For more information, contact:Jessica Erickson, AT&T Wisconsin608-282-7870 (work)608-692-5340 (cell) jessica.erickson@att.com

Sevastopol High School Students Urged to Take Pledge to Never Text and Drive at www.ItCanWait.com

AT&T, AAA, Wisconsin State Patrol & Rep. Bies Team Up to Highlight Dangers

STURGEON BAY, Thursday, April 17, 2014 — Over 150 students from Sevastopol High School in Sturgeon Bay learned today about the dangers of texting and driving and were urged to take the pledge to never text behind the wheel at www.ItCanWait.com.

Sevastopol High School teamed up with AT&T, AAA, the Wisconsin State Patrol and Rep. Garey Bies as part of the It Can Wait® movement to remind students that text messages can – and should – wait until after driving.

“We know how tempting it is for our teens to text behind the wheel, especially in today’s age of instant communication,” said Adam Baier, principal of Sevastopol High School. “But our students need to know that not only is texting and driving against the law in Wisconsin, it is also very dangerous and can be deadly.”

The assembly was part of a series of high school events AT&T, AAA and the Wisconsin State Patrol are holding this school year to drive home the dangers of texting behind the wheel. Students were given the chance to experience firsthand the dangers in a safe setting through AAA’s distracted driving simulator.

Students were also shown a powerful documentary produced by AT&T called “The Last Text” that shares real stories about lives altered or ended by someone’s decision to text and drive.

“Texting and driving is one of the most dangerous activities an individual can do behind the wheel,” said State Rep. Garey Bies (R-Sister Bay), one of the co-authors of Wisconsin’s ban on texting and driving. “While Wisconsin bans this practice, we must continue to raise awareness about the dangers and urge all drivers to pledge never to text and drive.”

Wisconsin marked the third anniversary of its no-texting-while-driving ban on December 1, 2013. The law prohibits sending an e-mail or text message while driving and imposes a fine of up to $400. As a primary enforcement law, officers may stop and ticket drivers solely for texting and driving. Wisconsin is among 41 states that ban text messaging by all drivers.

AT&T first launched the It Can Wait® campaign in 2009 to educate the public about the dangers of texting while driving and encourage consumers to take the pledge to never text and drive at www.ItCanWait.com.

Since 2010, AT&T, AAA and the State Patrol have partnered together to hold events in 46 cities throughout Wisconsin, reaching over 22,000 high school students.

“Too many lives have been forever changed because someone decided to text and drive, and we want the public to know how deadly a simple text can be,” said Scott T. VanderSanden, president of AT&T Wisconsin. “We’re challenging all Wisconsin drivers, especially our teens, to take the pledge to never text and drive and make it a lifelong commitment.”

The It Can Wait® movement is making a difference. One in three people who have seen the texting while driving message say they’ve changed their driving habits, and the campaign has inspired more than 4 million pledges to never text and drive.

Texting while driving causes more than 200,000 car crashes on American roadways each year, according to the National Safety Council1. Those who send text messages while driving are much more likely to be in a crash.

Research shows that speaking up against texting while driving works. A ConnectSafely.org survey sponsored by AT&T found that:

78% of teen drivers say they’re likely not to text and drive if friends tell them it’s wrong or stupid. 90% say they’d stop if a friend in the car asked them to. 93% would stop if a parent in the car asked them to.

AT&T, AAA and the Wisconsin State Patrol are planning a series of high school events this school year. Events have been held at 21 high schools across Wisconsin so far, including at Sevastopol High School, with 10 more events planned.

For more information on the It Can Wait® campaign, please visit: ItCanWait.com.

AAA has also long been warning the public about the dangers of distracted driving. For more information on AAA’s national initiative to ban texting and driving in every state, please visit www.TeenDriving.AAA.com.

1 National Safety Council www.nsc.org

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