AT&T encourages Lipscomb students that <em>It Can Wait</em>
Lacey Klotz |
“A text message is not life or death,” said Lt. Bill Miller of Tennessee Highway Patrol, “but how you respond to it while driving, is.”
According to a study commissioned by AT&T and conducted by Braun Research, seven-in-10 people engage in various smartphone activities while driving including texting, checking emails, snapping selfies and posting to social media sites.
To help reduce these numbers, AT&T launched its It Can Wait campaign to help increase awareness of the dangers of distracted driving and to encourage the public to keep their eyes on the road, not their phones.
As a part of its campaign, AT&T visited Lipscomb’s campus and brought its It Can Wait virtual reality simulator that was recently released in May 2015.
On Monday, Nov. 2, in the middle of Bennett Campus Center, two simulators that resembled arcade racecar video games were set up to give the Lipscomb community a real-life look at what driving distracted could lead to, and how dangerous it can be.
Anne-Claire Smith, a senior strategic communications major, explained how the simulator virtually put her in a car and led her through scenarios where she would “check her phone” and almost hit dogs, pedestrians, bikers and other cars along the route she was driving.
“It is so weird, because I have been in these situations before in my own car,” Smith explained. “Distracted driving is definitely something we need to be aware of, because it is so easy to just pull out your phone and look at it while behind the wheel.
“I’m glad AT&T came to Lipscomb because this is very needed on a college campus.”
Representatives from Metro Nashville Police Department, the Governor’s Highway Safety Office and Tennessee Highway Patrol joined AT&T on Lipscomb’s campus as advocates for this cause.
“More people are killed in car accidents in the U.S. than victims of murder, cancer, suicide and those who have been shot by hand guns, combined,” Miller stated. “Our goal is that by raising awareness and safety on distracted driving that more lives will be saved.”
Lipscomb has conducted similar events in the past and appreciates AT&T’s efforts to encourage students to think twice before getting behind the wheel.
“Safety begins with thoughtfulness,” said Josh Roberts, dean of student development. “We are excited for the Lipscomb community to think about how little decisions could have major consequences.
“We are also thankful for AT&T’s work along with the Metro Police Department, Governor’s Highway Safety Office and the Tennessee Highway Patrol when it comes to the epidemic of distracted driving.”
Since 2010, the It Can Wait campaign has helped drive awareness of dangers of texting while driving to about 90 percent for all audiences surveyed, inspired more than seven million pledges not to text and drive and has worked with departments of transportation in Texas, Kentucky and other states on research that suggests a correction between It Can Wait campaign activities and a reduction in crashes.
Cathy Lewandowski, senior public relations manager and spokesperson for the It Can Wait campaign, explained that AT&T has been taking their new virtual reality simulators to universities and high schools throughout Tennessee and Kentucky and has partnered with local law enforcement officers in each community.
“We launched our new simulators in May and have toured all summer across AT&T’s footprint,” Lewandowski explained. “Placing young drivers, in an immersive but safe 3-D setting, allows 
them to experience the potentially deadly consequences of glancing at your phone while driving. And partnering with schools and connecting them with local law enforcements helps us to expand our messaging even greater. It is a great campaign.”
Lewandowski also explained how AT&T has launched a DriveMode app that turns on automatically when the car moves faster than 15 mph, and turns off again after the car stops.
The app also includes a feature that silences incoming text message alerts, and automatically responds to incoming text messages, so the sender knows the text recipient is driving.
As a part of the campaign, AT&T has had over seven million people pledge “It Can Wait,” and has invited the Lipscomb community to also join the movement by pledging to keep your eyes on the road, not your phone.
To learn more about the It Can Wait campaign and how to make your pledge, visit www.ItCanWait.com.
Metro Nashville Police Department, has also decided to continue this push in Middle Tennessee by offering a Teen Driver Awareness program for kids ages 14-18 at the South Police Precinct. This program will feature, Brittany Leedham, a Nashville native who was involved in a wreck in 2009 that killed her boyfriend and led to over 21 surgeries, as well as hands-on activities to increase awareness about distracted driving.
For more information and to register (registration for this event is necessary) contact: erika.bowden [at] nashville.gov.