Carriers are committing marketing dollars and mindshare to a national campaign to stop drivers from texting behind the wheel. Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile US have all joined AT&T’s It Can Wait campaign, as have 200 other organizations. Their efforts will support a new national advertising campaign, a nationwide texting-while-driving simulator tour, and retail presence in tens of thousands of stores.
Several device manufacturers are also joining the effort. Pantech, HTC and Samsung are including the AT&T DriveMode® no-texting-while-driving mobile app preloaded on phones for AT&T customers.
“Texting while driving is a deadly habit that makes you 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash,” said AT&T Chairman & CEO Randall Stephenson. “Awareness of the dangers of texting and driving has increased, but people are still doing it. With this expanded effort, we hope to change behavior. Together, we can help save lives.”
Teen lives are the most at risk, especially during the summer months. The Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of the period knows as the “100 Deadliest Days on the roads” for teen drivers.
The campaign will focus on the stories of people who are living with the consequences of texting while driving. Their stories will be told through various media including TV, radio, digital and social. The first story in the campaign will be of Xzavier Davis-Bilbo, who is paralyzed from the waist down after being hit at the age of five by a driver who was texting.
“By simply putting the phone down, thousands of tragedies can be prevented every year,” said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile US, Inc. “Knowing the risks is not enough. It’s time to end texting while driving – for good.”
But the campaign has a long way to go to change driver behavior. In a recent survey 49% of commuters admitted to texting while driving, and more than 40% pf those called it a habit.
