Beverly Teens Pledge No Texting While Driving

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett and AT&T marked the national “No Text on Board Pledge Day” by bringing AT&T’s anti-texting and driving educational presentation – “It Can Wait” – to Beverly High School, Wednesday morning. 

Earlier this year, District Attorney Blodgett’s office became the first in the nation to successfully prosecute a texting and driving case. The 17-year-old from Haverhill was sentenced to spend a year in jail for a fatal traffic accident that happened while he was texting.

Blodgett told Beverly High juniors and seniors about that case, saying "[Aaron] should have been thinking about senior prom and graduating. Instead, he was sentenced two-and-a-half years, serving one, in the house of corrections."

Later in the program, Coakley asked students if they'd get behind the wheel with a blindfold on. 

"If you stop to take or send a text while driving, you might as well be putting a kerchief over your face," she said. 

AT&T shared a powerful documentary on the topic and urged students to sign the no texting while driving pledge. 

District Attorney Blodgett and AT&T are partnering this year to deliver a strong message to high school students about the dangers of texting and driving.