|
Hello Candace,
After more than 40 years of campaigning against impaired driving, I launched several campaigns against another hazard: Distracted driving, the fastest-growing cause of traffic fatalities today.
Distracted drivers now kill on average nine people every day. I believe along with other safety advocates the number of deaths is much higher.
Several years ago, I was hit from behind by a woman who admitted she was distracted, told the police officer she was distracted, yet her ticket said, “driving too close.” I know the crime is under reported. Yet despite the numbers stated, the public does not take it seriously. A survey found that 98 percent of drivers think texting while driving is dangerous, but 66 percent still admit to doing it; 47 percent between the ages of 25 and 34 believe texting behind the wheel is acceptable.
Even as you read this, you can probably recall times when you’ve called friends or family, and they answered the phone while driving. If someone calls me while they are driving, I hang up. I don’t want to be the last call they made before killing themselves or someone else. That is why I introduced several initiatives through my organization, We Save Lives.
The first was a campaign called #BUTNOTWHILEDRIVING. Another campaign, Just Drive: Enable Airplane/Drive Mode, was a petition asking Apple to add a “Do Not Disturb While Driving” feature to their mobile devices. They did. But we need your ACTION to make distracted driving socially unacceptable. Please add and use drive mode or Focus on your mobile device. It is so easy to do. People can still reach you if it is an emergency. By doing this you are letting people know that you are focusing on your driving and can reach them later.
You know that postscript that automatically follows emails sent from your smartphone? Mine says “Sent by my IPhone, #BUTNOTWHILEDRIVING.” We are asking you to do the same. Please add #BUTNOTWHILEDRIVING to your mobile device signature. That message tells friends and family that you do not approve of distracted driving, and it gives a clear message that you, yourself, do not practice such dangerous driving behavior. Just open your settings and add one crucial phrase to the end: #BUTNOTWHILEDRIVING.
| 
