For more information, contact: Jessica Erickson, AT&T Wisconsin 608-282-7870 (work) 608-692-5340 (cell) jessica.erickson@att.

com

Logan High Students Learn About Dangers of Texting While Driving, Urged to Pledge Never to Text Behind the Wheel
Wisconsin State Patrol, AAA, AT&T and State Rep. Billings Team Up to Highlight Dangers of Deadly Practice
LA CROSSE, WI, Wednesday, September 19, 2012 Students from La Crosse Logan High School learned about the dangers of texting while driving and were urged to sign a pledge to never text behind the wheel at an event at the school today.

Logan High School teamed up with the Wisconsin State Patrol, AAA, AT&T and State Rep. Jill Billings in a public awareness campaign to urge the schools nearly 900 students, and all Wisconsin drivers, that text messages can and should wait until after driving. Too often, our youth think they are invincible, but they need to know that texting while driving is very dangerous and often deadly, and they are particularly at risk as inexperienced drivers, said Logan High School principal Scott Mihalovic. Were proud to help spread the word about the dangers and keep our teen drivers safe. Todays assembly was part of a series of teen-focused events being planned this fall at high schools around Wisconsin by the State Patrol, AAA and AT&T to drive home the dangers of texting behind the wheel. Students were given the chance to experience firsthand the dangers of texting while driving in a safe setting through AAAs distracted driving simulator. They were also shown a powerful documentary produced by AT&T called The Last Text that shares real stories about lives altered or ended by someones decision to text and drive.

Students were also urged to visit www.itcanwait.com to take the no-texting-and-driving pledge, and then share their promise with others via Twitter (#itcanwait) and Facebook. The pledge effort is part of AT&Ts national public awareness campaign aimed directly at stopping the dangerous practice of texting while driving.

AT&T is urging all Americans to join with others on September 19 to take the pledge. The company will spend tens of millions of dollars on its It Can Wait campaign in 2012 and has made it an ongoing commitment in future years. Far too many lives have been forever changed because someone chose to text behind the wheel and we want to spread the word about how deadly a simple text can be, said Scott T. VanderSanden, president of AT&T Wisconsin. Were challenging all drivers, particularly our teens, to take the pledge to never text and drive and make it a lifelong commitment.

More than 100,000 times each year, an automobile crashes and people are injured or die because the driver was texting while driving, according to the National Safety Council.
2 1

Studies show teen drivers are particularly at risk.

While 97% of teens say they know texting while driving is dangerous, 75% say the practice is common among their friends, according to a recent AT&T survey . The survey also found almost all teens (89%) expect a reply to a text or email within five minutes or less, and 77% of teens report seeing their parents text while driving. Texting is so dangerous because it takes a drivers eyes off the road for an average of 5 seconds. At 55 mph, thats like driving the length of a football field completely blind. Those who send text messages while driving are 23 times more likely to be in a crash. Texting while driving is one of the most dangerous activities you can do behind the wheel, said State Rep. Jill Billings (D-La Crosse). Having two teenagers of my own, I know firsthand how constantly teens text. That is why Im pleased to join with Logan High, AT&T, AAA and the State Patrol to urge our youth to never text and drive. Wisconsins law, effective as of December 1, 2010, prohibits sending an e-mail or text message while driving and imposes a fine of up to $400. As a primary enforcement law, officers may stop and ticket drivers solely for texting and driving. Wisconsin is among 37 states and the District of Columbia that ban text messaging by all drivers.

The Wisconsin State Patrol, AAA and AT&T are planning a series of events this fall to educate teens on the dangers, including in La Crosse, Burlington, Racine, Rhinelander, Wausau, Eau Claire, and Madison. The Governor has also proclaimed September as Dont Text & Drive: It Can Wait Awareness Month throughout Wisconsin and is urging all residents, particularly teens, to never text behind the wheel. For more information on teen driving and AAAs national initiative to ban texting while driving in every state by 2013, please visit TeenDriving.AAA.com. For more information on AT&Ts It Can Wait campaign, please visit: www.att.com/textingcanwait.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc
1 2

National Safety Council www.nsc.org Survey conducted by Beck Research on behalf of AT&T http://www.att.com/Common/about_us/txting_driving/att_teen_survey_executive.pdf.

About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company and one of the most honored companies in the world. Its subsidiaries and affiliates AT&T operating companies are the providers of AT&T services in the U.S. and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nations fastest mobile broadband network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile broadband and emerging 4G capabilities, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse and AT&T DIRECTV brands. The companys suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com. This AT&T news release and other announcements are available at http://www.att.com/newsroom and as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @ATT. 2012 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. Mobile broadband not available in all areas. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.