AAA warns drivers to stop driving while ‘intexticated’ through sobering PSA

It’s National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, according to AAA Texas, and the service is launching a new initiative that aims to reduce deaths and injuries as a result of cell phone use by drivers.

Thus, AAA coined the phrase “intexticated” for it’s campaign theme of “Don’t Drive Intoxicated – Don’t Drive Intexticated.” The educational campaign is designed to compare the dangers of drinking drunk to driving while using a cell phone. The campaign targets drivers who would never consider drinking a bn alcoholic beverage behind the wheel, and yet, regularly engage with mobile devices that dangerously take their eyes, hands and minds off the road.

AAA Texas is using impactful efforts against alcohol-impaired driving as inspiration for its new PSAs. Those past campaigns helped create laws for alcohol-impaired driving, increase enforcement, and changed the public’s perception of drinking and driving.

Distracted Driving in Texas

According to AAA, the total number of crashes caused by distracted driving in Texas increased when comparing 2015 to 2016 data. According to the latest statistics from Texas Department of Transportation, the number of crashes caused by distracted driving increased by 3.2 percent. However, TxDOT reports the number of people killed by distracted drivers slightly decreased.

AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety Research

97 percent of drivers say that texting or emailing while driving is serious to safety; however 45 percent admit to having checked texts or emails while driving in the past month, and 35 percent admit to having typed on, according to AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety research.

Distracted driving kills an average of nine people and injures 1,000 each day, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Other AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety findings include:

Drivers interacting with cell phones to perform tasks like texting or surfing the Internet are two-to-eight times more likely to be involved in a crash. Taking your eyes off the road for just two seconds doubles your chances of being involved in a crash. 59 percent of all teen crashes involve some form of driver inattention, and 12 percent of teen crashes involve cell phone use. AAA encourages all motorists to eliminate distracted driving by following these tips: Put it away. Place your mobile device out of sight to prevent temptation. Know where you’re going. Program GPS or look up directions before hitting the road. Pull over. If you have to call or text, pull off the road safely and stop first. Ask passengers for help. If riding with someone, seek their help to navigate, make a call or send a message. Be a good passenger. Speak out if the driver of your vehicle is distracted. Don’t be a distraction. Avoid calling or texting others when you know they are driving. Everyone should prevent being “intexticated.” Just as drivers need to pay attention, so do pedestrians and bicyclists. Never call, text or play games while walking or cycling.