St. Petersburg, Florida -- The toughest group to try and convince to put down their cell phones while driving are new drivers. Perhaps only their peers can convince them.
The Junior Civitan Club of Florida is spending the entire month of March teaching their classmates about the dangers of distracted driving.
As part of their "Be a No Phone Driver" campaign, they're asking students to sign a pledge not to text and drive.
"I didn't expect our classmates to be this enthusiastic to sign our pledge," said Nate Collard, who heads up the Junior Civitan Club at St. Petersburg High School. "But we have had at least a hundred signatures in the first half hour."
The club set up a table as classes wrapped up for the day--giving teens information about distracted driving and getting them to sign the pledge.
Seniors Eric Gates and Kelsey Fredrickson were convinced to sign up. Both admitted the often text each other at stop lights.
"When I'm at a red light, I put the car in park so I know it's not going anywhere," said Gates. "I'll just send a quick text saying, 'Hey, I'm on my way.' Or if we're talking about plans, I'll say, 'Yeah, that sounds good.'"
"I just get bored," said his girlfriend Kelsey Fredrickson. "I don't put it in park but I feel like if I'm stopped it'll be safe to text."
According to the National Safety Council, a driver using a cell phone is four times more likely to get into an accident. A driver texting is eight times more likely to get into a crash.
"The biggest thing is getting the word out to people and getting people to be aware of the risks and maybe save one or two lives at the minimum," said Collard.
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