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Harford County Students Buckling Up For A Lesson

BEL AIR, Md. (WJZ) -- Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in the United States. With that in mind, a new campaign is launched at high schools across the nation to make young people better drivers.

As Mary Bubala reports, one high school in Harford County is buckling up for a lesson.

In Bel Air, students at Patterson Mill High School are using tricycles and goggles to show how distracted driving leads to accidents. Other students sit on scooters and try to navigate an obstacle course while texting.

The fun is backed by a serious message called 2N2.

"You have two hands on the wheel on the bottom and then you have two eyes on the road at all times and no cell phones at all," one student said.

Students are shown a movie about the aftermath of a crash involving a teen texting while driving. It's emotional for the students because the video is based on the death of a real high school student.

"The most sad part of the video is when the cops went up to the door and had to tell the parents that the child was dead," said one student.

The assembly kicks off a ten day period of collecting online pledges by students, staff and the community to drive safely as part of the a national "Celebrate My Drive" campaign produced by State Farm Insurance.

The students are competing for a $100,000 grant.

"I have kids of my own at this school, so I want them to drive correctly, I want them to be safe on the roads. I want the school to raise money through this program. State Farm is giving up to $100,000 to the school who gets the most commitment from the community," said Bryan Michaels, State Farm Insurance.

The pledge takes just a moment and can be done on your computer at home or on your mobile device.

If you'd like to learn more about the Celebrate My Drive campaign, click here.

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