Pledge Not to Text and Drive on Oct. 1

NTTA customers and employees can help keep roads safe by supporting the North Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council’s “iPromise not 2 txt & drive campaign” beginning Oct. 1.

Before getting behind the wheel, motorists can send text messages to their friends and family members telling them that they promise not to text and drive and asking them to do the same. Participants are also encouraged to download widgets from www.ncttrac.org to let their Facebook friends and Twitter followers know that they have made the promise.

Sending or reading texts while driving significantly slows reaction time and has been linked to many serious, and even fatal, accidents. The danger is so significant that a number of organizations are working to spread the word. A study completed by AAA showed that nearly 50 percent of teen drivers admit to texting while driving.

As part of the NTTA’s Safe-T Buzz campaign, staff from the NTTA’s System and Incident Management, Customer Service and Communications departments will join representatives from the iPromise not 2 txt & drive campaign at two Garland high school football games on Oct. 1 to spread the message about the dangers of texting and driving to students and their families. In addition to offering safe driving tips, staff will give guests an opportunity to try out drunk driving simulation goggles. Watch for safe driving tips in future editions of Driving Forward.