SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio police are kicking off a safety initiative to make sure teenagers follow the rules of the road this spring break.
"Texting and not wearing your seat belt is not worth your money, nor is it worth your life,” Chief William McManus says.
The safety push comes at a time when too many schools are mourning students who died on the roads.
A twisted, mangled car was all that was left of a lunchtime joyride turned street race last month.
Monique Castaneda walked away from the accident.
"I honestly believe that if I didn't have my seat belt on then I wouldn't be here today,” she says.
But Castaneda is still grieving for her two friends who died that day. They were two of five young women that week who did not buckle up and did not survive a crash.
"Those things – you don't forget about them real quickly,” Chief McManus says.
An accident changes your life but it happens in the blink of an eye, so police will be on the roads looking for drivers – especially new drivers – who are not buckled up or are texting behind the wheel.
"Some of them don't have the experience that would change their ways,” Chief McManus says.
As a YouTube video shows, the price of one text message can be your life. And if you’re not wearing a seat belt the consequences can also be gruesome and deadly.
“What you see when you get on the scene of a fatality or a serious injury collision is something worse than you see in the movies,” Chief McManus says. “It's not make-believe. It's real."
So officers are asking teen to say something if they see a friend texting, drinking or speeding – it could save a life.
