It Can Wait – Don’t Text & Drive
Words of wisdom from our friends at AT&T
AT&T has always done its part in keeping America safe – from numerous phones for soldiers campaigns, donating phones to meaning full charities and now saving America’s youth. If only all corporations could follow along – what a world we’d live in?
Highlights of this release; AT&T’s dedication to keeping teens safe, encouraging celebrities to come on board, an online driving simulator (I can’t wait for this myself), and a slew of new APPS to keep America’s mobile generation safe while driving.
Here’s AT&T’s edited press release regarding this important issue:
ALBANY, N.Y., Aug., 15, 2012 – Wireless provider AT&T*, seeking to bring attention to a serious road-safety problem, today urged all Americans to pledge to stop texting while driving, and then to join with others Sept. 19 to make a lifelong commitment to never do so again.
AT&T, its employees and other supporters are calling on all drivers to go to www.itcanwait.com to take the no-texting-and-driving pledge, and then share their promise with others via Twitter (#itcanwait) and Facebook. The pledge effort is part of the company’s public awareness campaign aimed directly at stopping the dangerous practice of texting while driving.
AT&T’s “It Can Wait” public awareness campaign is focused on a simple, powerful message: No text is worth dying for. AT&T will spend tens of millions of dollars on the campaign in 2012 and has made it an ongoing commitment in future years. The effort is comprised of several key initiatives, including:
* Encouraging its 240,000 employees to take the pledge and, in turn, urge all people to commit that they will never text and drive. On an average day, AT&T retail store and call center employees speak to customers more than 500,000 times.
* Working with TV and music celebrities to deliver a strong no-texting-while-driving message via TV ads, concerts, public appearances, Twitter and Facebook
* Launching an aggressive social media campaign with advertising on Facebook and Twitter to encourage Americans to take the pledge and to share their pledges with their friends via social media.
* Educating the public using TV ads on the dangers of texting while driving that will run during high-profile events and teen-focused programs.
* Working to provide a toolkit of no-texting-while-driving information to every high school in the country.
* Challenging device makers and app developers to have all devices include a pre-loaded, no-text-and-drive technology solution as soon as possible.
* Launching an online driving simulator at www.itcanwait.com> in the coming weeks – so that anyone with access to the Internet can experience the dangers of texting while driving.
* Bringing an in-car simulator to more than 200 locations before the end of this year.
* Enlisting others – including law enforcement, educators, national retailers, consumer safety groups, legislators and the entire wireless industry – to join the no-text-and-drive movement.
* Asking more than 1,000 of AT&T’s strategic and other major suppliers to encourage their employees to pledge not to text and drive.
“Distracted driving is an epidemic on our roadways, and we need people all across America to take action in their communities to help put a stop to it,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood. “I applaud AT&T for taking on this issue with the ‘It Can Wait’ campaign, and I thank them for helping to spread the word that no text or email is worth the risk.”
A recent AT&T survey2 found that 97 percent of teens say they know that texting is dangerous. The survey also found:
* 75 percent of teens surveyed say that texting while driving is “common” among their friends;
* Almost all teens (89 percent) expect a reply to a text or email within five minutes or less;
* And 77 percent of teens report seeing their parents text while driving.
But technology can help: 89 percent of teens said a phone app to prevent texting and driving – like AT&T DriveModeTM http://www.att.com/drivemode – would be an effective way to get them or their friends to stop texting and driving.
AT&T first began its “It Can Wait” campaign discouraging texting and driving in 2009. The website www.itcanwait.com provides an opportunity to take the don’t-text-and-drive pledge. It also offers a host of educational resources and information on the issue – including a documentary featuring families impacted by texting and driving accidents that has been viewed more than 3 million times.