Adesman, chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Cohen.

Adesman and his team found that the number of teens who text and drive exceed the number who drink and drive, that more boys admit to texting than girls, and that texting increases with age, writes Delthia Ricks of Newsday. While teens' texting is increasing, the CDC reports alcohol use among teen drivers has decreased by 54 percent over the past 14 years.

On Wednesday, officials from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration described texting as among the worst of driver distractions, and Adesman says texting is as hazardous as "drinking and driving, binge drinking, drug and tobacco use, unsafe sex and tanning devices," writes Ricks.

"We have very strong taboos against drinking and driving. Kids don't drink and drive every day," Adesman said. "But some kids are out there texting and driving seven days a week -- and they admit it."

Ban texting and cell phone use while driving, National Transportation Safety Board urges

States should prohibit drivers from using cell phones and other portable electronic devices while behind the wheel, except during emergencies, the National Transportation Board said Tuesday. The recommendation was unanimous among the five members of the board, who said it should apply to hands-free and hand-held phones.

"The board made the recommendation in connection with a deadly highway pileup in Missouri last year," reports Joan Lowy of The Associated Press. "The board said the initial collision in the accident near Grays Summit, Mo., was caused by the inattention of a 19-year-old pickup driver who sent or received 11 texts in 11 minutes immediately before the crash."

The crash involved the pickup, a tractor truck and two school buses. The driver of the pickup and a 15-year-old student on one of the buses were killed. Thirty-eight others were injured.

Though the board cannot impose restrictions on cell phone use, federal and state lawmakers and regulators take their recommendations very seriously.

Accidents involving texting and cell phone calls are becoming increasingly common. It has even become commonplace for investigators to immediately to look at texting records when launching an accident investigation, Lowy reports.

The board previously recommended that commercial truck drivers and bus drivers be prohibited from texting and talking on cell phones. Texting while driving is forbidden in 35 states, including Kentucky. But about 2 in 10 American drivers, and half of drivers between the ages of 21 and 24, said they have texted or sent an email message while driving, a survey from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found. (Read more)