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A vital
component of the public awareness campaign is the use of
texting to spread the word throughout Lucas County or
elsewhere. “We know that texting is one of the most popular
forms of communication among young people aged 16-25,” said
Courtney Weiss, LISW-S, Chief Operating Officer for Unison
Behavioral Health Group.
“However,
while we want Lucas County residents to help share this
important message by texting, we want to emphasize that NO
ONE should ever text while driving,” Weiss stated.
A recent
survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA) indicates that on average 13.2
percent of all persons 16 or older drove under the influence of
alcohol and 4.3 percent of this age group drove under the
influence of illicit drugs in the past year. Ohio had a high
rate of driving under the influence of alcohol compared to other
states and was in the mid-range of people driving under the
influence of illicit drugs.
The local
“Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving” campaign targets Lucas
County’s highest risk drivers: young men aged 16-25.
Texting is one of the main
forms of communication for 16-25 year olds. According to a 2011
survey conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Internet &
American Life Project, young adults are the most avid texters by
a wide margin. Cell owners between the ages of 18 and 24
exchange an average of 109.5 messages on a normal day—that works
out to more than 3,200 texts per month—and the typical or median
cell owner in this age group sends or receives 50 messages per
day (or 1500 messages per month).
“Simply
texting the phrase ‘Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving’ starts a
conversation about the dangers of impaired driving and the need
to plan ahead and to make safe decisions. This message from
family members and peers has a huge impact,” said Weiss. “Our
goal is to raise awareness about the dangers of impaired driving
and to get Lucas County residents talking about it and planning
ahead.”
According to
Weiss, enlisting the support of local communities to text the
“Buzzed Driving” prevention message is a deliberate strategy
borrowed from the Ad Council and the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration’s national “Buzzed Driving is Drunk
Driving” campaign.
But again, don’t text
this important message while driving!
Learn more about the dangers of buzzed driving by visiting the
local “Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving” campaign on Facebook and
sign the Lucas County Sober Pledge while you’re there. For more
information, visit
www.unisonbhg.org.
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