Pledge Not to Drive and Text: RI Atty. Gen. Peter Kilmartin Takes Safety Message to Tiverton High

TIVERTON, RI—Atty. Gen. Peter Kilmartin today urged Tiverton High students not to snap selfies, post pictures or update their Facebook status while they're behind the wheel.

Kilmartin traveled to Tiverton to bring the statewide “It Can Wait” Campaign directly to students and remind them not to become a statistic.

"According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 15 to 19 year old" U.S. youngsters, he told the students. "In fact, in 2014 there were 2,679 teen passenger vehicle drivers involved in fatal crashes and an estimated 123,000 teens were injured."

The campaign, which is a collaboration between state police, the AG's office and AT&T, is now five years old.

During Wednesday's assembly, the students saw a video with teens who've been harmed by distracted driving. They also signed a pledge not to use their phones in the car.

Also, the principal, Christopher Ashley, showed everyone the dangers in a demo using the AT&T driving simulator.

“Going into our fifth year of educating young drivers on the dangers of distracted driving we are proud of the progress we’ve made, but realize it’s an ongoing battle to get drivers to put down their phones while operating a motor vehicle,” Kilmartin said. “All you need to do is look at the vehicle next to or behind you on the highway, or even stopped at a traffic light, to see drivers looking at their phones instead of paying attention to what is going on around them. The good news is that peer influence can have a tremendous impact on drivers’ behavior, especially teen drivers, which is why it’s critical to teach them the message that no post, message, email, or photo is worth a life…It Can Wait.”

"According to data recently released by AT&T," his office said, "62 percent of drivers keep their smartphones within easy reach while driving. Nearly four in 10 smartphone users tap into social media while driving, almost three in 10 surf the net, and one in 10 even video chat while driving.

Photo Caption: Tiverton High School students take the pledge to not use their smartphones while driving.Photo Courtesy RI Attorney General's Office