Virginia Beach Residents to Observe Distracted Driving Awareness Day, June 6
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.--Drive Smart Virginia and GEICO are partnering to take action against distracted driving by sponsoring the 2nd annual “Distracted Driver Awareness Day,” June 6 in Virginia and North Carolina.
Member companies of Drive Smart Virginia, GEICO associates and USAA employees will be at Farm Fresh locations throughout Hampton Roads and parts of North Carolina that day to distribute pledge cards and information about developing safer driving habits. Residents can also visit www.drivesmartva.org to sign virtual pledge cards.
WNIS radio will be broadcasting live from Virginia Beach with interviews from Dale Butcher, a victim of a distracted driving accident, and Joe Thomas, regional vice president for GEICO and Ron Racinowski, general manager of USAA.
GEICO will also lead an assembly at Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach to mark “Distracted Driver Awareness Day.” Butcher will be the guest speaker, with WNIS serving as co-host. GEICO will also distribute information on distracted driving to several local high schools, including a tip sheet for teens on how to stay focused while driving. Participating high schools include Ocean Lakes, Landstown, Hickory, Granby and Churchland.
A recent study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concludes that distracted drivers are the leading cause of crashes in the U.S., accounting for 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near crashes. The study found that one of the chief causes of distracted driving crashes were drivers reaching for moving objects within the vehicle.
Stations will be set up at Farm Fresh locations in Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Newport News, Elizabeth City, N.C., and the main location at 1615 General Booth Blvd. in Virginia Beach. Other Drive Smart member companies will distribute similar materials in Northern Virginia that day.
Drive Smart Virginia is a non-profit organization in Virginia exclusively dedicated to making the roadways a safer place. It was founded by automobile insurance companies and strives to reduce the number of traffic deaths through education, enforcement and engineering.
GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company) is the fourth-largest private passenger auto insurer in the United States. It provides auto insurance coverage for more than 7 million policyholders and insures more than 12 million vehicles. GEICO, a member of the Berkshire Hathaway group of companies, is rated A++ for financial stability by A.M. Best Company. GEICO keeps its rates low by dealing directly with the customer. GEICO provides consumers with outstanding sales, service and claims capabilities on its geico.com Web site 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Consumers may also contact the company at its toll free 1-800-841-3000 number. 15 minutes could save you 15% on car insurance. For more information, go to www.geico.com.