June Declared No Texting, Just Driving Month in North Carolina

The North Carolina State Highway Patrol is growing tired of managing the accident scenes of teenagers who were texting and driving. In fact, its commander recently announced a new educational awareness campaign entitled “No Texting, Just Driving.” The campaign will focus on educating drivers of the dangers of distracted driving, especially texting while driving. Authorities hope that education will be the key to decreasing the number of accidents caused by distracted drivers.

The campaign comes on the heels of several years of gruesome statistics regarding distracted drivers. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, in 2008 nearly 6,000 people died, and over half a million were injured, in car crashes that were caused by distracted drivers. The highest statistic for fatalities fell in the category of drivers under 20 years old. In 2011 alone, 120 North Carolina teenagers were killed in traffic accidents.

The North Carolina Highway Patrol has designated June as “No Texting, Just Driving” awareness month, but it intends to continue the education process well beyond just this month. Public service announcements will run over the radio and television to draw drivers’ attention to this issue. A campaign built on windshield stickers, posters and pledge cards will kick off this month as well.

In North Carolina it is illegal to text while driving, and a violation could cost the driver $100. The Highway Patrol hopes to make the roads safer for all drivers, and it believes that education and awareness will be positive steps in doing so.

Source: Cape Fear Business News, “Highway Patrol Announces ‘No Texting, Just Driving’ Campaign,” May 30, 2012