Texting while driving. Nothing to LOL about.

Feb. 11, 2010 - PRLog -- PLYMOUTH, MA…
The average American sends 357 texts per month. The average American teen sends 1742 per month. While that behavior is harmless under most conditions, behind the wheel of an automobile it can be lethal. And that’s made it an issue that everybody from state legislatures to Oprah Winfrey are talking about—it’s also become the focal point of the Plymouth Safe Driving campaign.

Sponsored by King Collision Centers, Commerce Insurance, the Plymouth Public Schools department and Plymouth Police Department, the Plymouth Safe Driving campaign is a multi-pronged effort to promoting safe driving habits for Plymouth North and Plymouth South high schools. Part of that campaign includes a student-parent contract in which young drivers sign an actual contract with their parents agreeing to safe driving practices.

“Our student-parent contract includes a ‘Driving Privileges’ section where parents can prohibit certain things like texting and cell phone use, at least while driving,” said Bruce King, owner of King Collision Centers. “It may seem like a common sense thing—don’t text while you drive—but the numbers bear out that many drivers are texting and driving and the accident statistics related to that are just as staggering.”

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, more than half a million people were injured and 6,000 killed last year in motor-vehicle accidents involving a driver who was distracted while using a cell phone or texting device. More specific to young drivers, the legal site www.WhoCanISue.com reveals that:

46% of teens admitted to text messaging while driving in 2008; up from 13% in 2006
32% of young adults admit to sending text messages while driving
43 % of young adults read text messages while driving.

Equally disturbing, the U.S. National Safety Council estimates that 100 people die every day in traffic accidents and that 25 percent of those are caused by the use of cell phone and texting devices.
"While we created this campaign to promote safe driving among high school students, it’s quite clear that drivers young and old need to stop texting while driving,” said King. “Hopefully, with pending legislation in many states and grassroots awareness campaigns like Oprah’s, ours and others, we can get the word out that texting and driving—whether you’re sending or receiving—never mix.”
For updates on latest events and activities related to the Plymouth Safe Driving program and additional safety information, please visit www.plymouthsafedriving.org.
Anyone Can Remove Dents - King Collision Centers Removes Doubts
Founded in 1984 by Bruce King, King Collision Centers provides superior collision repair and extraordinary customer care to thousands of clients south of Boston. King Collision is dedicated to earning customers for life and their team of professionals help clients through the collision repair process every step of the way - from coordinating a rental vehicle; providing accurate damage appraisal; assisting with the insurance claim process and ensuring that the vehicle is returned to its pre-accident operation, safety and value.

King Collision Centers was voted “Best Collision Repair” by Market Surveys of America and they have been selected to participate in the Repair Shop Referral Programs of 20 different insurance companies.  That includes being part of Commerce Insurance's CARES (Commerce Auto Express Repair Service) Shops, an elite program that includes approximately 120 collision shops across Massachusetts.
 
The company continues to build strategic alliances with auto dealerships, enabling dealerships to offer collision repair services on-site - similar to their alignment with Mastria Auto Group in Raynham.

King Collision Centers are located in Pembroke, Plymouth and most recently, Raynham, MA.
For more information, visit KingCollision.com or contact 508-747-2005