Buffalo Grove Kicks Off Statewide Anti-Texting Campaign

Buffalo Grove kicked off a statewide campaign Saturday aimed at discouraging teenagers from texting and driving.

The “Texting and Driving - It Can Wait” program, sponsored by AT&T, was launched by the  and students from  and  high schools.

It aims to raise awareness among teens – and wireless users of all ages – of the dangers of texting and driving. 

Earlier: 

"It only takes a few seconds to be distracted by texting when driving, but those few seconds can change a life forever." Buffalo Grove Sgt. Scott Kristiansen said. “You can easily cover 200 feet of road in just three seconds at 45 miles per hour.”

Representatives from AT&T, the Buffalo Grove Police Department, Buffalo Grove High School REACH club and the Stevenson High School FACTS club were on hand at the  Saturday to kick off the program. Participating students will take a pledge not to text while driving.

High schools with the most students who text pledges with their individual school code can win prizes for after school or safe passage programs. In addition, any school that shows the AT&T "The Last Text" documentary to its students will be entered into a drawing to win prizes for after-school or safe passage programs.

At the suggestion of the Buffalo Grove Police Department, District 214 schools and Stevenson are including the “The Last Text” video in their driver’s education classes. Private driving schools in the area are also using it, Kristiansen said.

“Distracted driving is an epidemic, particularly among teens who are confident in their ability to text or talk while driving,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a prepared statement. “Of the 5,500 people killed last year due to distracted driving, the largest proportion of fatalities occurred among young people under the age of 20.”  

Noting that about 20 percent of new drivers are involved in a crash in their first year, Kristiansen said the program could help make the roads safer.

“In my opinion, this program not only improves the odds, it changes the odds,” he said.