This car was on display at Ingraham to help kick off the "$248 Challenge", a challenge to other students to make the best anti-texting video or billboard.
Kids at Seattle's Ingraham High School have come up with new way to try to keep people from texting while they drive. They're offering nearly $250 in prize money -- for whoever comes up with the best video or billboard design that shows how dangerous texting and driving can be.
With some help from an insurance company, Ingraham students are sponsoring what they're calling "The $248 Challenge", which is a challenge to other high school students in the area to design a billboard or create a video demonstrating the dangers of texting.
And they're not just talking about texting while driving, but texting while walking, too.
$248 is exactly double the amount of the fine for texting while driving in Washington state.
The goal is to reduce the number of collisions involving young people who are distracted while texting.
Statistics show nearly half of all collisions on Aurora Avenue N. are caused by driver inattention
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says one in four teens admits to texting while driving - and drivers under the age of 20 experience the highest distracted-driving fatality rate, with the 20-29 year group ranking second.
Three prizes will be awarded - one for the best billboard design, one for the best video, and one for the "People's Choice."
The winning billboard will be featured on a sign along Aurora Ave. this spring.
The "People's Choice" winner will be the billboard or video entry that receives the most votes on the contest's Facebook page.
State Farm donated the three prizes of $248 each.
Washington State troopers and Seattle police officers joined the students today at Ingraham High School to launch the contest - and to help perform a skit involving the arrest of a young person who is texting while in traffic.
The skit involved a car driven by Heather Lerch, a 19-year-old who was killed last year while texting.
The contest is is part of the Aurora Traffic Safety Project, a partnership between city and state agencies to reduce collisions on Aurora Ave. N.
