U.S. wireless giants team up to stop texting while driving

Several prominent wireless carriers in the United States, along with about 200 other organizations, have joined together for a campaign reminding teens not to text while driving.

The “It Can Wait” campaign from AT&T now has Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile U.S. now on board for the nationwide co-branded multi-million dollar advertising and awareness campaign.

The campaign will also include a texting while driving simulator tour across the U.S., retail presence in thousands of stores and consumer outreach, focusing especially on the summer months, when teen driving deaths increase. The campaign will run between May 20 and Sept. 19, a national day of action that will include events at communities and schools across the U.S.

“Texting while driving is a deadly habit that makes you 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash,”  AT&T chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson noted in a statement. “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.”

The campaign will focus on getting young drivers to take a pledge against texting while driving on the It Can Wait website. It will also focus on the stories of people living with the consequences of texting while driving, told through TV spots, radio, digital media and social media.

We welcome @verizonwireless, @sprint, @tmobile & 200+ others to the #ItCanWait movement. No text is worth a life. soc.att.com/10udvor

— AT&T (@ATT) May 14, 2013

The stories include that of Xzavier Davis-Bilbo, who in 2010 at age five was struck while crossing the street by a young woman texting while driving, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.

Texting while driving isn’t limited to just young drivers, AT&T notes. A survey by the company found that business commuters are texting or emailing while driving more than they used to, even when they know it’s unsafe.

Nearly half of commuters surveyed admitted to texting while driving, compared to 43% of teens, the company said. More than 40% of those who admitted texting while driving called it a habit, AT&T also noted.

The IT Can Wait movement has had more than 1.5 million personal pledges through social media to never text and drive. In the past year, more than 310 million unique user accounts have been reached through Facebook, Twitter and YouTube alone, according to AT&T.