Sending a Message: Seneca Valley Students Raise Awareness for New Anti-Texting Law

SADD members had a message for their fellowstudents on Thursday: No texting behind the wheel.

The group spent the day raising awareness for Pennsylvania's . The law went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Thursday and makes texting while driving a primary offense—and one that carries a $50 fine.

To showstudents and staff at theand were asked to wear white on Thursday. SADD members also handed out white T-shirts that read “Don’t Drive While Intexticated” and “U TXT, U DRV, U DIE.”

Denise Ferguson, advisor to SADD, said the 600 T-shirts she ordered for the event were so popular with students that they gone by the first lunch period.

“We’re really trying to raise awareness in a positive way for the school,” she said.

During Thursday’s lunch periods, students also added their thumbprints and signed a banner promising not to text and drive. In the senior high, the banner said “I Promise Not to Drive While Intexticated.” At the intermediate high school, which includes students in ninth and tenth grade, the banner message was modified to read “U Text U Drive I Die.”

Ferguson said this was done because—while many of the students at the intermediate school are not old enough to drive themselves—they do get into the car with older siblings or friends who might text behind the wheel.

Students who signed the banners were entered into a raffle to win prizes, including gift cards from Dicks’ Sporting Goods, , and more. 

“The community has been wonderful this year,” Ferguson said of the local businesses that donated prizes to the event.

Senior Anna Polite, president of SADD, called texting behind the wheel a huge distraction for drivers. Teen especially should resist texting on the road because they have less experience driving than adults, she said.

“You should only be concerned with one thing while you’re driving,” she said.

Sophomore Derek Linkenheimer, who signed the banner at the intermediate high school alongside Myra Charles, said he didn’t understand why drivers couldn’t wait until they are no longer in the car to fire off a text.

“I personally think it’s stupid to get into a wreck over saying five words to somebody,” he said.

Students also watched the AT&T video It Can Wait, which profiles people whose lives have been adversely affected by texting behind the wheel, on SVTV.