Following a unanimous vote by the Westerly Town Council on Monday night passing a resolution to not text and drive and to encourage all those who live and visit Westerly to never text and drive, Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin praised the Town Council for taking a leadership position on the important public safety issue of texting and driving.
Kilmartin, who was joined by Rhode Island State Police Major James Manni and a representative of AT&T at Monday's Town Council meeting, challenged all other city and town councils in Rhode Island to follow the lead of Westerly and take the pledge to never text and drive.
The presentation to the Westerly Town Council is a spinoff of the very popular high school program Attorney General Kilmartin, the Rhode Island Dept. of Transportation (RIDOT), the Rhode Island State Police and AT&T launched in 2012 to spread the message on the dangers of distracted driving.
"We all know the dangers of distracted driving, yet too many people continue to take their eyes off the road and their hands off the wheel to send or read a text, to post a tweet, or to update their status on Facebook. I applaud the Westerly Town Council for taking the pledge to personally not text and drive, and more importantly, for encouraging Westerly residents and visitors alike to do the same."
Known as "It Can Wait," the school-based program includes a compelling documentary featuring real stories from people whose lives were forever impacted by distracted driving, after which students sign a pledge to never text and drive. Since the program launched, Attorney General Kilmartin and partners have made 41 school visits with approximately 15,000 students taking the pledge.
Attorney General Kilmartin was invited to make the presentation to the Council and residents by Westerly Town Council president Diana Serra. Westerly Town Council members ceremoniously signed their name to pledge boards, which will be displayed at the Westerly Town Hall and made available for all residents to sign.
Town Council President Diana Serra commented, "We think it is so important to bring awareness to the dangers of texting while driving. We hope that this presentation will convince all drivers to take the pledge to avoid preventable tragedies such as the ones that have been discussed here tonight."
"In a recent serious motor vehicle crash, the State Police charged an individual who was texting a friend about where to go to dinner when the crash occurred. This is just an example of how quickly someone texting while driving can change the life of the driver texting or an innocent victim, stated Colonel Steven G. O'Donnell, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police.
"We commend the Town of Westerly for formally recognizing the dangers of texting and driving through the passage of this resolution," said RIDOT Director Michael P. Lewis. "Taking such a bold step to discourage this dangerous practice will go a long way toward advancing public discourse and ultimately shifting the social norm."
At the meeting, Kilmartin issued a challenge to all city and town councils across Rhode Island to follow Westerly's lead and pass resolutions proclaiming that residents will not text while driving. Westerly is the second municipality to pass this resolution, with Newport passing a similar resolution in April.
"We applaud the Town of Westerly for its leadership on this important issue," said Patricia Jacobs, President, AT&T New England. "The message of our It Can Wait campaign is simple: No text is worth risking your life for. We're urging residents across the country to follow Westerly's lead and take the It Can Wait pledge to never text while driving."
The "It Can Wait" campaign, which discourages texting and driving, is making a difference: one in three people who have seen the texting while driving documentary say they have changed their driving habits. Westerly High School participated in the program on December 12, 2012. The 2014-2015 school year campaign kicks off on September 19th with a visit and presentation to students at Tollgate High School in Warwick, and Attorney General Kilmartin is once again scheduled to visit Westerly High School on October 15, 2014.
Anyone interested in learning more about the It Can Wait campaign and to take the pledge to not text and drive can visit www.riag.ri.gov or www.itcanwait.com.