DENVER - Some local high school students left school on Monday with an important reminder before they got behind the wheel of a car.
Student leaders and Denver Police Officers were out at Lincoln High School in South Denver handing out the 9NEWS Great Hang Up pledge.
DPD and Denver Public Schools have partnered with us once again this school year to get the word out about the dangers of distracted driving.
Drivers under the age of 20 are most likely to get into a distracted driving crash, according to National Highway data.
The stats also show that 5,500 people were killed last year because of distracted drivers. Another half-million were injured.
"A lot of students are texting and driving at the same time, especially on Federal [Boulevard], it's a pretty packed street. You see students walking across the street and if you're distracted by texting then you can possibly hit someone and that's not a good thing," Derek Esquibel, a senior at Lincoln, said.
9NEWS and Denver Police will be out at Denver's other high schools in the upcoming days as kids return to their first full week of school.
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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