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Jalise Hinton worried about people who send text messages on cell phones while driving.

"I know a lot of people who text while driving," said Hinton, a senior at Utah Valley University. "I've done it a couple times."

She wanted to alert people to the dangers that it poses. So the graphic-design major devoted her senior project to creating a public-service announcement on the subject.

Her message shows, from the driver's perspective, one hand on the wheel and the other clutching a cell phone with the message "c u l8r" (see you later) on the screen. To the side is the thought-provoking message, "Will these be your final words?" It also spotlights a Web site Hinton created on the dangers of texting while driving.

Hinton's message is displayed on 18 bus stands in Provo and Orem, as well as on a donated billboard on Interstate 15 near the UVU campus. She also received an $1,800 grant from UVU's Community of Engaged Learners' program to print the messages.

Jim Godfrey, assistant professor of art and visual communication and Hinton's adviser, said the project reflected a trend in students wanting to use design skills to increase social awareness. But he said most student projects consist of a series of posters or a book.

"They don't usually do it on such a grand scale," Godfrey said of Hinton's outdoor advertising campaign.

Godfrey was enthusiastic when Hinton first pitched the idea, one which he felt was timely.

University of Utah researchers David Strayer and Frank Drews have found that people who text while driving are six times more likely to get into accidents, twice the number who talk on phones while on the road. The research found that texting drivers are as impaired as drunken drivers.

Tom and Ray Magliozzi, hosts of NPR's "Car Talk," are on a personal crusade against cell phone use in cars, urging people to just turn off the electronic devices when behind the wheel. Even talk show queen Oprah Winfrey has jumped on the bandwagon, urging people not to text and drive.

During the 2009 Legislature, lawmakers voted to outlaw texting while driving, but this year rejected a bill that would have barred teen drivers from using cell phones.

Godfrey also has a personal reason for supporting Hinton's project.

"I have a teenage daughter who is going to get a driver license," Godfrey said. "I tried to text while driving, but I'm not a good multi-tasker."

Hinton said the challenging part of her project was getting the graphics and text to work together, as well as create a message that can be grasped by someone in a speeding car.

Godfrey said Hinton had to show that the person with the phone was behind the wheel of the car, as well as convey a powerful message. Suggesting that someone's last words could be a banal text message did the trick, he said.

Hinton had help from photography student Tempestt Turman to create the image on the billboard. Outdoor Promotions donated the space on the bus stops, while Young Electric Sign Co. donated the billboard.

So far, Hinton said the message seems to be getting through, based on the feedback she's getting.

Godfrey said Hinton's project is an example of what UVU is trying to do with its engaged learning program. While most interpret the concept as performing community service, he said it can also mean increasing public awareness, as Hinton has done.

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