AT & T's Essay, Turn Car On: Turn Phone Off

In the essay, “Turn Car On; Turn Phone Off”, we see research done at Harvard University shows that distracted drivers on cell phones cause roughly 2,600 fatalities crashed each year and 570,000 accidents. (115) Distracted driving is driving while doing another activity, thus having your attention taken away from the task at hand, which is driving. While there could potentially be several types of distractions that could occur while driving, texting causes you to take your eyes off the road, remove your hands from the steering wheel and it takes your mind off the road. Drivers who text and drive put their lives and the lives of others on the road at risk for injury and even death. While more and more drivers are multitasking through their day, we are made aware how more education and resources are needed to help solve this growing epidemic. AT&T has developed a campaign called, “It can wait.” Through this program, teen and adults are given steps to make a commitment to stop texting a driving. The first step is to have drivers take a pledge to never text while driving. The program encourages drivers to make a change in behaviors such as putting your phone in the glove box while driving to keep the distraction at bay. The campaign has developed short films of first-hand accounts showing the heartache distracted

Certainly, it could never happen to us. The burden lies with the community to educate and help others utilize resources at our fingertips. There are mobile applications for smart phones that prove auto texting for the driver. Online simulators were created to demonstrate the how dangerous texting while driving can be to the driver and those in their path. AT&T’s, It can Wait, campaign even goes so far as to put safety reminders on bills, signage throughout their store and notices in all types of communication they provide for their