County Launches Campaign to Prevent Distracted Driving

A campaign urging residents not to text and drive is underway in Montgomery County.

On Friday, Montgomery County held a “Pledge Day” as part of AT&T’s It Can Wait® Distracted Driving Campaign. Community members were encouraged to take a picture dressed in blue and email the photo to be shared on the county’s website and social media pages.

Dozens of photos were shared on the county’s Facebook page, including county employees, law enforcement, high school students, health care workers and more. Click here to see the photos on the county’s Facebook page.

“Thanks to the continued support of It Can Wait® advocates like the Montgomery County Health Department and county leaders, together we’ve inspired more than 5 million pledges to never text and drive,” said AT&T Mid-Atlantic President J. Michael Schweder. “The movement has created strong momentum for change. We know that personal commitments, shared commitments, and technology are the most powerful tools to end texting and driving – and we salute Montgomery County for taking such a leadership role.”

According to figures from the county, car crashes continue to be the leading cause of injury and death in people 15 to 25 years of age. There were 1,224 crashes attributed to distracted driving in Montgomery County in 2012. Of those crashes, five were fatal and 614 resulted in injury.

“I led the fight for a bill banning distracted driving when I was in the legislature, but that legislation punishes a driver after the fact,” said Josh Shapiro, chair of the Montgomery County Commissioners and a former state representative. “It is important that we stop people from texting while driving to prevent unnecessary accidents and deaths. That is why I applaud this effort by the health department to bring attention to this important issue.”

Click here to learn more about the campaign to prevent distracted driving.