Little Rock, Ark., April 2, 2018 – The Arkansas Trucking Association launches today a statewide initiative to educate the public about the dangers of driving while distracted.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson joined Arkansas Trucking Association officials, along with officers from the Arkansas State Police and the Arkansas Highway Police, to announce “Focus. Drive. Stay Alive.” at the Arkansas State Capitol in Little Rock.
“One of our goals is to make Arkansas’s roads and highways safer for all drivers,” said Arkansas Trucking Association President, Shannon Newton. “’Focus. Drive. Stay Alive.’ will help educate Arkansans about the dangers of driving while distracted and safely sharing the road.”
“We’ve all seen public service announcements warning against distracted diving. With our campaign, however, we wanted to take it a step further and really try to get an understanding of who is most likely to drive distracted, then work toward creating messages that will help change those behaviors,” Newton explained.
To that end, the Arkansas Trucking Association surveyed Arkansas drivers about their driving habits, and conducted focus groups to gain more insight and assist with campaign development. Among the more surprising findings: some of the most experienced drivers are the ones most likely to participate in activities that make their driving unsafe.
The “Focus. Drive. Stay Alive.” initiative will be actively engaging with businesses to create policies that encourage safer driving, and will also be using traditional advertising and social media to remind Arkansas drivers that focusing on driving is the best way to arrive home safely.
“Our ultimate goal is to reduce the number of accidents on Arkansas roads that are caused by distracted driving activities,” said David O’Neal, Arkansas Trucking Association Vice President of Safety and Industry Engagement. “We want to make sure that all drivers – moms and dads trying to get home after work, busy professionals going about their daily lives, or commercial truck drivers — are able to get home safely every day.”
