FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEWS RELEASE
May 1, 2012
For More Information, contact:
Luther Strange
Joy Patterson (334) 242-7491
Alabama Attorney General
Suzanne Webb (334) 242-7351
Page 1 of 2
AG Urges Alabamians to Observe National Stop the Texts Day
(MONTGOMERY) – Attorney General Luther Strange is calling on Alabamians
to join in observing a national campaign on May 1 to discourage texting while driving
and to highlight dangers of this practice.
To educate young adult drivers about the dangers of texting while driving,
Attorney General Strange, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), the State Attorneys General and Consumer Protection Agencies, and the Ad
Council today revealed new public service advertisements (PSAs) featuring NASCAR
driver Kasey Kahne. The new PSAs are being unveiled today to coincide with the first
nationwide Stop the Texts Day, and the start of National Youth Traffic Safety Month.
“It is important that we call attention to the dangerous and tragic results of
texting and driving,” said Attorney General Strange. “People need to remember that
the real and terrible risk is death or severe injury to themselves, their loved ones, or
innocent bystanders.”
According to a national survey released by the Ad Council, 60 percent of young
adult drivers (aged 16 to 24) said they have texted while driving. NHTSA reports that
distracted driving is the number one killer of American teens. In 2010, more than 3,000
people were killed and an additional 416,000 were injured due to distracted driving,
which includes texting while driving.
“I am glad that I was able to be a part of this project. The Ad Council folks do a
good job of bringing awareness to causes such as this. Hopefully this will help people
realize how dangerous texting while driving can be,” said Kasey Kahne, NASCAR
driver.
The goal of Stop the Texts Day is to extend its message—“Stop the Texts. Stop
the Wrecks.”—with a texting and driving prevention PSA campaign via social media in
an effort to educate young drivers about the risks of texting while driving. Friends and
parents of young adult drivers, and other safe driving advocates, are invited to share
status updates from the campaign’s Facebook and Twitter pages throughout the day on
why texting while driving is such a risky behavior. Additionally, supporters can write
an open letter to young adults imploring them to not text while driving on the
campaign’s Tumblr. A complete toolkit for Stop the Texts Day is also available to
501 Washington Avenue Montgomery, AL 36104 (334) 242-7300
www.ago.alabama.gov Page 2 of 2
provide additional ways the public can participate.* (Note: Detailed information on how to
access these materials are noted at the end of this news release.)
“While teen drivers often feel invincible, the reality is that texting and driving
too often leads to terrible injuries and even death,” said Washington State Attorney
General Rob McKenna, president of National Association of Attorneys General. “No
text message is worth risking your life or the lives of others. Texting while driving
should be as socially unacceptable as driving without a seat belt.”
- To get involved in Stop the Text Day you can:
- Share status updates from the campaign’s Facebook (facebook.com/stopthetexts) and
Twitter (twitter.com/stopthetexts) pages throughout the day on why texting while
driving is such a risky behavior. - Write an open letter to young adults imploring them to not text while driving on the
campaign’s Tumblr (stopthetexts.tumblr.com). - Visit our Stop the Texts Day toolkit (stopthetexts.adcouncil.org/stop-texts-day) for
Stop the Texts Day for additional ways the public can participate.
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