Please Don't Drive While Texting, Pleads Sprint

While driving to all those Black Friday and Weekend, sales please don't drive while distracted warned Sprint.  According to
the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2008 distracted
driving was responsible for 16 percent of all traffic fatalities and 21
percent of all traffic injury accidents.

While there are a host of things that can contribute to driver
distraction including eating, adjusting the radio, or merely taking in
the scenery, Sprint is particularly concerned with the disturbing trend
of texting while driving. To set an example for its customers, Sprint
recently launched a campaign aimed at employees asking them to
voluntarily pledge not to text or email while driving.

What then is a solution?  Don't go out and buy online on Cyber Monday. To see the best deals on cell phones, and smartphones on Cyber Monday, read the Top Best Cyber Monday Deals article or check out a list of deals on the Cyber Monday page.

"As employees of a mobile telecommunications company, we want to set an
example for our customers, families, and friends by staying focused on
the road," said Sandy Price, senior vice president of Human Resources
for Sprint.

Distracted driving is a serious issue in the United States.

• According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,
  distracted driving kills 5,800 Americans and injures another 515,000
  people each year.
• Distraction from cell phone use while driving (hand-held or
  hands-free) extends a driver's reaction as much as having a blood
  alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent. (University
  of Utah)
• Driver distraction was involved in 16 percent of all fatal crashes in
  2008 and was most prevalent among drivers 20 years old and younger
  (U.S. Department of Transportation)
• The No. 1 source of driver inattention is use of a wireless device.
  (Virginia Tech/NHTSA)
• Drivers who use cell phones are four times as likely to get into
  crashes serious enough to injure themselves. (NHTSA, Insurance
  Institute for Highway Safety)

Along with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Department of
Transportation (DOT), Sprint will take an active role in workshops
designed to uncover the best ways to evaluate technologies that might
help curb the dangerous epidemic of distracted driving and to educate
consumers about the dangers of distracted driving.