Bankers Hill charter school joins AT&T to highlight dangers of texting while driving

By Anthony King | SDUN Editor

The Urban Discovery Academy in Bankers Hill hosted a “Phones and Fun Mobile Safety Night” on Tuesday, Feb. 5, highlighting the dangers of texting and driving as well as other safety concerns surrounding mobile phone use. Organized by AT&T as part of their Mobile Safety campaign and study, the event was open to both parents and children.

Christine Moore, AT&T director of external affairs, talked with attendees who primarily came from the Urban Discovery Academy. Encouraging parents to start a dialog with their children regarding phone safety issues, Moore discussed statistics from the recently released AT&T Mobile Safety Study, which was commissioned by the phone company to “better understand the most prevalent wireless safety issues for families,” a press release stated.

“Our goal is simple – we want to change behavior and save lives,” said Cathy Coughlin, AT&T senior executive vice president and global marketing officer in a separate release announcing the study.

“That’s why we’re putting additional resources behind this effort and why we’re inviting everyone to join us in this cause. Working together, we can make a difference,” she said.

The Feb. 5 event was designed as a “school safety fair,” with stations hosted by parents and touching on topics regarding parental control, cyber-bullying and sending and receiving inappropriate messages and photos. The topics were presented through games, quizzes and interactive discussions.

Additionally, organizers staged a virtual-reality simulator to show what could happen if drivers texted while operating a vehicle. Both parents and children were able to test the simulator, with organizers highlighting that more than 100,000 vehicle crashes happen each year from texting and driving.

This year, AT&T expanded their It Can Wait campaign to increase awareness about the dangers of texting and driving. As part of the initial campaign, 165 organizations pledged to encourage people to not text and drive. For the campaign expansion, AT&T will be staging similar Safety Nights with the driving simulator across the nation.

Located at 2850 Sixth Ave., the Urban Discovery Academy is a charter school founded by parents and teachers in 2008. The school’s current director is Cynthia Kelley, who is also one of the founding members.

For more information about the Academy, visit urbansd.com or call 619-788-4668. To join the It Can Wait campaign or to try an online version of the driving simulator, visit itcanwait.com.