Students Learn Consequences of Distracted Driving - NewsOn6.com - Tulsa, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports - KOTV.com |

By Jacqueline Sit, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Several teen drivers got a hands-on experience on how driving while "inTEXTicated" or simply distracted driving could lead to dangerous consequences.

About a dozen students were given the opportunity to put the pedal to the metal at a closed course all while eating, handling rowdy riders and texting behind the wheel.

"I couldn't even get my password on the phone. I have a touch screen phone. You have to look at it. I couldn't even get my password into my phone to start a text message because of the guy sitting next to me sitting here going like this over and over again and playing with my radio. There was no way," said Bailey Wallace, Yukon High School student who participated in the closed driving course.

Taylor Doctorman was another distracted driver.

"It wakes you up. I'm not used to driving and texting so I'm not used to having one hand on the wheel either, so I was kind of like all over the place," said Doctorman, who also participated in the course.

The course was part of push to get drivers, especially teen drivers, to put down their phones while driving and to slam the breaks on bad behavior.

"Missing three out of the four red lights was good enough for me to say don't do it," Wallace said. "There's so many things that can happen on their own road without having an influence on them so why would you add to the problems? Why would you sit there and dig for food in the back seat or text while you're driving because it can wait. It can wait till you're done."

All the drivers who participated in Wednesday's closed course said the lesson paid off and they promised to try to minimize distractions while driving.

On Thursday state lawmakers are launching an interim study on the use of cell phone and texting while driving.