Virtual reality experience shows dangers of smartphone distractions while driving

Research shows that nearly 9-in-10 people admit to using their smartphone while driving.1 People are doing much more than texting while behind the wheel.

To illustrate this for drivers of all ages, AT&T will set up a unique virtual reality experience at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, enabling visitors to come face-to-face with the very real dangers of distracted driving. The experience also features a memorial wall, a wall of keys representing lives lost, and a wall made to look like crushed car parts.

Center visitors will be able to check out the unique experience July 6-10, 2018, from 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. each day.

“Hundreds of people die, and thousands of crashes occur every year from smartphone use while driving, which is why this campaign is so important in New Jersey and across the nation,” said J. Michael Schweder, president, AT&T Mid Atlantic. “We’re working with organizations in New Jersey and across the country to help raise awareness and save lives.”

This is the latest stop on a 200-city nationwide tour. Earlier this year, the tour stopped in Newark and Rutherford. Other stops are planned for Augusta and Hammonton later this summer.

As part of the campaign, AT&T in April launched new ads to reach more people with this important message: No distraction is worth a future.

Sadly, texting while driving claimed the lives of 2 teenage boys featured in our spots that shine a light on the faces of distracted driving.

If Caleb Sorohan and Forrest Cepeda were alive today, they might be pursuing their dream jobs or teaching their kids to play sports. Maybe they’d still be figuring life out. But we’ll never know – smartphone distracted driving cut their lives short.

Award-winning filmmaker Errol Morris captured Caleb’s and Forrest’s heartbreaking stories through in-depth interviews with their families. In these short film productions, you’ll hear their siblings tell how special their lives were. You’ll see their mothers’ pain as they remember their loss. And through the collaboration of forensic artists and a visual effects team, you’ll even get a glimpse at what they would’ve looked like today.

It’s hard to watch, but it’s real. We hope it brings even more attention to this problem so other families don’t have to experience this tragedy.

You can see the new 30-second spots and full-length films here: Caleb: 30-second and full-length; Forrest: 30-second and full-length.

Since its launch in 2010, the It Can Wait campaign has:

• Helped grow awareness of the dangers of smartphone distracted driving to nearly all of those surveyed.1
• Inspired nearly 25 million pledges to not drive distracted.
• Collaborated with AT&T data scientists on research that shows how statewide anti-texting laws impact the rate of texting while driving.
• Raised awareness of the free AT&T DriveMode app that has reached more than 20 million downloads.

To learn more, go to ItCanWait.com.

1 Online survey with 7,505 respondents (total distracted drivers n=6,438) conducted by Kantar Added Value. Ongoing survey, data represented here were collected January 2017- December 2017. National panel sample (ages 15-54, drive, and have a smartphone).