DALLAS, May 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- When you see
the driver next to you looking at their phone, it's no longer safe
to assume they're texting. New research1 from AT&T*
shows nearly 4-in-10 smartphone users tap into social media while
driving. Almost 3-in-10 surf the net. And surprisingly, 1-in-10
video chat.
7-in-10 people engage in smartphone activities while driving.
Texting and emailing are still the most prevalent. But other
smartphone activity use behind the wheel is now common. Among
social platforms, Facebook tops the list, with more than a quarter
of those polled using the app while driving. About 1-in-7 said
they're on Twitter behind the wheel.
AT&T will expand the It Can Wait®
campaign from a focus on texting while driving to include other
smartphone driving distractions that have emerged as our
relationships with our devices have changed.
"When we launched It Can
Wait five years ago, we pleaded with people to realize
that no text is worth a life," said Lori
Lee, AT&T's global marketing officer. "The same applies
to other smartphone activities that people are doing while driving.
For the sake of you and those around you, please keep your eyes on
the road, not on your phone."
Smartphone activities people say they do while driving
include:
- Text2 (61%)
- Email2 (33%)
- Surf the net (28%)
- Facebook3 (27%)
- Snap a selfie/photo (17%)
- Twitter3 (14%)
- Instagram3 (14%)
- Shoot a video (12%)
- Snapchat3 (11%)
- Video chat (10%)
Other unsettling findings include:
- 62% keep their smartphones within easy reach while
driving.4
- 30% of people who post to Twitter while driving do it "all the
time."
- 22% who access social networks while driving cite addiction as
a reason.
- Of those who shoot videos behind the wheel, 27% think they can
do it safely while driving.
AT&T will use the survey findings to help drive awareness of
the dangers of smartphone use behind the wheel, and to encourage
life-saving behavior change. It will collaborate with social
platforms to share the message, and will launch a nationwide
virtual reality tour this summer to help people understand that
it's not possible to drive safely while using a smartphone.
Twitter will collaborate with AT&T to share messages on
their platform about the dangers of smartphone use behind the
wheel.
Samsung, Bose and Google will support the immersive tour
experience, which will be delivered through Samsung Gear VR, with
premium sound from Bose QuietComfort® 25 Acoustic Noise
Cancelling® Headphones. Google Cardboard will make it
possible for people to use their own smartphones to see the 3D
virtual reality program.
Since its launch in 2010, the It Can
Wait campaign has:
- Helped drive awareness of the dangers of texting while driving
to about 90% for all audiences surveyed.
- Inspired more than 6.5 million pledges not to text and
drive.
- Worked with departments of transportation in Texas, Kentucky and other states on research that
suggests a correlation between It Can
Wait campaign activities and a reduction in
crashes.
Visit www.ItCanWait.com to learn more.
*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 Research commissioned by AT&T and conducted by Braun
Research. Polled 2,067 people in the U.S. aged 16-65 who use their
smartphone and drive at least once a day. Additional information
available here.
2 Read, send or reply.
3 View or post.
4 In their hand, lap or cup holder, or on the passenger seat
or dash.
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) helps millions of people and businesses
around the globe stay connected through leading wireless,
high-speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. We're helping
people mobilize their worlds with state-of-the-art communications,
entertainment services and amazing innovations like connected cars
and devices for homes, offices and points in between. Our U.S.
wireless network offers customers the nation's strongest LTE signal
and the nation's most reliable 4G LTE network. We offer the best
global wireless coverage. We're improving how our customers stay
entertained and informed with AT&T U-verse® TV and
High Speed Internet services. And businesses worldwide are serving
their customers better with AT&T's mobility and highly secure
cloud solutions.
Additional information about AT&T products and services is
available at http://about.att.com. Follow our news on Twitter at
@ATT, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/att and YouTube at
http://www.youtube.com/att.
© 2015 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved.
AT&T, the Globe logo and other marks are trademarks and service
marks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated
companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of
their respective owners.
Logo -
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140408/CG99935LOGO
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/smartphone-use-while-driving-grows-beyond-texting--to-social-media-web-surfing-selfies-video-chatting-300085207.html
SOURCE AT&T Inc.