Call to end distracted driving goes global Online campaign supports UN event

Distracted driving. It's not just an American tragedy; it's global. And because it's not just an American epidemic, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has joined the campaign against this deadly behavior.

UN Headquarters in New York, site of the Global Call to Action on Ending Distracted Driving

Tomorrow morning, at UN Headquarters in New York, we're launching a "Global Call to Action on Ending Distracted Driving". I'll be joining the Secretary General, the Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin, US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice, and FocusDriven President Jennifer Smith.

Together, we're saying, "Hang up." We're saying, "Put it down." And we're saying, "Just drive."

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

We'll say it in as many languages as it takes until the world's drivers get the message: you cannot text or talk on a call phone and drive safely. It doesn't matter what country you're in; you just can't do it.

Here's the sad reality. According to the World Health Organization, more than 1.2 million people die in road crashes worldwide each year--that's one traffic-related fatality every 30 seconds of every day. And another 20 to 50 million are injured annually.

We also know that crash injuries are the leading cause for all 15-29 year-olds.

In fact, the WHO projects that, by 2030 crash fatalities will become the 5th leading cause of all deaths worldwide, surpassing HIV/AIDS, all forms of cancer, violence, and diabetes.

The good news is that these crashes, these deaths--they're preventable. Between 80-90% of traffic accidents are caused by driver behaviors, dangerous and avoidable behaviors like distracted driving.

There are 600 million cars on the world's roadways and 4.6 billion cell phone subscriptions. This is a deadly combination. But, if we act, we can save lives.

I'm pleased to announce that the UN launch will be streamed here and on www.un.org/webcast.

But you don't have to sit on the sidelines. In conjunction with the UN event, we're setting loose a Tweet heard 'round the world. So, tomorrow, you can jump into this worldwide campaign by going to Twitter and posting this simple message in any language:

"The global call to end distracted driving--will you respond? Hang up; put it down; just drive. #gcedd"

It leaves plenty of room for your friends and followers to reTweet, so, please, let it fly first thing tomorrow!

We've also opened a new Facebook page to kick-off the Global Call to End Distracted Driving; it features two "Events" to mark tomorrow's launch--the webcast and the global tweet--plus some great information and the opportunity for you to add your own message, story, or comment. And keep visiting because we'll keep adding more as the global call builds.

And you can always learn a lot more about distracted driving at our one-stop resource, distraction.gov.

I hope you'll join us tomorrow. Together we can stop this; we can.

Comments

[Otter -app]

My three year old daughter was nearly run down right in front of me last fall by a texting driver. It changed me but I don’t hate texting. The way I see it, that would be like hating nightfall – its coming no matter what. 72% of teens text every single day - some over 3000 times a month. The texting drivers I spoke with, including teens and truckers, all said that laws and Big Brother type software devices that "lock down" their phones would not deter them at all. They feel their civil liberties slipping away. So I built a tool called OTTER for the individual to help manage their texting on their terms.

OTTER is a comprehensive text management system for the home, office and certainly, the highway. It has GPS based Parental Control Feature for teen drivers, a GPS Mode for adult who choose to use it and an Auto reply with unlimited customized responses. We are getting 4.5 to 5 star rating from the tech community and great response from teen groups and safety organizations. We have heard of teens using OTTER to schedule their own "texting blackout periods" so they can get some homework done without feeling disconnected from their social network. If a teen uses OTTER like this, then we think they will see the benefit of OTTER's road safety features. We are not going to stop until change hits our roads and not just our laws. Please give us your feedback.

Best,
Erik Wood, owner
OTTER LLC
http://www.OTTERapp.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_yS0V21CFg

[kim samson]

Add it could save your life to the tweets.

[Mark Glaser]

This is a fantastic idea. I had a recent 5Across episode about Smartphone Etiquette on PBS.org, and one section was about distracted driving:

http://mediashift.blip.tv/file/3296416

[Jrharv]

As road safety tweeters @harveyhelmet @s_i_n_s I applaud this effort. Bluetooth may be "hands-free", but better "hands-free" is hands on the wheel alone.
Pedestrians also need to be cautious, due to motorists distractions. An article on my website discusses the rise of those fatalaties in my neighbourhood. www.johnrossharvey.com
If I can help the world drive safer, I've done my job.

[WNYmathGuy]

In the 60's the Vietnam War deaths got outpaced car accidents in the USA. Way-too-big motors, crappy suspensions, and insufficient brakes are the same as two thumbs on a pocket sized calculator. Amazing.

[Michael E. Bailey]

It is another bigleap forward to get the international community to agree that distracted driving is a critical problem that needs to be ended. This should have a positive impact on moderating car, truck, and bus driver use of cell phones while driving. Best wishes, Michael E. Bailey.

[Dr. Jim Ellsworth]

Statistics show cellphone usage to be #20 in causes of distracted driving accidents. What's #1? TALKING WITH OTHER PASSENGERS IN THE CAR! Are we gonna ban that too? How about trusting the American people to use our own judgment about what it is and isn't safe to do while driving, under what conditions, and just impose consequences on those whose POOR judgment causes accidents? The America that rose to greatness did not do so by being a nanny state that micromanaged the lives of her citizens. That's called totalitarianism. Isn't that what we're FIGHTING AGAINST?

[Morgan Paige]

This is a great way to spread awareness of the dangers of distracted driving! Here is a link to a website that expands on promoting safety concerning teen drivers. It is filled with webisodes, PSAs, and other useful information concerning the subject! http://impactteendrivers.org/