Just say NO to your cell (while driving!) {sponsored}
I’ve done it more time than I am comfortable admitting.
What is it? Using your cell phone while driving.
Between podcasts, music, and YouTube, our phones have become the new radio. It’s almost a running joke in some industries - get a GPS because you’ll need your phone for texting while driving not mapping.
- Did you know that 1 in 4 car accidents are now caused by drivers who are distracted by their cell phones?
- Over 1/3rd (31%) of drivers between the ages of 18-64 reported reading or sending text messages and email messages while driving in the past 30 days.
- 77% of young adult drivers are “very to somewhat confident” that they can safely drive and text.
Those numbers are pretty frightening and while we’ve all fallen prey to the lure of chiming notifications and FOMO, I think we can all agree that using your phone while driving is just a downright dumb thing to do. We KNOW this and yet so many of us, especially younger drivers, continue to ignore the statistics, putting themselves and others in danger.
“Our officers witness first-hand the consequences of distracted driving on Virginia roads and it is something we cannot tolerate. For those few selfish seconds, a driver can put at risk not only his or her life, but the safety of others on the roadway. We want drivers to know that we will fully enforce the law if we find you engaging in this dangerous behavior.”
When I heard about a campaign called Phones Down. Touchdown., I knew it was something I could support. Transurban, the operator of the 495 and 95 Express Lanes in Virginia, is partnering with Redskins Quarterback Kirk Cousins on an anti-distracted driving safety campaign called “Phones Down. Touchdown.” The campaign encourages drivers to put their phone down while driving and to take a pledge to not drive distracted. Phones Down. Touchdown. is targeted to all drivers in the greater Washington region (just an hour’s drive north of Richmond and a place I know is a frequent destination for many of us), with a specific focus on young drivers and millennials.
“Distracted driving is one of the top safety issues on Virginia roads. The commonwealth is excited to help launch this campaign with our partners to communicate the dangers of taking our eyes off the road and encourage all drivers to take the pledge and drive distraction-free.”
One last stat to put things in perspective:
- If you take just five seconds to read a text while driving at the average speed limit of 55 mph, you could travel the length of a football field without looking at the road.
Will you join me and take the pledge to stop distracted driving now?
Simply go to the website and fill out your information to take the pledge. Sometimes we all just need these little reminders.
www.phonesdowntouchdown.com
Once you’ve taken the pledge, Share the Phones Down. Touchdown. image and use the hashtag #PhonesDownTouchdownon Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Each week one winner who shared the graphic with the hashtag will be chosen to get a free month of travel on the Express Lanes (and if you have an EzPass, then trust me, you’ll want this!).
This post was sponsored in partnership with Transurban. All opinions are my own.