'It Can Wait' pledge program extended in Texas

THE WOODLANDS, Texas—The national campaign to discourage texting while driving is gaining momentum with its second sweep across the nation, hosted again this year on September 19. The program launched last year by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and more than 140 other organizations, was designed to leverage social media in an effort to make texting while driving as unacceptable as drinking and driving.

In a poll conducted by Woodlands Online last year a startling statistic was revealed. In what is akin to playing Russian Roulette, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) continues to emphasize that it’s just a matter of time before someone who is in the habit of texting while driving is involved in a distracted-related crash.

According to Trooper Erik Burse of the Texas Department of Public Safety, driving is a multi-function process. It involves speed, braking, turning, proper distance, and traffic.

“It’s impossible to take on the multi-tasking of operating your motor vehicle while using your cell phone device,” said Trooper Burse.

The NHTSA maintains that a texting driver is two dozen times more likely to get into an accident than a non-texting driver.

Trooper Burse added that some people feel they are adept at using their cell phones while driving because they have been doing it for years.

“It’s not a question of if it’s going to happen,” said Burse, “but when it’s going to happen. Here’s my question…Do you want to survive? Do you want the other driver to survive?”

The age group with the greatest proportion of distracted drivers was the under-20 age group. Sixteen percent of all drivers younger than 20 involved in fatal crashes, were reported to have been distracted while driving. (NHTSA)

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. Using a cell phone while driving, whether it’s hand-held or hands-free, delays a driver’s reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent, according to research by the University of Utah.

Currently Texas is not one of the 39 states that have a law banning texting while driving, but Texans can lead the nation in this movement by having the largest number of participants. Houston’s mayor, Annise Parker, kicked off “Mayors United Against Texting While Driving,” challenging the major cities in Texas to get as many citizens as they can, to pledge never to text while driving.

The campaign will extend past the September 19 national date through the end of the month. In addition to Houston, the cities of Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, and San Antonio, will be taking the challenge and encouraging their citizens to take the pledge. Each city will have its own city-specific texting code. Houston residents can take the pledge by texting “ItcanwaitHou” to 464329.

The 'It Can Wait' program urges drivers to visit the website by the same name, and make the pledge not to text and drive, then share their pledge with others via Twitter (#ItCanWait) and Facebook. Take the pledge to never text and drive. Go to It Can Wait, and watch out for the other guy who’s texting.