Texting and driving is a serious issue that campaigns throughout the United States have tried to diminish. These campaigns have tried to reduce the number of auto accidents caused by texting but have not had a high rate off success. However, there are a few that have proven to be more effective than others.
“It Can Wait”
In 2010 AT&T launched a campaign with the slogan, “It Can Wait” with the hopes of connecting with young drivers. Unfortunately, the company’s campaign was unmemorable and had very little impact.
Studies show that the campaign was ineffective because people did not recall the slogan or message at later points. While the company was reaching a lot of people with their social media, they were not engaging the audience. During the time period while this campaign was active, the percentage of people who copped to texting while driving increased slightly as well.
Utah Efforts
Salt Lake City has been doing its best to decrease texting and driving by displaying messages on highway notification signs for drivers to see. These simply serve as a reminder that using any electronic while driving is illegal. The strict law has proven to be more effective at reducing auto accidents than many campaigns.
U-DOT implemented it’s distracted driving campaign in 2014. They used the phrase, “U drive. U text. U pay.” It was enforced from Salt Lake City to the East Coast. This campaign showed that active advertising paired with visible police results in lower texting and driving auto accidents. Part of the success was also due to the fact that officers began to issue more tickets. The fear of needing to hire a lawyer scared people into reducing their distractions.
While there have been successes with national texting and driving campaigns, there are still a high number of auto accidents caused by distracted driving. If you find yourself to be the victim of a texting and driving accident, then call a lawyer at Robert J. Debry. Hiring an experienced personal injury lawyer will drastically benefit your case.