Illinois Lt. Governor challenges students to not text and drive - 14 News, WFIE, Evansville, Henderson, Owensboro

Illinois Lt. Governor challenges students to not text and drive

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ILLINOIS (WFIE) -

Lt. Governor Sheila Simon will challenge community college students to sign an online pledge not to text and drive on Wednesday during a visit to Parkland College in Champaign.

The national "No Text on Board" pledge day event is part of AT&T's "It Can Wait" campaign to educate drivers on the dangers of texting while driving. Nationwide, drivers are 23 times more likely to get in an accident if they text while driving. In the first half of 2011 in Illinois, cell phone distractions were the cause of more than 500 crashes.

Simon took the "It Can Wait" pledge last week alongside John A. Logan college students in Carterville. As the state's point person on education reform, she is asking Parkland students to pledge to wait to text after they have reached their destination.

"Texting is one of the leading causes of distracted driving, an epidemic that causes far too many accidents and deaths on our roadways," Simon said. "There is no text message important enough to risk your life – it can wait."

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