(Put This News Release on Your Organization S Letterhead and Submit to the Media at Least

(Put this news release on your organization’s letterhead and submit to the media at least a week in advance of your pledge drive.)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For More Information, Contact:

Name

Title

Telephone/Email

(Name of Organization) Promotes Safe Driving

Pledge to ‘Just Drive’

CITY–(Name of school, business, etc.) will host a pledge drive on (date) to raise awareness of the dangers posed by distracted driving. The local pledge campaign is part of a statewide initiative spearheaded by the Texas EMS Trauma & Acute Care Foundation to challengeTexas communitiesto pledge to not drive while distracted.

A distraction is anything which takes a driver’s hands, eyes and/or mind off driving. There are three types of distractions: manual, visual and cognitive. These distractions can include texting, changing the radio, talking with passengers, eating/drinking while driving, daydreaming and/or talking on the phone.

“(Name of school, business, etc.)acknowledges the rising danger of distracted driving on the roads,” said First and Last Names, title. “To reduce accidents and make our roadways safer, all drivers need to avoid distractions and ‘Just Drive,’” said Last Name.

Add details about pledge drive.

To participate in the initiative, drivers sign a pledge to avoid distractions and “Just Drive” when behind the wheel.

For more information about the “Just Drive” campaign, go to

(Use as sidebar to the above)

Key Facts about Distracted Driving

1.Those who text and drive are 23 times more likely to be in a motor vehicle crash, according to the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.

2.When drivers read or send a text message, their reaction time is doubled. When asked to respond to a flashing light while texting behind the wheel, drivers were more than 11 times more likely to miss the light altogether.

3.Some 10 percent of all drivers under the age of 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the crash. This age group has the largest proportion of distracted drivers.

4.Five seconds is the average time your eyes are off the road while texting. When traveling at 55mph, that's enough time to cover the length of a football field blindfolded, according to the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.

5.A quarter of teens respond to a text message once or more every time they drive. Some 20 percent of teens and 10 percent of parents admit that they have extended multi-message text conversations while driving, according to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.

Sources: