DENVER - From texting behind the wheel to eating while driving, it didn't take long for Denver Police to find teenagers at Thomas Jefferson High School in Denver driving while distracted.
Ironically, some of the teens had just attended an assembly on how dangerous it is.
"It's just very dangerous, probably as bad as drunk driving. I've noticed kids driving in the parking lot, texting and driving, or talking on the phone too, calling to go to lunch," Raechel Leiker, a junior, said.
At lunch time on Wednesday, Denver Police set up outside the school to see if teens really got the message.
Sgt. Dan McNulty pulled over a driver he says blew through a stop sign while talking on her cell phone.
"We watched you go through the stop sign. Did you hear about the distracted driving today at school? Are you going to sign the pledge?" McNulty asked the driver.
"Yes," the teen driver responded.
The driver got a warning instead of a $130, four-point ticket.
"We're teamed up with 9NEWS this week, and we were at it this morning telling everyone the hazards of distracted driving, and as you can see you ran right through a stop sign and you didn't know we were chasing you. That's distracted driving OK," McNulty reminded the driver.
McNulty spotted another driver returning from lunch and eating a hamburger while driving.
"When you eat and don't have both hands on the wheel, that's distracted driving. You've got four guys back here your responsible for. Somebody slows down and what happens? We have a crash," McNulty told the driver.
For the past few weeks, 9NEWS and the Denver Police Department have teamed up to send a pre-prom message to teen drivers to avoid distracted driving.
If you would like to take the 9NEWS Great Hang Up pledge to help stop distracted driving, download the pledge form.
If you have a story about distracted driving you would like to share with us, or if your company or office has decided to sign the pledge as a team, email 9NEWS Anchor/Reporter Eric Kahnert at eric.kahnert@9news.com.
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