AT&T is known for its strong stance against texting while driving, and today the carrier unveiled its latest effort to fight to stop drivers from sending messages while behind the wheel. AT&T has unveiled its newest "It Can Wait" public awareness campaign, which is made up of several different actions meant to curb texting while driving. Over at the "It Can Wait" website, users are urged to take a pledge to never text and drive, and AT&T will be encouraging its 240,000 employees to do the same. The site will soon be home to an online driving simulator that'll allow users to experience the dangers of texting while driving, and AT&T is also planning to bring in-car simulators to over 200 locations before the end of 2012.
Outside of the website, AT&T is planning to work with TV and music celebrities to promote the anti-texting while driving message on TV, in concerts and in social media. Both device manufacturers and app developers will be called upon to pre-load products with no-text-and-drive tools as soon as possible. AT&T will also be working to prepare an information kit on its anti-texting while driving message, which it aims to distribute to every high school in the U.S.
In addition to AT&T working to stop texting while driving, we've seen several other entities come out against phone use behind the wheel. However, it's still an issue that needs to be dealt with, and AT&T says that it's spending tens of millions of dollars this year (and making doing so an ongoing commitment for the future) on its campaign to fight the texting while driving. If you'd like to help, you can make a pledge to never text while driving right here, and below you can find an AT&T video and press release discussing the new campaign.
AT&T Calls on Nation's Drivers to Pledge: Never Text and Drive
Americans Urged to Make Lifelong Commitment on Sept. 19
Dallas, Texas, August 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.
More than 100,000 times each year, an automobile crashes and people are injured or die while a driver was texting and driving, said AT&T Chairman & CEO Randall Stephenson, citing a statistic from the National Safety Council1.
“Our goal is to save lives,” Stephenson said. “I hear from far too many people whose lives have been forever changed by a texting-while-driving accident, and together, we want to spread the word about how deadly a single text can be. Texting and driving should be as unacceptable as drinking and driving. (See video)
“We’re challenging everyone to take the pledge to never text and drive and to make it a lifelong commitment,” he said. “And we’re challenging all device makers and app developers to offer devices that come pre-loaded with a no-text-and-drive technology solution.”
AT&T’s “It Can Wait” public awareness campaign is focused on a simple, powerful message: No text is worth dying for. AT&T plans to 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:
“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."
“Working with teens day-in and day-out, we see firsthand the impacts that peer pressure – and peer influence – have on the decisions they make,” said Sandra Spavone, executive director of the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS). “That’s what makes AT&T’s efforts so effective. They understand that – by working with these teens and incorporating their feedback programmatically – ultimately, we’ll reach even more of that critical and impressionable audience with a message they’ll hear.”
Together with NOYS, AT&T has pioneered more than 12 teen-led, teen-focused educational summits, with plans to hold 10 or more locally by the end of the year. NOYS is a collaboration of national, youth-serving organizations, including non-profit organizations – such as Students
Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) and Mothers Against Drunk Driving – and government agencies, such as the Governor’s Highway Safety Administration (GHSA). AT&T shares in their common goal of promoting safe and healthy behaviors among our nation’s youth.
In addition, many other governmental, corporate, non-profit and other organizations have already pledged support for the awareness campaign, including: The AFL-CIO’s Union Plus program, American Federation of Teachers, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, CTIA, Junior Achievement, LULAC, National Education Association, National Safety Council, National Urban League and RadioShack. More supporters can be found at www.itcanwait.
A recent AT&T survey2 found that 97 percent of teens say they know that texting is dangerous. The survey also found:
But technology can help: 89 percent of teens said a phone app to prevent texting & driving – like AT&T DriveModeTM 3 – 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.
1 National Safety Council www.nsc.org
2 Survey conducted by Beck Research on behalf of AT&T http://www.att.com/Common/about_us/txting_driving/att_teen_survey_execut....
3 Data and text messaging charges may apply for download and app usage. Standard messaging rates apply to auto-reply messages. AT&T DriveMode is free to AT&T customers only. Compatible device required.
*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.