EUGENE, Mo. - With narrow roads, no shoulders and many teenagers from Eugene High School traveling more than 20 miles to after-school jobs, the "It Only Takes One" campaign easily drew in support.
Senior Kaylee Hogard said distracted driving has fatal potential and wanted to encourage her peers to put down their phones and keep their eyes on the road.
"I'm a teenager and I know I'm not the best driver," Hogard said. "It's easy to get distracted - with your phone, a song on the radio or just seeing something cool out the window."
Hogard was one of the first to earn a campaign T-shirt by returning a contract signed by both her and her parents with agreed consequences if she drives distracted or impaired.
Cole County Sheriff's Deputy Josh Stockman is the School Resource Officer at Eugene schools. For several years, the school has had 100 percent usage during the Missouri Department of Transportation's "Battle of the Belt" seatbelt-use promotion.
Stockman saw the ACT Missouri and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) program as a natural extension of the drivers' safety education. Counselors at the school now are considering forming a SADD chapter at the rural school.
When Hogard first received her driver's license, her parents talked with her about the dangers of drinking and driving, especially since she drives with her siblings, she said. And through the Battle of the Belt, she was well aware of seatbelt safety.
"But cell phones and the radio, I hadn't thought about that so much," Hogard said.
Recently, Hogard and several other Eugene drivers held a checkpoint for their peers when school let out. They were glad to see no drivers were on their cell phones. But several passengers were.
Hogard explained a driver can be just as distracted by what the passenger is doing.
Fellow senior Brianna Kliethermes agreed, she has been distracted by what passengers are doing beside her while she's driving.
It Only Takes One has been a good reminder, Kliethermes said.
"Now it's in the back of my mind - focus on the road, two hands on the wheel," she said. "I'm definitely more cautious."
Posters through the hallways and throughout the community provide a constant reminder for teens to put away the distractions, Stockman said.
Across the state, 50 schools are participating in the It Only Takes One campaign.
"Distraction remains the primary reason that car crashes are the number one killer of teens," Stockman said. "This is why, the core message of the campaign is, "Drive responsibly. There's only ONE you.'"
A second compliance checkpoint and a schoolwide assembly will be conducted later this winter. In addition to the first 50 students who return the honor pledge signed by their parents receiving T-shirts, daily announcements will include safe driving reminders and students will be issued red thumb bands as further reminders.
"The T-shirts are an effective tool to get students talking about the dangers of distracted driving," Stockman said.
With homecoming and its many events coming up later this month in Eugene, safety is a good reminder, Hogard said.
"We want people to realize what could happen; it can be deadly," Kliethermes said. "We want them to realize it's not OK."