1. For more information, contact:
Sarah Briggs, Public Affairs
AT&T Ohio
614-223-7641
sarah.briggs@att.com
DRIVERS CALLED TO JOIN THE IT CAN WAIT® MOVEMENT,
GET INVOLVED ON SEPTEMBER 19, DRIVE 4 PLEDGES DAY
Students of Lima Senior High School Join Movement
LIMA,Ohio, (Sep. 19, 2013)— A movement is accomplished through the voices and actions of many.
That is why four national wireless service providers, spearheading the It Can Wait campaign, are urging
people to share their commitment to never text and drive with others on Drive 4 Pledges Day,
September 19.
In an effort to increase awareness of the dangers of texting while driving, AT&T partnered with the City
of Lima, Lima Senior High School, AAA Ohio Auto Club and the Ohio State Highway Patrol to present a
“Drive 4 Pledges” event on Thursday.Lima Senior High School students had the opportunity to hear
about the dangers of texting while driving from all of the partners and to take a pledge that they will
never text while driving. They were also encouraged to help to increase awareness that, when it comes
to texting and driving, It Can Wait.
"Texting while drivingclaims too many lives, and raising awareness of this completely preventable
tragedy is key to saving them,” said Lima City Council President John Nixon. “We’ve seen success
before through the seatbelts and drunk driving campaigns, and I applaud the It Can Wait campaign for
its efforts to raise awareness. I encourage everyone to make a commitment on Drive 4 Pledges Day, to
drive focused and distraction-free."
Individuals can now sign up at ItCanWait.com to get resources that will help them share their
commitment on social media and personalize the movement on the streets of their communities on
September 19. Aspiring to create a social stigma around this dangerous habit of texting while driving,
Drive 4 Pledges Day will focus on getting individuals involved in taking the pledge to never text and
drive while encouraging others in their community to do the same. These individuals will join AT&T,
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2. Sprint, T-Mobile US, Inc., Verizon and more than 200 other organizations by sharing their commitment
not to text and drive while increasing awareness of the dangers.
"Texting while driving is the most dangerous form of distracted driving, and AAA remains committed to
putting an end to this dangerous practice," said Kimberly Schwind, Public Relations Manager, AAA
Ohio Auto Club. "It's great to see so many organizations committed to fighting this critical traffic safety
issue."
On September 19, Drive 4 Pledges Day, supporters of the movement are called to help spread the
word to their families, friends and communities. Advocates will be encouraged to do things like change
their social profile photos and banner to It Can Wait graphics, and share their personal pledge stories
using the hashtag #ItCanWait. Offline activations will include hosting pledge drives and distributing
posters in their schools, workplaces and neighborhoods. All materials such as social graphics and
posters will be available for download from ItCanWait.com.
Individuals joining in Drive 4 Pledges Day will be part of a variety of activations and awareness
campaigns coast-to-coast, including:
Nearly 2,000 Drive 4 Pledges activities will be held in communities across the nation, including
more than 1,500 at high schools. Additionally, 200+ proclamations will be issued.
A National Organizations for Youth Safety Teen Distracted Driving Prevention Summit in
Washington D.C. will be held Sept. 18-20, including a rally on Sept. 19 with over 75 teens, FCC
Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez, NTSB
Member Christopher Hart and Aly Raisman, The Century Council Ambassador.
AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon will run co-branded advertising on national TV
programming, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, and display the message in their
tens of thousands of stores nationwide.
GE Healthcare will provide its US Service vehicle fleets with It Can Wait window clings to
remind its employees to be safe while on the roads.
Goodyear blimps will display the message It Can Wait in the skies over Miami and Los Angeles.
The It Can Wait message will be promoted across key sporting events at games and via social
media. Several Major League Baseball teams will drum up support for It Can Wait by reaching
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3. out to fans during games urging them to take the pledge. Participating clubs include the Arizona
Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees,
Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers and the Washington
Nationals. NFL players will tweet their support of Drive 4 Pledges Day with their friends and fans
and teams such as the Carolina Panthers will rally around the cause as well. NHL and NBA
teams like the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago Bulls and the San Antonio
Spurs will also be supporting the cause.
Third party organizations will support the day through various activations. The Consumer
Electronics Association will hold an employee and membership pledge drive and distribute
messaging through social media.The National Auto Body Council will distribute messaging
through social media, enewsletters, and press releases. Member collision shops will hold mini
pledge drives in local communities.Net Impact, a nonprofit that empowers a new generation of
leaders to work for a sustainable future, will promote the pledge as a "small step" in their Small
Steps, Big Wins Campus Challenge program at colleges around the world.
Youth organizations like the Girl Scouts will participate. Girl Scouts of the USA will activate its
112 councils nationwide to support It Can Wait through social media and member engagement.
In fact, a ConnectSafely.org1 survey found that individuals who speak up can have a profound impact,
particularly on teens.
78% of teen drivers say they’re likely not to text and drive if friends tell them it's wrong or stupid.
90% say they’d stop if a friend in the car asked them to.
93% would stop if a parent in the car asked them to.
44% say that they would be thankful if a passenger complained about their texting while driving.
The It Can Waitmovement is making a difference. One-in-three people who’ve seen the texting while
driving message say they’ve changed their driving habits2, the campaign has inspired more than 2.5
million pledges never to text and drive and the recently launched "From One Second To The Next"
documentaryhas received more than 2 million views since Aug. 8. To take the pledge and get more
information, visit www.ItCanWait.com.
1
ConnectSafely.org survey sponsored by AT&T
2
AT&T Texting While Driving … It Can Wait Perceptions Study
3