Oct 30, 2007 10:15 pm US/Central
Garland ISD Starts Safety Program For Teen Drivers
by Jay Gormley
GARLAND (CBS 11 News) ―
A survey of 4,400 Texas high school students reveals many teen drivers are doing more behind the wheel than just driving.
One third of those surveyed admitted to talking on a cell phone while driving, and one in four admitted to texting while driving. According to the study, Texas teens are more likely to speed or race, and they're less likely to wear seat belts.
Click here to read more results from the survey.
Seven high schools in the Garland school district took part in the survey. When Garland educators got wind of the results from their own students, they decided to launch a campaign to reverse the dangerous distraction trend.
Teen drivers such as Ilse Quijano say the message is clear.
"I tend to think more about the things I'm doing and more about my surroundings when I drive," said Quijano, a senior at Sachse High School.
Quijano nearly lost a classmate in a terrible car accident. Now she is part of a program called "Teens in the Driver Seat."
"I've learned not to have too many people with me in the car, not to speed and not to do distracting things like texting or calling somebody," said Quijano.
Those words of wisdom may seem obvious, but to teen drivers, those words often fall on deaf ears when said by adults.
"If a teacher or parent tells us, we're more than likely not going to listen as much," she said.
That's why the Garland school district partnered with Tx-DOT to develop the program. The plan is simple. Let teens deliver the message to fellow teens.
"Classmates and friends hang out together," said Quijano. "We're around each other a lot, so I think that we trust each other more."
For more information about Teens in the Driver Seat,
click here.
(CBS 11 News)
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