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

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.