Hold Your Half Accountable During Distracted Driving Month

Staci and I are doing something a little different today. We’re partnering with AT&T for Distracted Driving Month and wrote this post together to discuss how important it is.

From the moment we met in high school, I have been making the moves and calling the shots. My Type A personality and Colby’s easy-going attitude have kept us checked and balanced in our marriage, in raising our children, and in life.

We work to harmonize our strengths and balances. And while we still face challenges, one thing we’ve found we do really well is hold each other accountable. After all, he is my best friend and I am his.

Distracted Driving Month

No one seems to push our buttons more than the people closest to us. They can drive us mad while, at the same time, keep us sane. They’re the cheese to our macaroni. The one person we could never live without. And for these reasons, we want to ensure they’re around forever.

This is why we must remind them to stay safe behind the wheel.

According to AT&T research, 57% of people are more likely to stop driving distracted if a friend or passenger pressures them to1. That means half of people are just waiting for someone to tell them to stop!

Whether you’re in the car with your spouse, best friend, parent, child or friend, you DO have the power to encourage safe driving habits. That’s why we’re partnering with AT&T during April, Distracted Driving Awareness Month, to encourage everyone to #TagYourHalf on social media.

When we’re in the car, Colby does most of the driving. I navigate better, and admittedly, prefer to watch the scenery. There’s so much to see outside the car, but not enough that I don’t also pay attention to what Colby is doing on the road.

I keep the girls behaved so they don’t distract their dad, check for any upcoming hazards or detours, and catch any incoming texts and calls on Colby’s phone.

And from where I sit behind the wheel, I watch the road and navigate the traffic. Staci can relay any important calls or messages, as needed. When I look in my rear view mirror and see the precious cargo on board with us, it’s an easy reminder no call or text is worth a life.

Up until about a year ago, I couldn’t convince Colby to use safe-driving tools. He would still grab his phone — while driving — and check his messages or calls. I made it a point to comment every time. I took the AT&T IT CAN WAIT pledge and insisted those driving me and my children adhere to my rules about distracted driving.

In that same sense, I also have to hold Staci accountable. We’ll be on the road and she comes across a funny picture or story she wants me to see. Even though she waits for a red light to show me, it can still be a distraction. I have to remind her I’m driving and will look later. She typically puts her phone away as she remembers the rules and just sends me a link to check once I get out of the car. Plus, if I don’t remind her, one of the girls will.

In fact, the girls have become advocates themselves, even without us in the car.

They noticed their older sister was quite active on her phone while driving. From checking social media, to texting her husband, she would never put it down. The girls began to gently harass their sister to stop texting and driving.

They would tell us, and we would remind her of the statistics and stories. And now she keeps her eyes on the road and hands on the wheel!

You see, it only takes one person for there to be a ripple effect on others. As a family, we’re taking a stand to share that distracted driving is NEVER okay. You are never alone on the road and it only takes one distraction, one moment in time, to cause a crash that could end your life — or the lives of others.

Who is your better half? How do you hold them accountable?

There’s no better time than now to #TagYourHalf on social media. Remember that 57%? Over half of the drivers on the road, our loved ones, are simply waiting for someone to ask them to stop.
Let them know you care enough to call them out. And take the pledge at ItCanWait.com, encouraging others to take it as well. Together, we can stop distracted driving one driver at a time.

1 Ongoing online survey with 1,804 respondents conducted by Kantar Added Value. Data represented here was collected September 26 – December 18, 2016. National panel sample (ages 15-54, drive and have a smartphone).