East Granby to Participate in the September 19th No Texting While Driving Awareness Day

East Granby First Selectman Jim Hayden today said that East Granby will participate in the effort designating September 19, 2013 as “No Texting While Driving Day” and called for all East Granby drivers to take the pledge never to text and drive.

“Text messaging has become the way many people communicate today, which means some people are doing it at the worst possible time – while driving,” stated First Selectman Hayden.  “We need to help spread the message and educate our community that when it comes to driving, texting can and should wait.”

According to the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, those who text while driving are 23 times more likely to be involved in some type of safety critical event as compared to those drivers who don't text while they drive.  Texting while driving is involved in over 100,000 motor vehicles crashes each year, often causing injuries and deaths.

Wireless provider AT&T launched the “It Can Wait” campaign in Connecticut and throughout the United States in 2009 to educate the public about the dangers of texting while driving by encouraging consumers to take the personal pledge not to text while driving.

First Selectman Hayden is asking that all drivers to go to www.itcanwait.com to take the no-texting-and-driving pledge, and then share their promise with others via Twitter (#itcanwait) and Facebook.  Additional information and resources is also available at www.att.com/itcanwait or by calling the Selectman’s Office at 860-653-2576.