High school drivers get lesson in texting and driving

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. (WSVN) -- Teens at a South Florida high school are getting a hands on lesson about the dangers of texting and driving.

The young drivers at Coral Springs Charter School received a scary wake up call with the help of simulators and AT&T. "The reason why we are honing in on the teens is because they're the heaviest of texters, and they're the newest drivers," said an AT&T representative.

The simulator put drivers in a car on the road with other pedestrians and cars, and they were told what to text. What surprised many of the students was the outcome of the test. "I hit a person," said one student.

Another student said, "It's so much harder than it looks."

AT&T brought the simulator to show students that texting can wait. "It's interesting, and they are pretty much unaware that's actually what is taking place, and so sometimes it's shocking to them that that's really what is happening while they're texting and driving," said Coral Springs Charter School Principal Gary Springer.

One teen driver said she learned a good lesson from this experience. "Not to text and drive, and it is a lot more dangerous than it really seems," said Cheyenne Fahy.

(Copyright 2012 by Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)