After stepping out of a texting and driving simulator, Southwest High School senior Clarence Patterson says he definitely learned a lesson about distracted driving.
He says, "You can kill somebody if you're not paying attention. If you're not paying attention, you can kill yourself, and plus you can wreck a car and all that stuff and it's too much money. It's not even worth it."
Billboards, online pledges, and videos also try to drive home the same message, yet each year over 10,000 drivers in the U.S. are injured or die due to distracted driving, according to the National Safety Council.
Some central Georgia teens say teaching people about distracted driving is a difficult task.
Patterson says, "For them to get into an accident or either they get a ticket, that's what's going to teach them a lesson."
His classmate Kierra Hicks agrees. She says, "They're going to do what they want to do, and if somebody's mind is determined to text somebody back once they've texted them, they're going to want to text that person back."
They also say some of the texting and driving campaigns have made a difference for them and many of their friends. Some of the teens suggested more school programs on distracted driving and using interactive tools like the simulator.