THIS POST IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY AT&T IT CAN WAIT
September 9th, 2009 should have been one of the happiest days of Fletcher Cleaves’ life. On that day, a lifetime of hard work paid off as Fletcher was named as a starter for Lambert University. Tragically, Fletcher’s football career would end on the very day that it seemed destined to take off.
While driving home after a long day of practice and dinner with a friend, an oncoming driver strayed into Fletcher’s lane due to being distracted by his cell phone. The resulting car accident paralyzed Fletcher from the waist down.
Not one to back down from a challenge, Fletcher stood firm throughout his recovery process. Despite losing his football scholarship and missing what should have been his first year of college, Fletcher earned his college degree from the University of Memphis six years after his accident. Now, he’s using the power of his story to help educate people on the dangers of using their cell phones while driving with the help of AT&T It Can Wait.
It Can Wait aims to educate drivers on the very real dangers of driving and texting. According to the National Safety Council, texting drivers are involved in over 200,000 vehicle crashes each year, often causing injuries and death. And according to the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute Research, texting while driving doubles the risk of a crash or near-crash. Alarmingly, despite those statistics, AT&T research found that 7 in 10 drivers use a smartphone behind the wheel.
Thankfully, It Can Wait has made an impact In fact, research on crash data from departments of transportation in Texas, Kentucky and other states suggests a correlation between It Can Wait campaign activities and a reduction in crashes. Still, given that many smartphone users still text while driving, we are a long ways away from making our roads as safe as possible. Educational campaigns like It Can Wait are invaluable when it comes to spreading knowledge but it is up to all of us to spread the word and drive responsibly.
THIS POST IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY AT&T IT CAN WAIT
About Chris Partlow