Teens rally to ban texting at the wheel

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - As the new state lawmakers got in their first day of work in Organization Day, they also got an earful about some of the issues they'll face in the upcoming session.

Dozens of teenagers held a rally to call for tougher laws on driving distractions.

They came armed with T-shirts, a driving simulator to show the dangers of texting while driving, and posters to make the point.

Morgan Thie of Eastern Greene High School showed off one slogan. "My poster says 'Yeah!' You don’t want that to be the last thing you see."

Thie's classmate, Melynne Query, said of texting and driving, "Risking people's lives every single day, every single minute. It's just an awful thing to think about."

The teenagers represent S.A.D.D. (Students Against Destructive Decisions) Chapters from all over the state. They teamed up with AAA, The Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, Hendricks County Purdue Extension, and State Farm Insurance to deliver a simple message: Texting at the wheel kills.

Not so simple: convincing lawmakers that a ban is a good idea. It's not far from the Statehouse's North Atrium, where the students started their push, to the House and Senate chambers. But it's a longer road, figuratively, to get both Houses to agree, and get the governor to sign it.

Senator Brent Steele [(R) District 44] is among the unconvinced. He says, "If you're willing to put up the bill for a total ban on electric handheld devices, which I guess would include electric razors and other things people use, I'd hear the bill. But if it's just texting only it doesn't make any sense and it's unenforceable."