Nothing irritates me more than seeing people texting on their phone while they are driving. Nevermind that it is illegal in many areas, but it is dangerous! I just cannot understand what text or email is so important that you would risk your life, and those of the other people on the road. According to a study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, people who send text messages while driving are 23 times more likely to
be in a crash. Is chatting with your BFF really worth your life?
My husband and I actually don't text at all as we don't want to pay for it (we're cheap). So texts are blocked on our AT&T iPhones. We do both get emails though and while it sometimes is tempting to pick up my phone and check it when I hear the little ding (or in my case, a Mockingjay call), I won't do it. Whatever it is, it can wait till I get where I am going. Or if in fact I was expecting and urgent message, then I would pull over.
In 2009, AT&T started the "It Can Wait" campaign to help educate students, well and everyone else really, on the dangers of texting while driving. This short 10 minute AT&T Documentary: The Last Text is well worth the watch. In this documentary you will see real life vehicle crashes and hear from people who lost loved ones because of a texting while driving accident. It is sad to see so many lives lost to this. A text is just not worth it.
| "AT&T created this documentary as part of its "It Can Wait" campaign because we want consumers be safe while using our technology. We are grateful and humbled by the bravery of the people who agreed to be on camera for the documentary. We would have no story to tell without them." |  |
AT&T wants you to take the pledge to not text while driving. AT&T will honor those taking the pledge by contributing to non-profit organizations focused on youth safety. You can take the pledge and share it with your friends on the AT&T Facebook page.
If you are an At&T customer, you can download their free AT&T Drive Mode app to help you not text while driving. When enabled, the app sends a customizable auto-reply message to incoming texts and emails, notifying the sender that the user is driving and will respond when it is safe. The app also provides the option to send calls directly to voicemail. The app is currently available on Blackberry and Android phones. Hopefully an iPhone app will be available soon.
Be honest, are you guilty of texting (or emailing) when driving? Is it really worth it? Can you make the pledge to stop texting and driving today?
This post has been brought to you by AT&T.
