When announcing the tragic news of a fatal wreck in the River Parishes last month, Louisiana State Police Trooper Jared L. Sandifer tagged the end of his statement with a plea to area motorists:

“Avoid distracting activities, especially the temptations of electronic devices that can substantially divert a driver’s attention away from the road. Always obey all traffic control devices and be aware of your surroundings at all times.”

It’s the type of advice often ignored by motorists; unfortunately, the results are too often fatal.

In an effort to drive home the importance of concentrated driving, State Police Troop L hosted a “Consequences of Impact” mock fatality crash program March 19 at Archbishop Hannan High School.

The educational program, scheduled before the school’s prom, had students acting out a fatal crash scene in front of their peers, with parents of the student actors playing parts in the tragic scenario.

Those warnings are welcomed and need to be continued, but one local man has gone further to help prevent teenagers from falling victim to what could be tragic results when young people text and drive.

Thank you to Michael Watson, owner of Jim’s Body Shop in LaPlace, for stepping into the void with his cell phone app, Text Guardian.

The app is set up on a teen’s phone by a parent, who enables the password notifications that prevent their child from disabling the app.

The parent selects the speed at which the app is activated. When the driver reaches that speed, any texts or calls made to the phone are blocked. The sender instantly receives a text that reads, “Text Guardian in use at this time. I will text you when it is safe to do so.”

Information about the free app is available at textguardian.org.

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and the time is now to bring home the importance of that message.