ETMC EMS continues to bring awareness about texting and driving ETMC EMS continues to bring a public safety campaign about the dangers of texting and driving to East Texas students with the latest presentation this week being at The Brook Hill School in Bullard.

Signs, billboards and public safety announcements are being displayed around East Texas schools that say “You don’t want us responding to your next text. Stop the texts. Stop the wrecks.”

Helping to place a banner at the school included ETMC EMS paramedic Ricky Harris, Brook Hill seniors Morgan Moss, McCray Fletcher and Chipper Adams, along with Vicky LaMay, ETM EMS paramedic educator and Jordy Barksdale, BH Director of Campus Life.

“If you need to respond to a text pull over safely somewhere or wait until you arrive at your destination because texting and driving is a dangerous activity that can result in a traffic accident,” said Neal Franklin, general manager for ETMC EMS. “We hope that by bringing attention to this growing problem that drivers will realize how important it is to stay focused on the road.”

The Texas Department of Transportation says distracted driving is becoming increasingly common and dangerous. In 2014, there were 100,825 traffic crashes in Texas that involved distracted driving. That is an increase of six percent from 2013. The crashes in 2014 resulted in 3,214 serious injuries and 468 deaths.