Students at Manteca High wore their white shirts at the boys’ volleyball match Monday at Winter Gym between the Buffaloes and visiting Weston Ranch.

The Volleyball White-Out Game was part of the MHS Safe Driving Campaign to fight against Distracted Driving.

The message was simple: Don’t Drive Distracted.

“Studies have proven that teens who text and drive veer out of their lanes around 10 percent of their total drive time,” said one of the many messages posted on the gym walls.

“Keep Your Eyes on the Road – Not on Your Phone,” said another posted message.

In an effort to further get the word out, the MHS Safe Driving Committee provided flyers to parents with information on apps to prevent texting and driving:

ATT-Drive Mode – Silences all incoming texts by sending auto-reply messages to the senders.

OMW-On My Way – Invites friends to follow your trip and location, sending a notification upon arrival.

Lifesaver – Provides parents with the power to lock the phone of their young driver, unlocking the feature once the car comes to a complete stop.

One Tap – Manages texts and calls of the young motorist, automatically responding to the caller that the driver is behind the wheel and unable to text back.

Many MHS students took the pledge against distracted driving, showing their support by signing their names on the poster, which read: “Your phone isn’t worth a life, put it down – Choose to make a difference.”

According to advisor Nina Norton, this is the third year of the MHS Safe Driving Committee being involved in the campaign to fight against distracted driving.

Once again, members of the group have involved elementary school students while collaborating with some of the other high schools – Sierra, East Union and Lathrop High – in this campaign.

They also received a proclamation for their efforts by the Manteca Unified school board at the March 12 meeting.