Take the Pledge: Don't Text While Driving

Last year, Union Pacific Special Agent Jeff Soyez responded to a catastrophic accident involving a motorist. The driver had rear-ended a semi-truck that slowed because of another traffic incident ahead. The accident report indicated the driver, who was fatally injured, had been texting and could not brake quickly enough to avoid hitting the truck. The accident deeply affected Soyez. He shared his feeling with his wife, and together they made a pledge: No texting while driving – both on and off the job. UP has launched a campaign asking all its employees and their families to make the same pledge. And now the railroad is asking everyone to join the effort.

Everyone – fathers, mothers, grandparents, aunts and uncles – can support this initiative by taking the pledge themselves. The pledge consists of selecting techniques to ensure drivers don’t become tempted to text and drive:

- Place their phone out of reach, so they're not tempted.
- Use an anti-texting app.
- Turn off their notifications, so they don't get distracted.
- Designate a passenger to text for them.

Please share this with your Facebook friends. Let's get them all to take the pledge!

Like Union Pacific on Facebook and add your story to the thread:

• Vonnie Byers: There's a sign on I-70 in Missouri, "Please do not text and drive". If I had set that sign up it would say "Do NOT text and drive". There would be no "please". More people are killed by people with cell phones in vehicles now than drunk drivers. If you are coming at me doing 70mph, driving a bullet that weighs several tons, trust me, I am not going to ask nicely that you put that phone down and DRIVE. It's sad that it's to the point that cell phone carriers are having to implement things that prevent sending or receiving texts while your vehicle is running.
   
• James Huffman: That text is not that important. It can be checked after work.