1. For more information, contact:
Sarah Briggs, Public Affairs Holly Hollingsworth, Media Relations
Office: 614-223-7641 Office: 614-223-5711
E-mail: sarah.briggs@att.com E-mail: holly.hollingsworth@att.com
AT&T CHALLENGES LOCAL TEENS TO JOIN
“IT CAN WAIT” MOVEMENT TO HALT TEXTING WHILE DRIVING
AT&T Simulator Event at East Canton High School Encourages Students
and Faculty to Pledge Not to Text and Drive
EAST CANTON, Ohio (March 14, 2013) — Representatives from East Canton High School
joined AT&T, East Canton Mayor Kathleen Almasy, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol today to
address a dangerous practice that puts millions of Americans at risk: texting while driving.
To drive home the message and make our roads and highways safer, AT&T brought a
simulator, allowing students and faculty to experience firsthand the dangers of texting and
driving. The students also heard from the organizations regarding Ohio’s texting ban, House Bill
99, which passed the Ohio General Assembly last year and went into effect in the fall. House
Bill 99 also contained a 6-month grace period which ended on March 1.
"There is no message that is more important than being able to see the person again who
messaged you,” said State Rep. Christina Hagan. “Texting while driving is a distraction that can
be dangerous and possibly fatal for you or other drivers on the road. I’m proud to join AT&T’s
effort to remind drivers, especially our teenagers, of the potentially deadly consequences of
texting while driving".
“More than 100,000 times each year, an automobile crashes and people are injured or die while
a driver is texting and driving,” said East Canton Mayor Kathleen Almasy, citing a statistic from
the National Safety Council1. “In East Canton we continue to educate all drivers about Ohio’s
texting ban, and this event at East Canton High School is yet another opportunity to get the
message out that when it comes to texting while driving, It Can Wait.”

2. “Our goal is to save lives,” AT&T External Affairs Director Steve Kristan said. “AT&T applauds
the efforts of the Ohio General Assembly – as well as Governor Kasich – on their efforts to pass
and sign into law House Bill 99, the statewide texting while driving ban, which took effect last
fall.”
In 2012, 165 organizations, including national nonprofits, commercial businesses, law
enforcement, professional associations and government agencies, as well as many educators,
legislators, and other supporters, helped get out the message and encouraged people to make
a personal pledge not to text and drive. This combined effort, including those of the Federal
Communications Commission, the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Organizations
for Youth Safety, SADD, Big Brothers Big Sisters, RadioShack and CTIA-The Wireless
Association, made a difference. Major highlights include:
Awareness of the It Can Wait message increased 26 percent during the key campaign
period.1
One-in-three people in that period said that texting while driving messages have an
impact on their driving habits.1
More than 1.2 million no-texting-while-driving pledges were made at ItCanWait.com and
through Facebook, Twitter, live events and text-to-pledge initiatives.
“Distracted driving is an epidemic on our roadways, and we need people all across Ohio to take
action in their communities to help put a stop to it," said Colonel John Born, Ohio State Highway
Patrol superintendent.
In 2013, AT&T is extending its work with existing It Can Wait collaborators and significantly
expanding their ranks. Plans include:
Working with device makers to pre-load no-texting-while-driving technologies and
solutions into handsets, with the goal of making these solutions standard on all AT&T
smartphones.
Engaging cities such as Houston, Texas, and companies including USAA and Walmart
to discuss potential new It Can Wait collaborations.
Making resources – ranging from It Can Wait branded materials, to teaching aids and
sample company policies – available to other organizations for programs they develop.
Launching a year-round texting-while-driving simulator tour targeting more than 380
events nationwide.
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3. AT&T, its 240,000 employees and other supporters are calling on all drivers to go to
www.ItCanWait.com to take the no-texting-while-driving pledge, and then share their promise
with others via Twitter (#itcanwait) and Facebook. The pledge is part of the public awareness
campaign aimed directly at stopping the dangerous practice of texting while driving.
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AT&T TWD - ICW Perceptions Study
*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the
AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
Web Site Links: Related Media Kits:
AT&T News Dangers of Text Messaging and Driving
AT&T It Can Wait
AT&T Facebook
AT&T Puede Esperar
Related Releases: Related Fact Sheets:
AT&T Calls on Nation's Drivers to Pledge: Never AT&T Teen Driver Survey - Executive Summary
Text and Drive AT&T Teen Driver Survey - Minority Findings
Parents Can Rule, Kids Can be Cruel, New Infographic: The Dangers of Texting While Driving
Mobile Phone Study Reveals
Fact Sheet: AT&T's "It Can Wait" Campaign
43% of Teens Say they Text & Drive; 77% Say
Video: Texting While Driving Simulator
Adults Warn Against Risks; but Text & Drive 'All
the Time' Video: AT&T Don't Text While Driving Documentary
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