Experience Shows Students and Staff the Dangers of Smartphone Distracted Driving

On March 20, 2018, AT&T* and the University of Mary Washington teamed up to remind students and staff about the dangers of smartphone distracted driving as part of AT&T’s IT CAN WAIT campaign. It was the first of 2 stops in the Mid Atlantic this week – and one of several planned across the region through the end of the year.

Research shows that 7-in-10 people engage in smartphone activities while driving.** People are doing much more than texting from behind the wheel.

To drive home the message, AT&T set up its virtual reality simulator on the University Center patio, allowing students and staff to experience firsthand how dangerous it is to take their eyes off the road and glance at a phone. IT CAN WAIT is a national movement urging drivers to keep their eyes on the road, not on their phones—distracted driving is never OK. The campaign began with a focus on not texting and driving. It has now expanded to the broader dangers of smartphone use behind the wheel.

Since its launch in 2010, the campaign has:

• Helped grow awareness of the dangers of smartphone distracted driving to nearly 90% of audiences surveyed.

• Inspired more than 20 million pledges to not drive distracted.

• Worked with departments of transportation in Texas, Kentucky and other states on research that suggests a correlation between It Can Wait campaign activities and a reduction in crashes.

• Collaborated with AT&T data scientists on research that shows how statewide anti-texting laws impact the rate of texting while driving.

To learn more, visit ItCanWait.com.

* AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
**Research commissioned by AT&T and conducted by Braun Research. Polled 2,067 people in the U.S. aged 16-65 who use their smartphone and drive at least once a day. Additional information available here.