Louisiana Destination Zero Deaths Team conducts two events for
Drive Safely Work Week
Team partners with AT & T and Main Street Market to educate drivers not to drive distracted
The Louisiana Destination Zero Deaths (DZD) Team
would like to remind the driving public to stay focused when behind the wheel as the nation celebrates Drive Safely Work Week on October 3-7, 2016.
Also, on October 7, a partnership with AT & T, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development and Main Street Market in Baton Rouge is lined up for the "It Can Wait" virtual reality simulator event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. By using the simulator, Main Street Market visitors will earn first-hand experience of how distracted driving can impair your actions in driving focused and safely.
AT & T's
It Can Wait campaign
shares a simple message: Keep your eyes on the road, not on your phone. "Distracted driving is an increasingly concerning problem with 70% of people admitting to engaging in smartphone activities while behind the wheel," said Berry Balfour, AT&T Regional Manager. "We encourage everyone who has AT&T to download and use the free DriveMode app. It activates once you're going over 15mph, and will auto-reply to any texts you receive, notifying the sender that you are driving and that you will call or text them back once you get to your destination."
"The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development is proud to partner with AT&T and Main Street Market as well as our local and federal partners for the It Can Wait campaign," DOTD Secretary Shawn
D. Wilson
, Ph.D., said
. "The public's safety is our chief concern, and it is safety campaigns like It Can't Wait that bring attention to the dangers presented by distracted drivers and will help us reach our goal of zero deaths."
At the regional and local levels, the nine Regional DZD Coalitions will support
this campaign by engaging in social media conversations with employers, employees and the general public through social media. T
ools and information will be shared to help identify what you may be doing (or not doing) behind the wheel-or before you get behind the wheel-that could be putting you at a greater crash risk.
"All throughout Drive Safely Work Week, we hope that people realize how getting a good night's sleep can get you focused and keep you safe when driving to work or to wherever destination you may go. This safe driving practice helps Louisiana reach Destination Zero Deaths," said Dortha Cummins, Director of the Louisiana Center for Transportation Safety.
According to the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS), more than half of the people killed in traffic crashes in the U.S. last year were someone's employee. They were moms and dads, daughters and sons, grandparents, aunts and uncles,
best
friends and colleagues. They were people just like you.
For Louisiana, distraction and inattentiveness remain one of the top contributors to fatal and severe injury crashes. According to data compiled by the Highway Safety Research Group (HSRG), in 2015 there were 558 severe and fatal crashes in which distraction and inattentiveness were contributing factors. Additionally in 2015, Louisiana saw an increase of 24.03% in fatal crashes associated with distracted and inattentive drivers.
For more information on Drive Safely Work Week, visit http://trafficsafety.org/drivesafelyworkweek/
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| Interesting facts about what's really contributing to crashes. |
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 The #DZD Teams kicked off Drive Safely Work Week today at the Louisiana Governor's Safety and Health Expo at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Baton Rouge. The teams split between
Booth #9 (Louisiana Center for Transportation Safety) and Booth #57 (Alliance Safety Council) to promote safe driving practices and the overall vision of reaching Destination Zero Deaths
. #DSWW2016. It's all about saving lives!
See photos on DZD Facebook Page.
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