From The Bark magazine, Spring 2012 Cell phone use while driving is a dangerous distraction, but the temptation to text proves too strong for some. It takes just a split-second â the moment between hitting send and the sound of crunching metal when bumper meets bumper. We have all at least attempted it before. The classic situation of trying to send a text message while idling at the stopÂlight; the most anxious moments of a teenagerâs driving career. The light turns green right as the last few words are beÂing typed out, so what would it hurt to finish up the sentence as the traffic slowly accelerates forward? Only the driver in front of you just spilled a bit of his Grande Mocha on his pants in his effort to change the radio station blaring from his speakÂers. In one moment of perfect clarity, a glance up from the âlolâ beÂing typed in response to a witty text, a young driverâs perfect record can be shattered with a jolting collision. From the moment a teenager is handed that official looking plastic card giving them the right to take to the roads, the lectures begin to pour in from every direcÂtion. Parents, teachers, even concerned friends all point out at one time or another how dangerÂous attempting to text and drive is. All these speeches have one thing in common â do not text while driving, no matter what the situation may be. âI remember hearing all the time when I started driving and also at drivÂing school, âDonât get behind the wheel and begin textingâ,â Bearden senior Beth Ann StripÂling says. âNow itâs just a natural response to think of that warning when I want to text.â Itâs Driving School 101 Of the many driver edÂucation programs offered throughout Knoxville, Drive-Rite Driving School is a 32-hour program that focuses on all the basics of driving. Attending this program is almost a tradition for Bearden students, increasingly so after the Drivers EducaÂtion program was taken out of Beardenâs course catalogue. Drive-Rite instrucÂtor and office manager Marsha LaFollette enjoys every one of her Bearden teens, but she is not blind to the fact that every day these young drivers are tempted to text behind the wheel. Along with offering videos and notes about the illegality of driving while under the influÂence of drugs or alcohol, LaFollette tries to place the same emphasis ondriving while under the influence of a text conÂversation. âIt is against the law for anyone under 18 who is driving to even talk on a cell phone while driving and it is against the law in Tennessee for anyone to text while driving,â LaÂFollette says. âThe probÂlem is that police officers cannot be everywhere at once. âOften drivers get away with it â until something bad happens and then itâs too late.â Parental Involvement Drive-Rite also asks that parents actively monitor whether or not their teen is texting while driving; with the scope of technology today an app can be installed to block all messages when the youth is on the road. Also, parents can invest in one of many types of technology that install in the car itself, not only in the cell phone. The National Highway Traffic Safety AdministraÂtion (NHTSA) has paired with Tennessee Attorney General Bob Cooper and Attorneys General across the country in an effort to spread the attitude toward texting while driving that Drive-Rite and other KnoxÂville driver education programs have, that no driver should text and drive, period. The NHTSA released a statistic stating that distracted driving is the number one killer of American teens today, and a study by the VirÂginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) reports that a texting driver is 23 times more likely to get into a crash than a non-texting driver. The Ad Council is another proÂgram getting involved in warning against texting. âResearch has shown that using a cell phone delays a driverâs reacÂtions as much as having a blood alcohol concenÂtration at the legal limit of .08 percent,â CEO of the Ad Council Peggy Conlen says. âThrough our Texting and Driving Prevention campaign, we are working towards eradicating the mindset among young adults that texting and driving is a safe activity.â Tough to Resist Bearden senior DelÂaney Thomas and other students admit to being guilty of sending a few texts every so often at a stoplight, and then quickly remembering why even a quick texting attempt can be a scary experience. âTeenagers like to think they know everything,â Thomas says. âSo they think they can text and drive, but you sway to one side or another alÂmost immediately.â Most Bearden drivers however, have a trick or two for keeping their minds focused on drivÂing. These techniques range from simply setÂting the phone to silent and storing it out of easy reach in the car to subdue any temptation to text to completely turning their cell phone off before starting the engine. Junior Alex Koza deÂcides to actively place her attention elsewhere to more easily pay atÂtention to the basics of staying safe behind the wheel. Having a mental checklist upon entering a vehicle can keep a young driver focused. âWhen I get in the car I buckle up, silence all of my message settings, and set my Pandora channel on shuffle,â Koza says. âThat way, I am too busy singing along to care who is texting me.â The American AutomoÂbile Association or AAA has a whole page on its website dedicated to various ways to avoid beÂing distracted and thereÂfore in danger of hurting yourself or others. AAA recommends having a passenger handle anything that could be distracting. Also, various studies have proven that there is simply no such thing as the ability to âmulti-taskâ, so it is essentially impossible for teenagers to both text and drive. If that means allowing a friend to text a signifiÂcant other or parent, is that not better than callÂing from the hospital or never again? Not Worth the Risk Perhaps high school students have been lectured too much on this topic, so that they no longer listen. Maybe the undeniable willingness to rebel has all young drivers believing they are immortal enough to send a text while barrelÂing down Kingston Pike. Hopefully, Bearden stuÂdents will get the picture soon enough about how dangerous texting can be. Is a young life worth that âlolâ or that tweet? All that is needed is a pause in texting friends or a tweet before getting in the car saying â#drivÂing #textmeinafewâ. With that precaution, no one has to lose any Starbucks coffee, hundreds of dolÂlars in repairs, or even a life. Maya Rioux is a staff writer for The Bark. Follow The Bark on Twitter @BeardenBARK, and like The Bark (Bearden High School) on Facebook.