"It Can Wait."

Take the Pledge to Never Text and Drive:  “It Can Wait” is a Message That Can’t Wait
 
AT&T and the Traffic Safety Coalition invite you to join traffic safety supporters and advocates across the country in putting a stop to the practice of texting while driving. The Traffic Safety Coalition is partnering with AT&T's public awareness campaign to deliver the powerful message that "It Can Wait: No text is worth dying for."

Visit www.itcanwait.org and take the "don't text and drive" pledge today. Then check out the host of educational resources andinformation available on the website.


Ask the Expert: Jacy Good, Crash Survivor and FocusDriven Board Member 

Jacy Good is not only a crash survivor with a powerful story but a board member and spokesperson for FocusDriven, a non-profit organization completely focused on a rapidly-growing driver distraction.

Q: Why is the issue of texting while driving important to you?  How did you first become involved in this issue?
A: Unfortunately I became involved in helping raise awareness about distracted driving when the issue very painfully intruded into my life. In 2008, as my parents and I were driving home from my college graduation ceremony in Pennsylvania, we approached a green light as an 18-wheeler approached from the opposite direction. At the same time, a young man on the intersecting road was distracted as he approached a red light. The young man suffered from what is known as "inattention blindness," as his brain focused on the phone conversation rather than the task at hand, driving his car. As a result, he went through the red light in his effort to make a left turn. As he did this, the 18-wheeler opposite my car swerved across the double yellow line to miss him, but went directly into my family's car. 

I suffered two broken feet, a broken tibia, broken fibula, broken wrist, broken collar bone, shattered pelvis, a lacerated liver, partially collapsed lungs, damaged carotid arteries and a traumatic brain injury. After four months in the hospital on the brink of dying, I learned that neither of my parents had survived the crash that day. I got involved with the issue when I learned there had been no criminal charges against either of the other drivers.

Q: Can you tell us about the work that FocusDriven is doing on this important issue? 
A: FocusDriven’s board is made up of passionate citizens like myself who have lost loved ones to car crashes caused by cell phone distracted drivers. We know that by sharing our pain and our personal stories with law enforcement, high school students, and business and community groups, we can create the social change required to stop others from having to experience the preventable pain we have endured.

Q: If you could say just one thing to someone before they decide to text or use their cell phone while driving, what would it be? 
A: I would tell them no text message, no phone call, no tweet is worth a life.  Reading or responding to a message can wait. Do not put your own life or the lives of others in danger.

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