Texting and driving can keep a driver's eyes off the road for as much as five seconds at a time. At 120km per hour, a car would travel a distance equivalent to more than one-and-a-half football pitches during that five seconds of inattention, making texting and driving extremely dangerous.
This is according to Vodacom, which today launched W8_2send (pronounced wait-to-send), a campaign that encourages South Africans to pledge never to text while driving. "The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that you're 23 times more likely to crash if texting while driving," says Vodacom.
W8_2send aims to create as much awareness around the dangers of texting while driving as possible. The campaign, which has been specifically designed with the youth in mind, uses social media to spread the W8_2send message.
Vodacom's chief officer of corporate affairs, Maya Makanjee, says the company wanted to find a way to engage as well as educate South Africans around the dangers of texting and driving, "which is why we came up with the W8_2send online game that simulates what can happen when drivers are distracted by their cellphones on the road."
The game, which can be played at www.w82send.co.za, challenges players to manoeuvre an animated car by tilting their smartphones or using the arrow keys on their keyboard. At the same time they will have to type the answers to various questions. Once played, the game then prompts players to take the pledge to W8_2send by sharing the following message with their friends and family via Facebook or Twitter: "I've just promised to wait to send. Using your phone whilst driving is dangerous. Take the pledge http://w82send.co.za #w8_2send."
Safety awareness
Makanjee says most South Africans are aware that texting while driving is unsafe, but what they often do not realise is just how dangerous it is. "According to Arrive Alive, studies have suggested that texting while driving is even riskier than driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
"We want to ensure our customers are aware of the risk. The W8_2send game is an engaging way to demonstrate this. Its purpose is to create a memorable experience that will make people think twice before they tweet, post or text on the road."
On top of hosting the game, the W8_2send Web site also has statistics around texting and driving as well as useful tips and links to apps to help make keeping the W8_2send pledge as easy as possible.
"We originally launched W8_2send to our employees earlier this year and from there decided to extend it to our customers. We are also currently engaging with other industry players as well as government to look at ways in which we can partner to ensure that the W8_2send message reaches as many South Africans as possible," says Makanjee.
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