On Thursday, Oct. 17 students from Pierce and Thurston counties learned about the dangers of texting while driving.

“Texting and driving is a life-threatening epidemic,” said AT&T’s Nick Parker, speaking to a packed room. “The numbers don’t lie. Texting and driving makes you 23 times more likely to be in an accident, and more than 100,000 texting-related accidents result in injuries or death every year,” he said.

AT&T partnered with the Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) today to educate teens, parents and educators about the dangers of distracted driving.  Presenting at the FCCLA’s regional meeting in Tacoma, the wireless carrier talked about the national It Can Wait movement to save lives by ending texting and driving.

The 200 attendees were divided into two groups that watched the Werner Herzog’s Movie “One Second to the Next” about people’s lives that have been forever changed due to car accidents involving texting.  Following the movie, attendees were invited to spread the word and take the pledge to never text and drive.   The students also had the opportunity to learn about the dangers of texting while driving first-hand, using a distracted driving simulator.

“Texting at the wheel is more common than you think. “The simple fact is that those who text and drive are making the roads more dangerous for all of us,” said Parker. “AT&T and the FCCLA are committed to the cause.  And I hope that today’s attendees will get involved and join us because not text is worth dying for.”