Maine Secretary Of State Speaks To Teens About Texting While Driving [WATCH]

It's National Teen Driver Safety Week and Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap is speaking to teens about the dangers of texting while driving.

Last week, Dunlap visited Windham High School to talk to students about distracted driving.

“The hardest thing I have to do is convince people that this will happen to them,” Dunlap told students. “These are not things we can hit reset on and start over. And what’s so frustrating is that this is the simplest thing in the world to prevent: Just don’t do it.”

Crashes are the leading cause of death for 14 to 18-year-olds in the U.S., according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

This year, Dunlap has partnered with the AT&T “It Can Wait’ campaign.

Surveys conducted by AT&T show that nearly half of all commuters admit to texting and driving, while 75 percent of teens say the behavior is common among their friends.

Dunlap will visit Noble High School in North Berwick on Tuesday.