Students at Lena School learned the real-world consequences of distracted driving Thursday through the “It Can Wait” movement, which warns of the dangers of texting while driving.
“The message is very simple. No text message is worth risking your life or someone else’s,” said Robyn Gruner, director of external affairs for AT&T, which along with AAA, the Wisconsin State Patrol and State Sen. Tom Tiffany presented the program to about 175 students.
Gruner acknowledged there’s a strong temptation, for both teens and adults, to use a phone while driving.
“I hear that beep, and the first thing I want to do is grab the phone and see who it is,” she said.
A documentary presented to the middle and high school students showed the tragic outcomes of three real-life scenarios in which texting had caused death or permanent disability.
“Everyone thinks something’s not going to happen to them,” State Patrol Officer John Vernon said.
His experience has proved otherwise.
“I see it all the time. Distracted driving is one of the No. 1 causes of crashes,” he said.
He said accident statistics don’t tell the whole story, because they leave out the after-crash emotional impact.
“It devastates people like you, your family, your friends and myself, as well,” he said.
He offered students this straight-forward advice: “It’s extremely dangerous, and there’s just a simple fix. Put your phone down.”
Gruner said the “It Can Wait” movement targets teen drivers because the leading cause of death for teens is traffic crashes. Teens are more at risk because of their inexperience behind the wheel, she said.
Gruner encouraged students to visit www.ItCanWait.com to sign a no texting while driving pledge and to encourage others, including their parents, to do the same. She also introduced #X, a tool teens can use to pause a text or social conversation before beginning to drive. The symbol is a way for teens to quickly let their friends know they are about to drive and won’t respond to texts or social media until they arrive at their destination.
To demonstrate the effects of texting while driving, Principal Ben Pytleski selected two of the most inexperienced drivers on the roads today — the two Lena sophomores who received most recently their driver’s licenses. Emily Madson and Riley Marquardt took a turn at the wheel of a distracted driver simulator.
After an initial trial-and-error period of getting accustomed to the foot pedals and steering wheel, they pulled out their cell phones and attempted to search the Web while the simulator showed them driving through a city. Madson’s drive ended in a minor accident. Distractions caused Marquardt to run a stop sign and swerve.
Even Lena Police Chief James Herald was tagged for several traffic infractions when he took a turn behind the wheel of the simulator.
“I think it’s a very useful tool to have, definitely an eye-opener,” said Herald, who returned to Lena School on Friday to offer the simulator experience to additional students.
Herald said the texting presentation portrays a different message than the usual preprom/pregraduation warning of don’t drink and drive.
“What we’ve seen today is that drinking is deadly, but even texting can be,” he said.
Eighth-grader Jordyn Dolata said the presentation changed her beliefs about texting and driving. She said she used to think, “I can just look down for a minute. But apparently, I can’t.”
“I’m not going to text and drive anymore,” junior Dylan Marquardt said.
Pytleski said the program catches kids’ attention and hopefully will lead to safer driving practices.
“Nothing shakes the foundation of a school like losing a student,” he said.
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