Title
To honor the “Texting: It Can Wait” campaign and recognize the “Drive 4 Pledges Day” on September 19, 2013.
Body
WHEREAS, texting while driving is a dangerous form of distracted driving that not only jeopardizes the safety of drivers, but also that of passengers, pedestrians and other motorists; and
WHEREAS, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 3,331 people were killed and 387,000 people were injured in crashes involving a distracted driver in 2011; and
WHEREAS, using hand-held phones and other portable devices to perform tasks such as texting or dialing triples the risk of getting into a crash; and
WHEREAS, recognizing this risk, Columbus City Council passed a ban on texting while driving in 2010, becoming one of the first communities in central Ohio to do so; and
WHEREAS, while 98 percent of American commuters know that sending a text or email while driving is not safe, texting while driving remains a widespread problem nationwide. Nearly 50 percent of commuters text while behind the wheel and more than 40 percent of commuters who text while driving reported the activity as being a habit; and
WHEREAS, “Texting: It Can Wait” is a national campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of texting while driving, especially among teens; and
WHEREAS, part of the “It Can Wait” campaign, the “Drive 4 Pledges Day” will take place in Columbus and around the country on September 19, 2013; and
WHEREAS, “Drive 4 Pledges Day” is a day of targeted efforts encouraging people to make safe choices with their wireless devices on the road by pledging to never text and drive: and
WHEREAS, more than 2 million people have already committed to never text and drive; and
WHEREAS, this Council encourages all drivers to take the pledge to never text and drive, and help make our community safer for all; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
That this Council does hereby honor and recognize the “Texting: It Can Wait” ca...
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