It was Christmas Day in the 1980s and we were all gathered in my mother's living room. Some of us were playing Atari. That was the original game system.

Our peace was shattered when we found out that sirens we heard earlier in the day were the summons for emergency responders to come to the scene of a crash.It was a fatal crash and the person who died was my brother's all-too-young friend Randy.It wasn't my first experience with death on the highway. And we've dealt with many tragedies since that time. As a newsperson, there have been many. Two Jim Thorpe students this August. Four teens last December. Time and time again we read of the lives lost too young.My brother was incredulous that day. How could it be? It's something you never get over.My mother felt the pain of another who lost her son.Those were the days before cellphones, if you can imagine that.Drivers could still be distracted by speed, music and yes, girls (and guys).We all thought we were a superhero.Now we've added texting.Oh, we have become so good at it that we can text while driving. Not.We are fooling ourselves if we think that looking away from the road for a second, or four, is safe.That's why the Times News and Lehigh Valley Press are sponsoring the "It Can Wait" contest with AT&T and Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association.Students are invited to submit a column or feature article highlighting the dangers of texting while driving and explaining why teens should take the pledge.We're offering cash prizes and the chance to move on for a $500 prize.But that's not why we want students to enter the contest.Texting and other smartphone activities are estimated to be involved in more than 200,000 crashes each year. We wouldn't be surprised if some of those happened right here on Route 209 or 443.Seven in 10 drivers admit to texting while driving. I am not that good at texting. I need both hands on the wheel. But I admit I have tried to read texts.Consider these tweets about texting while driving:Micah Jordan @micahreed: "Saw a girl driving a jeep in Scranton that was texting with both hands and driving. Her tire cover on the back said 'Life is Good …' "Penn Holderness @pennholderness: "No cat pic, tweet, or video is worth a life. When you're parked watch this funny reminder."Mark C @FZDolfan: "I don't know what the penalty is for texting and driving, but it should be as severe as if you're caught driving with a beer in hand."Oh, we're not going there.I am sad to share the story of Fletcher Cleaves.Cleaves, the one-time Cordova, Tennessee, high school football standout, was at Lambuth University in the summer of 2009 on a routine trip with his roommate. In one second, that changed."Next thing I know, there's a car in my lane and I just panicked and I jerked the car too hard and I ended up flipping into an embankment," Cleaves said in an interview with local media.The promising athlete with scholarship offers would never take the field again. He suffered a broken neck and was paralyzed from the chest down, and one of the last things he remembers before he was hit was the woman appeared to be texting and driving.One second and you could lose the ability to do something you love for the rest of your life.Watch the video at itcanwait.com if you dare.I'm taking the pledge.Who's with me?Students can enter the contest at tnonline.com/contests.Texting can wait.Entering the contest cannot.The deadline is Jan. 15.Your life and your friends' lives could depend on it.