AT&T today escalated its attempts to raise awareness about the dangers of texting while driving. AT&T is lauching a new campaign, which will encompass advertisements, educational sessions, videos, applications, and more, in order to color texting while driving with the same negative stigma as drinking and driving. AT&T plainly states that its goal is to save lives.
It addition to asking drivers (including its own employees) to sign pledges, AT&T is offering parents an application that will prevent teenaged drivers from texting when behind the wheel. The application is free for Android and BlackBerry smartphones and disables SMS features when the device is in a moving vehicle. A number of states have enacted laws prohibiting the use of cell phones when driving, and several government organizations, including the NTSB, are pushing for a nationwide ban.