National Distracted Driving Enforcement and Advertising Campaign Event.

Prepared Remarks for Secretary Anthony Foxx
Washington, D.C. • April 3, 2014

Thank you, David – and good morning, everyone.

It’s great to be here. My thanks go out to Sgt. Mendez for working to stop distracted driving – and to Liz Marks and her mother, Betty Shaw, for having the courage to share their story.

Over the past several years, we have made remarkable progress raising awareness about the dangers of distracted driving, both as a department and as a country.

Back in 2009, when DOT took up this issue, only 18 states had anti-texting laws.

Today, 43 states have banned texting while driving.

But we all know we still have more work to do.

We are still losing more than 3,000 lives per year – and hundreds of thousands are injured – because of crashes caused by distraction.

That’s why, today – as part of National Distracted Driving Month – the U.S. Department of Transportation is launching our first-ever national high-visibility enforcement campaign to crackdown on texting while driving.

The message is simple: U Drive. U text. U pay.

From April 10th to 15th, our friends in law enforcement from states all over America will be out in force pulling over people who are texting while driving, and writing tickets.

And to spread our message, we are releasing new ads that will remind people that texting while driving is dangerous, and can be deadly – and that there will be consequences if you do it.

At DOT, we’ve come to understand that this combination of public awareness, strong laws, and tough law enforcement can make a difference changing dangerous driving habits.

In fact, we’re confident this combination will work to reduce distracted driving because it already has.

Today, we’re also releasing the data from pilot programs we funded in California and Delaware.

This data tells us that – at the sites where there was effective advertising and high-visibility police enforcement of distraction laws raising public awareness – hand-held cell phone use dropped by a third.

At DOT, there’s no issue we take more seriously than the safety of our people as they move about the country. But we can’t ensure it on our own.

That’s up to all of us.

So, if you’re a driver, make putting your electronic devices out of reach every time you’re behind the wheel a reflex just like buckling up.

If you’re a parent, talk to your children about responsible driving – and speak up if you see a family member or friend using hand-held electronic devices while driving.

Lastly, let me thank all members of law enforcement who are helping with this effort.

You put your lives on the line each and every day to save lives and stop deadly habits like distracted driving.

And together, with all of our partners, we will make sure every American knows:

U Drive. U text. U pay.

Again, thank you all.

And with that, I’d like to introduce our ad.

Guys, let’s roll the tape.