Our goal to end smartphone distracted driving starts with awareness.

Personal commitment is important. But, oddly, people not thinking about it could be key to resolving the issue.

That is, they’re not thinking about it anymore because they’ve adopted good habits. People who habitually stow their phone out of sight and out of mind before getting behind the wheel are an example. 

We launched the IT CAN WAIT campaign 6 years ago. And in that time, more than 90% of those surveyed consider smartphone distracted driving to be dangerous.1 And the number of pledges to not drive distracted recently topped 10 million.

We’re on a mission to reach 16 million pledges by the end of 2016. Join our pledge competition at ItCanWait.com to help us meet this goal.

Starting tomorrow, we’re also asking everyone who pledges to take our 21-Day Challenge.

Why 21 days? Experts say it takes at least 21 days to make or break a habit. So, we’re encouraging those who are struggling with this dangerous habit to stow their phones away while driving for 21 consecutive days.

So turn your phone off. Place it in the trunk of your car. Download a free app to curb the urge. Find a solution that works for you.  

The 21-Day Challenge will help people who pledge make safe driving a lifelong practice. It also will help the 1-in-3 drivers for whom distracted driving is a habit1 turn their bad habit into a good one.

Habitual distracted drivers have a false sense of security in their actions. Only 58% feel that using their smartphone behind the wheel is “very dangerous,” compared to 78% of non-habitual distracted drivers.1 Ironically, they’re also twice as likely to have been involved in a near crash or a collision.1

Wherever you are on your journey to safe driving, we invite you to join us.

Pledging and making safe driving a habit are not just personal choices. When you pick up your phone you put others in danger. We may be alone in the car, but we’re never alone on the road.

Jordan Spieth, Chris Gardner, 21 prominent bloggers nationwide, our employees and lots of others are in on the action. We’ll be hosting events in more than 30 states and recruiting local organizations, schools and community leaders to participate in the pledge competition.

We’ll also be activating through the Together for Safer Roads Coalition (TSR), of which AT&T is a founding member.

Follow @ItCanWait to learn more about the campaign and the activities taking place around the country!

Pledge and spread the message to your friends, family and coworkers. Publicly commit to the 21-Day Challenge by using #ItCanWait.

And remember…distracted driving is Never OK.

1 Online survey with 61,325 respondents (total distracted drivers n=5,766) conducted by Added Value. Ongoing survey, data represented here were collected June 2012-July 2016. National panel sample (ages 15-54, drive, and have a smartphone).

Sandra Howard
Sandra Howard Assistant Vice President of Advertising