The Elk Grove Police Department is looking for 100 teen drivers.
Twenty students a day - March 25-29 - will use a smart phone to text or talk, apply makeup, eat or reach for items in the car while driving on a closed driving course, according to police officials.
A driving instructor will ride along with students to ensure their safety, said department officials.
The teens will be asked to answer questions before and after driving to measure any changes in their attitudes about distracted driving.
A video documenting the four days of demonstration driving will be created and used as an instructional tool.
"It's very important that teen-aged drivers understand the consequences of distracted driving," said Elk Grove Police Chief Robert Lehner in a prepared statement. "I believe that hands-on training will clearly demonstrate to them that they cannot pay full attention to the road while using these devices or engaging in distracting activities."
Parents interested in having their teenagers participate in the program should contact the Elk Grove Police Department Traffic Bureau at (916) 478-8148 or by going to www.elkgrovepd.org/ddd.
Loretta Kalb started her reporting career at The Sacramento Union, moved to KOVR-13 as a television reporter, editor and producer, headed to The Associated Press in San Francisco and eventually returned to Sacramento and joined The Sacramento Bee. Throughout her career, she has covered the state Legislature, courts, local government and, now, education. She is a Chico native and an Elk Grove resident.
Diana Lambert began her journalism career as a proofreader at the Lodi News-Sentinel. She is now a senior writer at The Sacramento Bee covering K-12 education and California State University, Sacramento. Previously she was The Bee’s Elk Grove bureau chief. Lambert was raised in a military family and lived at bases around the globe. She attended four high schools, graduating from Tokay High in Lodi and then Sacramento State University. She lives in Elk Grove.
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