For months you’ve heard me talk about the dangers of texting and driving (it’s deadly), the ways you can stop (there’s an app for that!), and how to talk to your kids about pledging not to text and drive (and you should pledge, too).
Now September 19th is just one sleep away, and it’s time for the nationwide #ItCanWait Drive 4 Pledges Day. If you’ve been waiting to take the pledge, wait no longer. Join thousands tomorrow and visit ItCanWait.com to pledge to no longer text and drive.
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. As part of this movement, I’ll be speaking tomorrow morning to 120 high school sophomores and juniors, asking them to take the pledge not to text and drive, then asking them to tell their parents, their friends, their teachers – anyone who will listen – to do the same.
Tomorrow, on Drive 4 Pledges Day, please help me spread the word across social media using the hashtag #ItCanWait. You won’t be alone! You’ll be joining voices from coast-to-coast including:
- Nearly 2,000 Drive 4 Pledges activities being held in communities across the nation, including more than 1,500 at high schools. Additionally, 200+ proclamations will be issued.
- #ItCanWait tweets and Instagram posts will stream on ItCanWait.com.
- 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 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 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.
HUGE. Will you take the pledge? Will you join me? #ItCanWait
This post is part of a campaign sponsored by AT&T. All opinions are my own.