U-Haul Wants You to Stop Texting and Driving

PHOENIX, April 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month and U-Haul is showing their support in an effort to reduce the number of distracted driving related crashes across the US.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA), over 3,000 deaths in automobile accidents were caused by distracted driving in 2012.  At any given moment, approximately 660,000 U.S. drivers are using their cell phones while driving.  Visit uhaul.com/thepledge and take the pledge: to not text while driving. 

The statistics are staggering. According to a study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, a driver is three times more likely to crash an automobile while texting and driving. Additionally, a distracted driver's eyes are off the road for an average of five seconds. If the driver is going fifty-five miles per hour, they could travel the length of a football field without looking up at the road.

U-Haul is proud to have worked with a number of State Attorneys General in filming Public Service Announcements (PSAs) to educate the public on the dangers of texting while driving.  The PSAs drive to the website www.stoptextsstopwrecks.org, which is part of the Ad Council and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's nationwide Texting and Driving Prevention campaign, Stop the Texts. Stop the Wrecks.

U-Haul is also using social media channels to help the community stop distracted driving behaviors.  U-Haul will be sharing tips, facts and testimonials to help persuade people to stop driving distracted. Guest bloggers are sharing their real life stories on how distracted driving has affected their lives and the lives of others.  Follow U-Haul on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and uhaul.com/distracteddriving to hear these stories.

"With technology more prevalent in the lives of drivers, it is important that anyone who gets behind the wheel of a car knows the dangers of texting while driving," said Michelle Hillman, Senior Vice President of the Ad Council. "Thanks to Joe Shoen, and his team at U-Haul International, Inc, for extending our Stop the Texts. Stop the Wrecks safe driving messages to even more Americans on our nation's highways."

Stop the Texts. Stop the Wrecks tips to stop texting while driving:

1. Out of sight, out of mind.
2. Silence is golden.
3. Find your app.
4. Designate an in-car "texter".

"There is no text that is important enough to put our families in harm's way," emphasized Joe Shoen, Chairman of U-Haul International, Inc.  "We all need to be reminded about the dangers we place ourselves in daily by driving distracted, without even thinking about it.  We need to remind one another and encourage our loved ones to be safe drivers without distractions."

Launched in 2011, the Stop the Texts. Stop the Wrecks campaign provides critical information about the impact of texting while driving and tips for reducing risks when Americans are behind the wheel. 

For more information please go to uhaul.com/thepledge

About U-Haul:  uhaul.com/about

Contact:
Joanne Fried
Ashleigh Wagner
U-Haul Public Relations
(602) 263-6194
[email protected]

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SOURCE U-Haul