Fatalities on New Jersey’s roads were up almost 5% in 2020, even though there were far fewer cars on the road because of the pandemic.
So the state and the company Marketsmith have come up with a campaign that focuses on the dangers of distracted driving.
Chief Operating Officer Rachel Schulties said rather than preach about the dangers of distracted driving, especially to young people, they’re taking a new tack.
“What we decided was to really shift the conversation into ‘If you are a safe driver you can write your own destiny and really be in charge of your future,’” she said. “We cannot be in the car with everyone telling them how to be a less distracted driver, but what we can do is open up their eyes to what their future could be if they are safe.”
The campaign, which is running all over social media as well as in rest stops along the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway, is somewhat aimed at young people, since statistics show about half of drivers under 35 text and drive. But it invites drivers of all ages to focus on their futures and put the phone down while driving.
Distracted driving in general, whether texting, phone calls, eating or even putting on makeup, is a contributing factor in more than half of moderate-to-severe crashes involving teen drivers nationwide.
“We’ve also created a toolkit that schools can use and different government institutions can use that has things like social media posts and a fact sheet about distracted driving, posters they can print,” said Schulties.
The campaign and its slogan, “You Have Places to Go. Don’t Drive Distracted,” began during April’s National Distracted Driving Awareness Month and runs through August 2021.