Kate Ryan, wtop.com

WASHINGTON — “Stay Alive, Don’t Text and Drive” is more than just a slogan. It’s a pledge that teens and their parents are being asked to sign, and thousands are doing just that.

“This is the No. 1 killer of our teens. We need to do something about it,” says Jen Marsh, with Meritus Health in Hagerstown, Md., about highway deaths.

So Meritus, which operates a trauma center in Hagerstown, has launched the campaign against distracted driving.

Marsh says over the past year, Meritus has seen a 50 percent increase in the number of trauma cases coming in.

“A lot of these cases are a direct result of distracted driving, and specifically texting while driving,” she says.

Marsh says even kids who are too young to drive are signing the pledge.

“They’re really able to influence their parents and just tell them to put the phone down.”

For more information about distracted driving and the pledge, click here.

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