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Jessica Erickson, AT&T Wisconsin

608-282-7870 (work)
jessica.erickson@att.com

Lena Students Urged to Take Pledge to

Never Text and Drive at www.ItCanWait.com
Students Also Learn about #X, New Social Tool Geared
Toward Helping Teens Stop Texting & Driving
AT&T, AAA, Wisconsin State Patrol Team Up to Highlight Dangers
LENA, Thursday, February 19, 2014 Nearly 175 students at Lena Middle/High School learned today about
the dangers of texting while driving and were urged to take the pledge to never text behind the wheel at
www.ItCanWait.com.
Lena Middle/High School teamed up with AT&T, AAA, the Wisconsin State Patrol and State Senator Tom Tiffany

as part of the It Can Wait movement to remind students that text messages can and should wait until after
driving.
Texting and driving is not only against the law, but it is one of the most dangerous activities a driver can do
behind the wheel, said Lena Middle/High School Principal Ben Pytleski. We hope our students take the It Can
Wait message to heart and not only take the pledge to never text and drive, but encourage their friends and family
to do the same.
Todays assembly was part of a series of events being held at 25 high schools across the state this school year
by AT&T, AAA and the Wisconsin State Patrol to drive home the dangers of texting and driving and encourage
teens to take the pledge.

During todays event, teens learned about #X a new social tool introduced as part of the It Can Wait
campaign that is geared toward helping teens stop texting and driving. The school was also presented with two

permanent It Can Wait parking lot signs that remind students to never text and drive.
Our It Can Wait campaign has always targeted teens, as they are not only our newest and most inexperienced
drivers, but also the most prevalent texters, said Scott T. VanderSanden, president of AT&T Wisconsin. #X is
simple, quick to enter and easily shareable, and we hope it will act as a digital rallying cry for teens and others to
help end this deadly epidemic.

#X is a tool that teens can use to pause a text or social conversation before beginning to drive. The symbol is a
way for teens to quickly let their friends know that they are about to drive and wont be responding to texts or
social media until they arrive safely at their destination.
Students were given the chance to experience the dangers of texting while driving in a safe setting through AAAs
distracted driving simulator. They were also shown a powerful documentary produced by AT&T called The Last
Text that shares real stories about lives ended by someones decision to text and drive.

AT&T first launched the It Can Wait campaign in 2009 to educate the public about the dangers of texting while
driving and encourage consumers to take the pledge to not text and drive at www.ItCanWait.com.
The campaign has now turned into a national social movement with support from organizations all across the
country, including the Wisconsin State Patrol and AAA. Since 2010, AT&T, AAA and the State Patrol have
partnered together to hold events in 62 cities throughout Wisconsin, reaching over 27,000 high school students.
While Wisconsin bans texting and driving, we know the dangerous practice is still happening far too often on our
roads, said State Senator Tom Tiffany Tranel (R-Hazelhurst). Thats why the It Can Wait campaign is so critical
to spreading the message about the dangers to our young people and encouraging them to take the pledge.

The It Can Wait movement is making a difference. The campaign has now inspired nearly 6 million pledges to
never text and drive, and one in three people who have seen the texting while driving message say theyve
changed their driving habits. Texting while driving causes more than 200,000 car crashes on American roadways
each year, according to the National Safety Council.
Research by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety confirms the unique danger of texting behind the wheel.
According to a 2012 naturalistic study, teen drivers who use their phones while driving take their attention off of
the road more frequently and for longer periods of time. And in a groundbreaking study conducted in
collaboration with the University of Utahs Center for the Prevention of Distracted Driving, even speech-to-text
technologies were shown to cause dangerous levels of cognitive distraction.
Safe driving requires more than just your hands on the wheel and eyes on the road, said Vicki Hanson, Regional
President for AAA Wisconsin. The best way to avoid a crash is to give your undivided attention to driving.
Wisconsins law, effective as of December 1, 2010, prohibits sending an e-mail or text message while driving and
imposes a fine of up to $400. As a primary enforcement law, officers may stop and ticket drivers solely for texting
and driving. Wisconsin is among 41 states and the District of Columbia that ban text messaging by all drivers.

For more information on the It Can Wait campaign, please visit: ItCanWait.com. For more information on AAAs
national initiative to ban texting and driving in every state, please visit www.TeenDriving.AAA.com.

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