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The Clayton Police Department will be cracking down on texting-while-driving --they call it "driving while intexicating"-- over the next few weeks in an effort to make our roads safer.

The growing number of accidents caused while texting and driving has become a serious problem virtually everywhere, and Chief Glen Allen says police will be making a strong effort to stop it here.

"I think we have all noticed individuals texting-while-driving or otherwise being distracted by electronic devices while driving," the Chief said. "We will doing special patrols around town, including the area around Clayton High School, and we will be using unmarked vehicles in the enforcement effort."

The cellular phone has brought with it many conveniences and has definitely made communication much easier, he said. However, it can become a traffic hazard when used while driving, especially texting.

Residents here, like those all over the world, compose and send text messages anytime and anywhere--while walking, eating and doing most other things--without much of a problem. But if you do it while driving around here, it's likely to get you into trouble with the law, the Chief said.

Students at Clayton High School, as part of a senior project, got a first hand look last year at how dangerous texting-while-driving can be.

Local police, working with the State Highway Patrol, set up a driving course in the school parking lot using traffic cones, then put students into a golf cart and asked them to send a text message while driving the course. The results were disastrous.

"The students performed poorly," the Department said in a report on the exercise.

With cones knocked around every direction, students got a chance to actually feel the effects of distracted driving while never leaving the safety of the school grounds.