Crash Course Designed To Cut Down On Distracted Driving Among Teens

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A crash course in texting behind the wheel designed to make an impression on the state's youngest drivers.

As Gigi Barnett explains, the company behind this weekend's event says keeping the roadways could cut down on injuries to its workers.

Liz Marks will forever live with the scars from an accident back in April 2012. Her can ran into the back of a tow truck, because minutes before, she was reading a one-word text from her mother while behind the wheel. The text said "OK."

"I had to relearn how to read, write, walk, talk---everything," said Marks. "Pull over on the side of the road and then use your phone. Or just turn it off and just not use it. That's all it takes."

Marks took her survival story to young drivers at BGE's Teen Safety Driving Day this weekend. Teens tested their texting and driving skills on simulation machines, and in real vehicles on a crash course.

The dangers are real.

"I know people do do it and it's a big problem and I really don't want to see any of my classmates get hurt or any of my friends," said teen driverErin Dodson.

BGE says another reason it's hosting this simulation is because of worker safety.

"Our leading cause of injury in this company right now is actually being hit by others in our vehicles," said Carol Dodson, BGE.

And Marks says the sooner younger drivers learn, the better.

"Everyone's like, oh it's a couple seconds while driving; it's not going to be a bad thing. But every five seconds, you travel a football field so think about that," she said.

Experts say nearly 90 percent of all Americans have cell phones, and while there are other forms of distracted driving, cell phone use is the most common.