To kick off National Teen Driver Safety Week, Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Krekorian, 2nd District, joined representatives of the Ad Council, the Los Angeles Police Department and parents of distracted driving crash victims to launch a citywide public awareness campaign outlining the dangers of texting while driving.

More than 300 Los Angeles Department of Transportation DASH and Commuter Express buses will feature large educational advertisements stating, “Make Sure You Arrive. Just Drive: Stop Texts, Stop Wrecks.”

Councilman Paul Krekorian outlined the intricacies of the campaign aimed at stopping texting while driving. (photo courtesy of the Second District Council Office)

In 2015, 3,477 people were killed and 391,000 were injured nationwide in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers. A recent California Traffic Survey reported texting while driving as “the most serious distraction on roadways today.”

The city of Los Angeles’ new campaign targets young adults ages 16-34 – at least 25 percent of whom respond to a text message once or more every time they drive. The goal is to remind drivers that it is never safe to text and drive.

“I’m so proud to partner with these organizations to remind Angelenos not to text and drive,” Krekorian said. “California law prohibits people from holding and operating a smartphone while driving, and this public awareness campaign will help reinforce that lifesaving message across the city. There are far too many avoidable collisions that happen each year when people engage in distracted driving, especially texting. We are aiming to reduce the likelihood of traffic deaths and injuries by getting drivers, young and old, to obey the law and pay attention to the road, not their phones while behind the wheel.”

“This year, 174 people have died in traffic crashes on Los Angeles streets,” said LADOT Assistant General Manager and Chief Engineer Dan Mitchell. “In response, LADOT has begun implementing common sense safety solutions like safer crosswalks and better signals where we have known safety issues. But we also look to our fellow Angelenos to stay alert, to stop texting and driving, and to help us keep our streets safe.”

For information, visit stoptextsstopwrecks.org.