During the week of Feb. 8-12, Student Leadership and Student Council  is campaigning to put a stop to texting and driving, in hopes of informing students of the new Hands Free law passed in Argyle.  

“I’m hoping that even if one kid listens, then that’s a potential life-saver,” principal James Hill said. “Even if you can just make one person think, ‘Oh, maybe I shouldn’t be doing that,’ to me, it’s worth it.”

Throughout the week, the message to halt texting and driving will be spread through various activities.

“We have some videos and announcements and things like that,” Student Council sponsor and English teacher Terra Lyon said. “We are giving away prizes throughout the week, some t-shirts and some goodies.”

The message is also intended for the parents of Argyle who are guilty of texting and driving.

“I’m not worried about the students. I’m worried about the parents,” Argyle ISD police officer Paul Cairney said. “The parents are by far the worst violators. Anyway that [students] can get the message out to their parents, I’d appreciate it.”

The new Hands Free law passed in Argyle helps to enforce the message to stop texting and driving.

“I definitely think [the new law] will have an impact on the community,” Cairney said. “It’s two hundred dollars a pop for your first offense, so it’s an expensive habit.”

Although the law is already in place, offenders will not be fined until the first of May.

“We’re not ticketing right now, but they’re in the education phase,” Cairney said. “Any citations that they give are going to be warnings.”

Texting and driving is a serious issue, and the new law has caused community members to make changes to their current habits.

“It’s a steep learning curve for all of us,” Cairney said. “I even bought myself a new headset.”

According to DWI: Driving While Intexticated, by Kristian Marino, five seconds is the minimal amount of time attention is taken away from the road when texting. In this time, going at 55 mph, a driver could travel the length of a football field.

“Just think, five seconds– one, two, three, bam!” Cairney said. “Think how quickly something could happen in five seconds.”

This week is meant to illustrate to the students the consequences of texting while driving and encourage a distraction-free driving community.

“I want [students] to learn that they are not invaluable,” Lyon said. “It can happen to them. Just because you’re a good driver doesn’t mean that you should take chances. Don’t text and drive.”