It can Wait Archives

April Is Distracted Driving Awareness Month #ItCanWait

April 14, 2014 by Momstart 3 Comments

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. According to Distraction.gov, a quarter of teens respond to a text message once or more every time they drive. AT&T’s DriveMode app helps curb the urge to text and drive, and now, new Parental Alerts help parents ensure their teens are safe on the road. It’s a big deal for adults and teens, maybe adults more than kids.

In Washington, the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (click here), and law enforcement officers in Washington State will be cracking down on distracted drivers as part of a new national distracted driving enforcement campaign this month. Now through April 15, the high visibility enforcement efforts will target motorists who are observed driving distracted — talking on hand-held cell phones, sending text messages, and otherwise not paying attention to the road while driving.

In Oregon, the Oregon Department of Transportation is supporting a new national distracted driving enforcement campaign (click here). ODOT, Oregon State Police and law enforcement from around the state, along with NHTSA, consider distracted driving to be an emerging highway safety issue that must be addressed. With the month-long designation and a special week of enforcement, April 10-15, it’s a good time for all users of the transportation system to put away the distractions and focus on getting where you want to go safely.

DriveMode automatically starts when it registers that the vehicle has reached 25 MPH and turns off when the vehicle has stopped. If someone texts or calls your son or daughter while the app is on, an auto reply message is sent letting them know their friend is driving, allowing teens to focus on the road. With the new alerts, the app also tells parents when the app is turned off while the car is moving.

For more information online, please see our story page with video, att.com/drivemode and ItCanWait.com.

My Two Favorite Reasons Why It Can Wait #ItCanWait

August 21, 2013 by Momstart 1 Comment

I’m working with AT&T (being compensated for my time) on the IT CAN WAIT Campaign sharing reasons why it can wait and this whole time, I’m not sure I mentioned the two most important reasons why it can wait.

Reason Number 1:

Zoe

Reason number 2:

Miles

I urge you not to text and drive, please help keep my children safe. Please help keep my family safe. Please be a good example to my children and your children. It’s not important, whatever the text is it’s not important. I would not be able to control my wrath……

Being serious now, There are plenty of ways you can share the word on how you have pledged to wait until you are out of your car to text. Have you checked out the It Can Wait activation kit? AT&T has made it easy for anyone to go online and download posters, facts and more to get involved in the cause. You can change your twitter to include the It Can Wait twibbon. Here’s where you and your readers can use your social media channels to show that you’re publicly taking a stand: http://twibbon.com/Support/It-Can-Wait.

Now my video is kind of cute right? It’s because my kids are still in one piece and able to ask you and me and dad and all the family they know to stop texting and driving. AT&T has put together videos of things that have happened and families that have been affected. Some of them are hard to watch but I plea with you to check them out. Like this one about Chandler

Chandler was texting “I Love You”

When he did the unthinkable and killed three children.

It Can Wait

Keep up the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and ItCanWait.com

Hey Commuters It Can Wait #ItCanWait

July 19, 2013 by Momstart Leave a Comment

Of Course going to work every day and coming home can be a very boring commute. What do you fill your time with while you’re stopped on the highway? Do you pick up that cell phone real quick and try to chat with someone? If someone sends you a text while you are driving to work do you panic, look for your phone and respond while still moving forward????

There is a 49% chance that you’re going to say yes that’s you on your way to work. Earlier this year, AT&T released the results of its latest commuter survey which showed 49% of commuters admitted to texting and driving versus 43% of teens. These findings finally dispelled the myth that texting and driving is predominantly a teen problem, when in fact, commuters are more guilty of it.

Now I know that going to the ItCanWait.com website can be a hard thing to do. No one wants to see the damage done by driving while distracted but it’s also very powerful. It speaks volumes to the fact that no life, no limb, no one person is worth that little text message that you can wait for. The person on the other ends needs to know they can wait anyway, it’s a part of life you know!!! Don’t do it, don’t drive and text.

Here is another PSA Video to watch. Just like a lot of the PSA videos, it’s a little difficult to watch, but we here at MomStart feel it’s these stories of real events that will finally get folks to stop texting and driving for good.

Learn more about It Can Wait! Visit Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and ItCanWait.com. to stay on top of the 100 Deadliest Days for Teen Drivers and remind them to leave their phone alone while driving. On Facebook you’ll find tips and reasons why it can wait.

I Was Driving and Remembered: It Can Wait #ItCanWait

June 19, 2013 by Momstart Leave a Comment

Last weekend I was visiting my sister who lives in Austin. She’s getting married and I went down for BlogHer Food and to see her. We spent the weekend looking at dresses. She has an amazingly gorgeous wedding dress and she had to find the perfect dress for me which I was so honored. We found a dress after two days of searching and I had to get my hair done. I haven’t had it colored in at least six months. I went to the place that she always raves about but the thing was I had to drive myself there and I have no idea where anything is in Austin.

I had to use my phone for directions, and when I use my phone for directions it always tempts me to use it for other things like answering texts. I plugged in the directions before I took off and drove all the way there without using the phone. I mean I used it hands free, just listening to the turn by turn directions.

However, when I was leaving, I stated talking to my husband on texts. I was texting him and then I was ready to leave. I got in the car and started texting again. I put in the directions back to my sisters house and thought about what I was setting myself up for. I made a pledge. A pledge to stop texting while driving so even though I started driving, I left the phone down and didn’t respond to him until I got back to my sisters house. My conversation with my husband was important but not so important it was worth risking the life of someone else on the road. Just think, in a single moment you could be responsible for ruining someone else’s life because you weren’t paying attention.

It’s not worth endangering myself or someone else. Don’t text and drive!.

It Can Wait! Visit Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and ItCanWait.com. to stay on top of the 100 Deadliest Days for Teen Drivers and remind them to leave their phone alone while driving. On Facebook you’ll find tips and reasons why it can wait.

A Few Aids Against Distracted Driving #ItCanWait

June 12, 2013 by Momstart 4 Comments

I’m working with the ItCanWait program and received this article from Ford. Of course it’s from a completely different brand, it’s another way you can help keep your teenagers from driving while they are distracted. All drivers need to take the ItcanWait pledge, but as parents we want to do more than have our children take a pledge. We want to install ways to help keep them safe. Cell phone companies like AT&T have apps you can add that will disable texting while the car is in motion and some adults know that teens can find a way to disable the app. So you might have a smart teenager, so that means you need to make sure you are sharing the facts with them……

It Can Wait! Please follow on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and ItCanWait.com.

As summer begins, what can be the most fun season of the year for teens can also be the riskiest. A new survey conducted by Penn Schoen Berland and commissioned by Ford reveals new insights about teen driving habits and perceptions. The survey polled teen drivers and parents, and reveals some surprising results. Key highlights include:

76 percent of teens and 83 percent of parents consider the dangers of distracted driving to be comparable to drunk driving, yet parents are 40 percent more likely to check their phones while driving than their teenage children

Parents are concerned about their teens having safe driving habits, but only 26 percent of parents surveyed use a safety device to reinforce safe driving habits

Survey shows risks differ between genders; teenage boys are more likely to engage in aggressive driving behaviors, while teenage girls are more likely to engage in distractions that are social in nature
According to a Ford analysis of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data from 2007 to 2011, summer months had the highest number of teen driver fatalities. For 2011, the latest data available, there were 358 teen driver fatalities in traffic crashes during June, July and August, as compared to 271 teen driver fatalities during the winter (December, January and February). But the survey results of 500 teens and 500 parents show more than half of teens (66 percent) and parents (58 percent) believe winter is the most dangerous season for teens on the road.

In addition, Ford also announced that its MyKey® technology is now in 6 million Ford and Lincoln vehicles on the road nationwide – including the including the new 2014 Fiesta, available in dealerships this summer. As teens get behind the wheel this summer, Ford’s MyKey technology encourages teenagers to wear their seat belts, keep the radio volume down, watch their speed and pay attention to the road – not their cell phones.

AT&T Smart Limits for Wireless℠ helps families manage the types of purchases made from the mobile device, texting and data usage, and time-of-day use restrictions.

Block Unwanted Calls and Texts: Specify up to ’30’ blocked numbers.
Prevent 411 Charges: Easily block calls to 411 Info.
Limit Data Usage: Set monthly limits for data usage per billing cycle. Now available on smartphones.
Limit Texting: Set monthly limit for number of text messages per billing cycle.
Limit Purchases: Limit monthly purchases, such as apps and games that are billed directly to your AT&T account. Does not restrict credit card purchases from smartphone app stores.
Limit Phone Use By Time of Day: Restrict texting, data usage and outbound calling during specified times of day. Designate allowed numbers regardless of other restrictions – up to 15 numbers.

AT&T FamilyMap^SM Know where your kids are at any time. AT&T FamilyMap lets you locate family members on a map from your mobile phone or computer at any time. For your teenage drivers, find their location without a distracting call or text. You can also set up alerts to be notified by text or email of your child’s location at specific times of day.

Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint Join the It Can Wait Campaign #itcanwait @ATT

May 29, 2013 by Momstart Leave a Comment

This is a sponsored post as part of the It Can Wait Campaign.

I love when companies can work together to achieve such a noble cause and I’m proud to be a part of it. I’m going to be writing about the It Can Wait 100 Deadliest Days of Teen Driving a lot because I really want to raise awareness about NOT using your phone while you are driving. It’s not safe!!!

"The It Can Wait campaign is a meaningful way for Verizon to continue its work on this important issue,” said Verizon Wireless president and chief executive officer Dan Mead. “Texting and driving is a serious social challenge and we look forward to partnering with leading organizations and experts around the world to answer it."

“As a longstanding advocate of keeping wireless consumers focused on driving, Sprint is proud to participate in the ‘It Can Wait’ campaign,” said Sprint CEO Dan Hesse. “Sprint will continue to promote education of responsible driving behavior through our sponsorship events, social media channels and thousands of retail stores nationwide.”

“Mobile technology connects us in many cool ways, but adults and teens need to put it on hold while behind the wheel,” said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile US, Inc. “Knowing the risks is not enough. By simply putting the phone down, thousands of tragedies can be prevented every year. It’s time to end texting while driving – for good.”

Texting while driving is an epidemic, and it’s not isolated to teen drivers. It affects adults as well. A recent AT&T survey shows business commuters know texting while driving is unsafe, but they still engage in these behaviors.

In fact:

They are texting and driving more than they used to.

Six in 10 commuters said they never texted while driving three years ago.

Nearly half of commuters admit to texting while driving, which is more than teens.

49 percent of commuters self-report texting while driving, compared to 43 percent of teens.

Despite knowing the risks.

98 percent said sending a text or email while driving isn’t safe.

For many, it has become a habit.

More than 40 percent of those who admitted to texting while driving called it a habit

Visit Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and ItCanWait.com. to stay on top of the 100 Deadliest Days for Teen Drivers and remind them to leave their phone alone while driving, and you might need to remind yourself too, I know I do!

Put Your Phone Down! Texting & Driving … It Can Wait #ATTSeattle

April 17, 2013 by Momstart Leave a Comment

I think texting or using the phone is a terrible thing to do. It’s illegal in some states, it’s illegal in my state yet I see EVERYONE still doing it. WHY? Why would you use your phone while driving without using the hands free set? Since 2009, AT&T has made a proactive push with its “Texting & Driving … It Can Wait” program, and with good reason. Texting and driving is more than a problem. It’s a national epidemic according to U.S. Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood.

As one of the largest telecommunications providers in the world, AT&T recognized the problem and created their own initiative—It Can Wait. The It Can Wait movement focuses on educating the public–especially teens–on the dangers of texting and driving in order to save lives.

In a recent survey conducted by AT&T, teens weren’t the only ones behaving badly behind the wheel; instead it was those commuting to and from work. The findings found:

· Nearly half of commuters (49 percent) admitted to texting while driving, a higher rate than reported by teens (43 percent).

· They are doing so more than they used to. Six in 10 commuters said they never texted while driving three years ago.

· Texting while driving despite knowing the risks. 98% said sending a text or email while driving isn’t safe.

· For many, it has become a habit. More than 40% of those who admitted to texting while driving called it a habit.

AT&T is calling on employers to help end texting while driving and move their employees beyond being aware of the danger to making a personal commitment not to text and drive.