The Wait2Text initiative, a campaign brought to the Dayton area by WDTN Channel 2 and Dayton’s CW, is being sponsored in part by Sinclair Community College in an effort to spread the word within the community about refraining from texting while behind the wheel.
The nationwide campaign is titled W82TXT, but the name for this campaign was changed to Wait2Text to match the “2” in WDTN Channel 2, said Michelle Morgan, Digital Community Specialist for Sinclair.
The campaign, also sponsored by White Allen Chevrolet, began Aug. 4 on the Sinclair campus during a special kick-off event featuring booths from Sinclair’s admissions office, Dayton’s CW and WDTN, according to the official press release on the Sinclair website.
White Allen Chevrolet provided a wrecked car to place on display to serve as a reminder to students of the dangers of texting while driving, noted the official press release on the Sinclair website.
Even though this was the first official event to begin the campaign, Sinclair has been involved since July, according to Morgan.
Morgan also noted that she is the first contact with WDTN, managed the kick-off event and visited high schools to spread the world about the campaign to the community.
The goal of Sinclair’s involvement is to educate the population about the importance of waiting to text to ensure safety while driving and reduce the number of accidents, said Morgan.
As a large commuter college, Sinclair’s involvement in the campaign is a means of “being involved in the community,” said Morgan.
Morgan advises students to “yell at your friends… tell them to stop,” when students are in situations with friends who are texting while they are driving.
Sherry Campbell, a Sinclair student, does just that by badgering those who are texting and driving while she is in the car until they put their phone away.“If it’s that important, pull off on the side of the road,” Campbell said.
“Don’t text and drive because it’s not worth it,” said Morgan. “I don’t think it’s worth your life, [or] the person’s life. It’s not worth your insurance going up, or paying for your car to be fixed or paying for someone else’s car to be fixed.”
“I definitely agree that it’s unsafe to do,” Sinclair student Amy Marshall said. Marshall openly admitted that even though she may text at a stop light, she does not do so while driving.
James Isaacs, another student at Sinclair, occasionally texts at a stop sign in an emergency situation. Isaacs said that it’s safer to not text while driving, though, adding, “You never know what’s going to happen while driving, so it’s one less thing to worry about.”
Sinclair is passing out thumb bands in an assortment of colors for students to wear as a reminder to not text while they drive, saidMorgan.
Students interested in getting involved with the campaign are encouraged to do so by passing out thumb bands and telling others why they are wearing them, Morgan said.
Students can obtain thumb bands at the admissions office, located on the first floor of Building 10, and can email Morgan for more information at michelle.morgan1008@sinclair.edu.