It was the first time all day during senior rotations that students were silent. They listened to the words of Louis Neill, father of Scott Neill, who died in a car accident last May.

“If Scott could talk, I know exactly what he’d say,” Neill said. “He’d say that he loves each and every one of you. But I know he’d also say, ‘don’t do what I did.’”

Neill recounted the night of May 15, 2010, the last night he spoke to his son before his accident, which was caused by texting and driving.

“Tell me a text that’s that important,” Neill said. “Tell me a text that’s worth dying for.”

As part of senior rotations Wednesday, DECA, Student Council and HOSA partnered with Allstate Insurance to bring Neill back for a second annual presentation on the dangers of texting and driving. The presentation featured Neill and Allstate agent Deedee Biscoe.

“Texting is the main form of communication among teenagers,” Biscoe said. “You may not know car crashes are now the number one killer of teenagers.”

Distracted driving has become an epidemic in recent years. Biscoe said 23 people a day die because of distracted driving, and driving while texting is equivalent to drinking four beers. Eighty percent of all crashes are due to driver inattention within three seconds of the crash.

These statistics, coupled with the fact that 82 percent of teenagers admit to texting and driving, make distracted driving one of the leading causes of car accidents.

“The presentation made everyone think about what they’re risking when they text and drive,” senior Hadley Lewis said. “Something as simple as texting and driving can end a life.”