While few teens have been cited for breaking the new law banning cell phones and texting while driving, Cherokee County schools aren't halting efforts to alert students of the dangers.

The new law, which went into effect on July 1, prohibits all drivers from texting behind the wheel. Drivers younger than 18 and those with provisional licenses are also banned from all cell phone use while driving.

Drivers, if caught, face a $150 penalty and one point assessed against their license. Enforcement began on Aug. 1 to allow drivers time to adjust to the new law.

The Cherokee Sheriff's Office's Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic Unit has issued about five citations for drivers texting behind the wheel.

Cpl. Michael Wells, commander of the HEAT Unit, said drivers seem apathetic about the new law, as he regularly sees drivers glancing at their phones while behind the wheel.

"Maybe it's a force of habit," he said, adding he's noticed more teenage drivers not using their phones.

The new law, he said, is tricky to enforce, as some drivers won't let officers look at their phone. Cell phone providers require a subpoena to examine a driver's cell phone records, and only release them if there was an accident.

An officer with the Canton Police Department on Wednesday wrote the agency's sole texting-while-driving citation near Prominence Point Parkway, said Det. Candy Worthy, public information officer.

Police officers in the county's other cities have not yet written any citations related to the new law.

County high schools are employing different methods to notify its students about the law and the dangers of using cell phones behind the wheel.

Creekview High School's Student Leadership Team this month presented a "No Texting While Driving" assembly for juniors and seniors. The assembly featured Greg and Amy Heil of Woodstock, whose daughter Victoria Heil was killed in a car crash in December 2008.

Cherokee Sheriff's Office Deputies George Rose and John Brookshire talked to the students about the texting ban and the law requiring all drivers to wear seatbelts.

Students were invited to sign a pledge that they would not text and drive and add their thumbprints to a poster.

The same pledge will be offered on Friday during the first home football game, said Linda Markham, a U.S. history teacher and adviser to the school's leadership team.

At Cherokee High, Principal Debra Murdock said all students who requested a parking pass were required to sign a "no texting while driving" pledge.

Parents of student drivers were also asked to sign the pledge, and faculty and staff signed them as well to "stress the importance of the pledge to our students."

"We hope to have a Warrior community that is focused on driving safety," she said.

At Etowah High, the Student Advisory Board is planning a week dedicated to alerting students about the dangers of texting while driving, said Kristy Szpindor, social studies teacher and student life coordinator.

During the week of Nov. 8, special announcements will be made and a pledge-signing campaign will begin. Ms. Szpindor also said students are planning to include spirit or theme days to promote the effort.

During Creekview High's recent assembly on the issue, "you could hear a pin drop," Ms. Markham said, as students listened to Mrs. Heil recount her daughter's last moments.

Mrs. Heil told students she was shocked to learn Victoria had been texting while driving and not wearing her seatbelt just moments before crashing her car.

"The cell phone we bought to keep her safe had killed her," Mrs. Heil, a paraprofessional at Woodstock High School, told the students. "Our hearts are still broken and forever will be."

Victoria was an 18-year-old student at Woodstock High School. Her mother said Victoria had a bright future ahead, noting she had been accepted into the University of Texas, the University of Georgia and the University of California at Berkeley.

Mrs. Heil said her daughter used her cell phone to communicate with the world and that she sent and received many text messages.

She said she overlooked Victoria's frequent texting as a possible danger, and said parents should set boundaries on cell phone use and encourage their children to always wear seatbelts.

"It's too late for my family, but I hope it's not too late for you," she said.