AT&T: Teen-led, teen-focused state summit to educate peers on dangers of texting while driving

Nearly 800 Wisconsin High School Students to Discuss Risks of Deadly Practice, Hear from Safety Leaders from the Wisconsin State Patrol, AT&T Wisconsin

WISCONSIN DELLS, Thursday, April 19, 2012 – Nearly 800 teens from throughout the state will learn about the dangers of texting while driving and Wisconsin’s law banning the deadly practice during a day-long Wisconsin State Summit on Teen Distracted Driving. The teen-led, teen-focused event will take place on Tuesday, April 24, 2012 from 9:15 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Kalahari Convention Center in Wisconsin Dells.

Students from Oak Creek High School are teaming up with the Wisconsin State Patrol, the Wisconsin Family Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) and AT&T Wisconsin to hold the first-ever Teen State Summit and reinforce the simple message that text messages can – and should – wait until after driving. Not only do teens text five times more messages a day than adults, but those who send text messages while driving are 23 times more likely to be in a crash.1

The State Summit will feature:
* A showing of a powerful documentary called “The Last Text” that shares real stories about lives altered or ended by someone’s decision to text and drive;
* A free AT&T mobile app called DriveMode that helps reduce the temptation to text and drive for AndroidTM and BlackBerry(r) smartphone users;
* A presentation on the hazards of distracted driving by the Wisconsin State Patrol; and
* A student obstacle course presentation that demonstrates how difficult it is to text and drive safely.

The Oak Creek students were chosen last fall to participate in the National Teen Distracted Driving Summit in Washington, D.C. – hosted by AT&T and the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) – and then tasked with holding a State Summit in Wisconsin in 2012. The event is taking place as part of the Wisconsin FCCLA’s State Leadership Conference.

Who: Nearly 800 Wisconsin high school students
Wisconsin State Patrol
AT&T Wisconsin State President
Oak Creek High School FCCLA leaders

What: Wisconsin State Summit on Teen Distracted Driving

When: Tuesday, April 24, 2012
9:15 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Where: Kalahari Convention Center, Wisconsin Dells

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