OMG Campaign to Deter Teen Distracted Driving
‘OMG’ is the name of a campaign by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) targeted towards teens who drive distracted. This DOT distracted driving Public Service Announcement (PSA) will be shown to moviegoers at Regal Cinema screens and on the screen at the gas stations owned by Outcast Pump Top TV throughout December.The PSA is taking the unusual step of airing in unconventional places so that teens will notice. It uses texting shorthand that teens are familiar with such as “L8R” or “LOL” for “later” and “laugh out loud”. The PSA will be shown at about 6,589 movie screens around the country in 526 Regal Cinemas. At the gas station, a slightly more conservative version of the PSA will run which ends with “One Text or Call Could Wreck it All!”
Distracted Driving in Florida
A Harris Interactive/HealthDay poll from November finds most adults admit to some sort of distracting behaviors while driving, whether it be eating/drinking (86 percent), using a hands-free cell phone (59 percent), setting a GPS (41 percent), texting (37 percent), or applying makeup (14 percent).
Other drivers polled said they have driven after two or more drinks or while sleepy.
Florida remains one of the states that steadfastly refuses to enact any ban on texting or cell phone use behind the wheel for any driver. Most parents disagree with this stand, but our lawmakers seem to be unable to pass the needed legislation every year when the many bills proposed would do just that.
According to the Department of Transportation, nearly 5,500 people were killed on U.S. roads in 2009 and 450,000 were injured in distracted driving crashes. The DOT calls to enact tougher laws have fallen on deaf ears in Florida.
Farah & Farah reminds everyone that no cell phone call is important enough to lose your life or be injured in a crash. In a matter of seconds, life can change for the worse. The auto accident attorneys in Florida of Farah & Farah see everyday how people are coping after an accident where distracted driving was a factor. Call us at 1(800) 533-3555 so we can start the conversation on how to help you following an auto collision.
Source: http://www.nhtsa.gov/About+NHTSA/Press+Releases/2011/U.S.+Department+of+Transportation+Unveils+%27OMG%27+PSA+to+Warn+Teens+About+the+Dangers+of+Distracted+Driving; http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/brain-and-behavior/articles/2011/11/30/most-us-drivers-engage-in-distracting-behaviors-poll
