Experience Demonstrates for Department Staff the Dangers of Smartphone Distracted Driving

On March 22, 2018, AT&T and the West Virginia Department of Agriculture teamed up to remind agency staff about the dangers of smartphone distracted driving as part of AT&T’s IT CAN WAIT campaign.

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 a virtual reality simulator in the Atrium of the agency’s headquarters, allowing staff to experience firsthand how dangerous it is to take their eyes off the road and glance at a phone. The virtual reality experience was available employees from 10 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. as part of a training event.

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 23 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.