It's not a road safety message you would think needs to be re-told, yet the statistics tell a different story.
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The dangers in using a mobile phone while you're driving are abundantly clear.
Being a safe driver means being an alert driver.
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There's an infinite number of variables related to what happens outside your vehicle that have to be monitored, leading to quick decisions to keep everyone safe.
If you then look down at your phone, to text or read a message or even to glance at some alert popping-up on the screen then everything you're doing correctly and safely is thrown out the window.
The TV advertisement depicting a man wearing a blindfold to show the reality of such a distraction hammers that message home.
You simply cannot do both with even a scintilla of safety. It's impossible.
Twenty-year-old Brooke Richardson was sending a text message as her car left the Murray Valley Highway, near Cobram, and hit a tree.
Her family then showed remarkable courage in using what happened to Brooke, in December of 2012, to highlight the "don't text and drive" message.
Given the multitude of everyday tasks we now use our smart phones for, the level of distraction has gone up considerably.
This all lends weight to the latest campaign from Road Safe North East.
The group is conducting a trial in Yarrawonga where slogans have been placed on signs, supported by social media messaging, extolling the dangers of using a phone while driving.
That comes on the back of its own survey that revealed half of respondents admitting doing so, including 20 per cent with the phone in their hand.
Some even admitted playing gaming apps while driving.
The potential for tragedy is frightening.
As the group's message says, it's not worth the risk.
