National "Drive for Pledges Day" Aims to Raise Awareness, Reduce Distracted Driving

ST. PAUL, Minn., Sept. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Minnesota Safety Council urges drivers to join in a national effort to combat distracted driving on Thursday, September 19, part of the It Can Wait campaign. Drivers can participate in "Drive for Pledges Day" by taking an online pledge never to text and drive, and can access free resources to help spread the word to their families, friends and communities at ItCanWait.com. The campaign, spearheaded by AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile US Inc. and Verizon will provide "It Can Wait" graphics for social media site profiles, posters and suggested activities through the ItCanWait.com website.

Nearly 2,000 events will be held across the nation on and around September 19, including numerous activities at high schools across Minnesota.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) reports that each year in Minnesota, distracted or inattentive driving is recorded as a factor in one in four crashes, resulting in at least 70 deaths and 350 serious injuries. OTS believes these numbers are vastly underreported due to law enforcement's challenge in determining distraction as a crash factor.

"Texting while driving is illegal in Minnesota, but we know that many drivers continue to put themselves and others at risk with this behavior," said Carol Bufton, President of the Minnesota Safety Council. "We urge drivers to take the pledge and help raise awareness that no text is worth a life."

The Minnesota Safety Council, founded in 1928, is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Minnesota by preventing unintentional injuries and deaths.                                               

SOURCE Minnesota Safety Council