AT&T’s New Campaign Could Promote Lower Car Insurance Rates

By: Liz Taylor, Car Insurance Analyst
CheaperCarInsurance.com

With more states banning texting while driving, you’d think more motorists would have their thumbs around the steering wheel instead of on their keypad. Think again. Despite the fact that it’s dangerous and requires taking your eyes off the road, drivers are still text messaging behind the wheel. This creates high-risk drivers and causes car insurance premiums to go up. AT&T has launched a campaign to bring more awareness to the issue and ultimately prevent car insurance rates from soaring.

AT&T’s campaign against texting and driving is to express to young drivers the dangers of being distracted behind the wheel. Their message to all drivers, more specifically teens, is “No Text is Worth Dying Over,” stating that it’s not worth risking a collision to read or respond to a text message. To make a valid point on the matter, AT&T’s campaign will highlight the last text messages that were sent or read by drivers who were killed in car accidents.

The Real Dangers in Texting While Driving

If you choose to text and drive you could become high-risk and face higher car insurance premiums for it. You are putting yourself at risk for:

• Causing a collision • Endangering your life or someone else’s • Raising car insurance premiums

Texting and driving is just as bad as drinking and driving if not worse. Taking your eyes off the wheel for a split second to read a two or three word text message could take your life. Even drunk drivers keep their eyes on the road better than someone responding to a text message.

This chart compares how many more times likely a distracted driver is of getting in an accident than a non-distracted driver.

Car insurance companies are receiving more claims on auto accidents caused from texting while driving. Here are a couple of examples of some they’ve seen:

• One man crashed his car into a telephone pole while he was texting. • A college student collided into a truck on his way home when he picked up his cell to respond to a text message.

Who is Behind AT&T’s No Texting While Driving Campaign?

New York is issuing a ban on cell phone use of any kind while driving to crack down on reckless drivers. More states are joining in to keep drivers off the phone whether it’s talking or texting. Car insurance companies are behind the legislation as it will reduce the risk of auto accidents and claims.

In many regions it is prohibited for drivers under 18 to text and drive. However, adults can be just as easily distracted by texting when behind the wheel. According to recent studies, texting is becoming widely popular among people 35 and older.

Currently, 19 out of the 50 states have made it illegal to partake in texting while driving. President Obama has forbidden all federal employees from engaging in the act. But it’s not enough. Drivers are ignoring the bans and continue to pick up their cell to tap away at the keypad despite the warnings. Does it take getting into an accident that could endanger your life to get drivers to put the phones down?

Avoid Being Distracted From Your Cell

Through AT&T’s campaign, the main tag line to get the message across is “Texting and Driving … It Can Wait” It makes it very clear that answering that text can wait until you get where you are going.

If you know you are likely to pick up your phone when receiving a text message, put it on silent while you are driving. This way you won’t be distracted by the alert from a received message. Better yet, keep your cell in your purse or pocket so that it’s not within easy access.

Posted: March 10, 2010