During the month of June, the Ontario Brain Injury Association and brain injury associations across the province are asking drivers to pledge to Drive Only… Never Text.
WireService.ca Press Release (06/13/2016) TORONTO, ON – Do you text when you drive? Here’s a simple message: “D.O.N.T.” Texting while driving is the equivalent to driving blind for five seconds[i]. It takes only three seconds, at sixty kilometers per hour to travel the distance of half a football field[ii]. “Injury and/or death due to distracted drivers has steadily been on the rise and the only significant change in driver habits is the use of cell phones and specifically texting,” says Ruth Wilcock, Executive Director of the Ontario Brain Injury Association (OBIA).
During the month of June, OBIA and brain injury associations across the province are asking drivers to pledge to Drive Only… Never Text. The D.O.N.T. campaign will remind drivers that texting while driving can lead to car crashes and serious injury including brain injuries.
According to OBIA, there are almost a half a million people living in Ontario with a brain injury. Another 24,000 will sustain a traumatic brain injury this year alone; over 40% of people will sustain their brain injury through a motor vehicle collision[iii].
“We are very concerned that people are not getting the message of the dangers of texting and driving,” says Wilcock. Wilcock applauds the Ontario Government’s Making Ontario Roads Safer Act, which addresses distracting driving; however, it is apparent there is still a need for more education on this serious issue. “I can’t tell you how many times I witness someone texting while driving. Looking at a text takes only a few seconds, but within those seconds you could be putting yourself or others at risk of sustaining a brain injury – which lasts a life time,” states Wilcock.
“At OBIA we see first-hand the devastating effects of motor vehicle collisions causing injuries. Many of those collisions are preventable,” says Wilcock. “Through the D.O.N.T. campaign, we are asking people to make a promise to themselves and their loved ones not to text while driving.”
Drivers of all ages are asked to take the pledge to Drive Only… Never Text at www.iDONT.ca. You can also tweet your support of the campaign with the hashtag #SaveYourBrain.
Source: Wire Service