During Thanksgiving week, a Minnesota teen used her cell phone to text message while driving. She wasn&8217;t wearing a seat belt and was thrown from her vehicle and pinned under it. While she walked away with only bumps and bruises, she did learn something important: Don&8217;t text and drive.

Over the course of the year, we&8217;ve heard plenty of reports on the dangers of text messaging while driving. A teen who was text messaging when he lost control of his vehicle and struck and killed a cyclist received four years of probation, during which time he will not be allowed to operate a motor vehicle or possess a cell phone. The teen is also required to wear an ankle bracelet and serve nine days in jail.

In another report, someone reading a text message caused a pileup on a freeway in Washington. In yet another instance, an 18-year-old sent his girlfriend a text message while driving and collided head-on with a cement truck.

According to the Allstate Foundation, 13 percent of teens admit to text messaging while driving. That doesn&8217;t cover those who don&8217;t admit to it, or the adults who do it.

In Minnesota those under the age of 18 can be pulled over for talking while behind the wheel, according to the law, which took effect in 2006. The penalty for the misdemeanor offense is a fine and fees that vary by county.

According to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Minnesota drivers ages 16 to 18 are involved in one out of four injury crashes and one of six fatal crashes. In 2005, cell phones caused three of every 1,000 crashes among teens, ages 15-19, compared with two of every 1,000 crashes among adults, ages 35 to 64, according to Department of Public Safety statistics. Cell phones are blamed in two of every 1,000 multi-vehicle crashes for both age groups.

However, it takes even more attention to send a text message while driving. If you can imagine reading and writing while operating a vehicle, you see the distraction is dangerous &8212; no matter what the driver&8217;s age.

If this trend we&8217;re seeing continues, it may be time to ban text messaging by drivers of all ages. However, it shouldn&8217;t have to come to that. Text messaging while driving is not smart. Don&8217;t do it, as the young driver says. It&8217;s not worth it.

Use some common sense out there.