By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Parents and teens take driving class to reduce crashes
Students learn deadly lesson of texting while driving
1230 TEEN DRIVING 0005
Students participate in a driver simulation during a Parents Reducing Injuries and Driver Error class at the Lumpkin County Recreation Department. The class is open to teens and their parents in Lumpkin and White counties and Gainesville. - photo by Erin O. Smith
Four teens were handed faux steering wheels and asked to pull their phones out. Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Jonathan Fitzpatrick then asked them to remember a simple line they would text to a random friend, “The movie starts at 6.” Wheel in one hand and cellphone in the other, the teens take off down a quiet neighborhood road projected on the wall.