Last week I hosted a lunch for parents for the AT&T Family Safety campaign. One of the main things that we chatted about is texting and driving. Here in Illinois traffic deaths have been on the rise. As a result there are now digital signs displayed in several places above major expressways that keep a running count of the number of highway deaths. When I first started watching the sign, I believe the count was just over 400. On July 20th was 522. Now the count is at 724. Wow. That is a very sad statistic. And staggering since it has increased so dramatically in only 2.5 months or so. Each morning and afternoon when we drive by my girls (9) announce the number. They are usually more shocked than I am that it has increased from day to day.
A large number of these fatalities are due to texting and driving. People are natural multitaskers. However, not everyone does it well. There have been many studies that show that driving motor skills are diminished greatly when texting. Nevermind the fact that it takes your eyes off the road. All it takes is a split second for an accident to happen. Your eyes should be on the road at all times.
AT&T is working to educated the public and getting the word out about the dangers of texting & driving. There are a number of things that you can do to keep those numbers from increasing.
What You Can Do To Help
1. Go to www.itcanwait.com and take the pledge.
2. Download the online banner at www.twibbon.com/itcanwait and add it to your profile picture on Twitter and/or Facebook. Just follow the easy on-screen instructions.
3. Share the message and links with your friends, family, and followers using #itcanwait and tag @ATT.
4. Share Your Story and tell us why you’re taking the pledge: http://itcanwait.com/stories/
5. Download the free DriveMode app available now for Android and BB (more platforms to come). It was conceived by an employee whose life was affected by texting while driving. Videos here.
Make sure that you educate your children about the dangers of texting and driving. And rethink sending that text yourself. It is up to you to set the example.
Disclosure: This post is part of a compensated campaign with AT&T. All opinions are my own.
Leave a Reply