Hi -- I'm 11Alive's Commuter Dude. We are continuously doing stories where people are getting in accidents and even losing their lives because of texting or talking on the phone while they are driving. My job is to help make our roads and your commute better and safer.
We're dedicated to informing the people of Metro Atlanta of the dangers of distracted driving and we are inviting you to join the movement to put down the phone while driving. It's the Great Hang Up!
Just click the button on the right and print out 11Alive's Great Hang Up Pledge. You can sign it and keep it in your car as a reminder.
We encourage teenagers, schools, moms, dads, and businesses all throughout Metro Atlanta to join the movement and be part of the Great Hang Up!
Did you know that the summer months are when most teen accidents occur? 56% of teens say they are on phone calls while driving and car accidents are the #1 cause of death among teens. Help us encourage teens and everyone to "
X the TXT"!
Have you joined the Great Hang Up? How about your schools, clubs, businesses, churches or other organizations? If you have, let us know! You can share your stories here by filling out the response form in the column to the right!
Click here to see what happened during our driving test.
Click here to see one family's tragic story of texting while driving.
Distracted Driving Links and Information
6:53 AM, May 14, 2013
The country's four biggest cellphone companies are set to launch their first joint advertising campaign against texting while driving.
2:28 PM, Jan 27, 2013
Rep. Rahn Mayo of Decatur is trying again to ban the use of handheld cell phones while driving.
1:53 PM, Jun 20, 2012
Edmunds.com released its list of best new and used vehicles for young drivers, consisting primarily of mid-size sedans.
9:42 PM, May 8, 2012
Villa Rica Mayor J. Collins made good on his promise to veto an ordinance passed by the city council restricting behind-the-wheel cell phone use.
12:16 PM, Apr 11, 2012
Young people have clung to their texting and driving habits, despite new laws, like one in Georgia making texting and driving illegal.
1:19 PM, Dec 27, 2011
There's a lot of attention being given to texting and driving, but along with it is a lack of determination to put the cell phone down.
12:42 PM, Dec 24, 2011
Ways To Save reporter Valerie Hoff found free driver training for your teens.
8:31 PM, Dec 14, 2011
By now you've probably heard the National Transportation Safety Board, or NTSB, is urging states to ban the use of electronics while driving except for emergencies.
3:47 PM, Dec 14, 2011
Federal regulators have declared texting, emailing or using any cellphone simply too dangerous to be allowed for drivers anywhere.
7:54 AM, Dec 9, 2011
Georgia's one of 35 states that have tough new laws cracking down on texting and driving. Despite that, the numbers of people violating it have shot up 50 percent.
10:13 PM, Sep 16, 2011
Sprint has released a new app for your smart phone that will disable the phone while you drive.
7:22 PM, Jun 1, 2011
McKee was driving along Bullsboro Road in Coweta County when she ran a red light and smashed into another car. Friends believe she was distracted by a text message.
10:12 AM, Jan 21, 2011
Unmarked SUVs cruise Nashville's trouble spots to look for and ticket drivers who just can't disconnect.
6:58 AM, Jan 2, 2011
In early 2010, 11Alive launched The Great Hang Up. Thousands of you signed the Great Hang-Up Pledge. Since then, Georgia passed a no-texting while driving law. But if you drive Metro-Atlanta roads, you know: it's still happening. This week, there are new efforts to have drivers make a New Year's Resolution.
11:43 AM, Sep 20, 2010
The Transportation Department said Monday that 5,474 people were killed in 2009 in crashes reported to have involved distracted driving, a 6 percent decline from the more than 5,800 people killed in 2008.
11:19 PM, Aug 25, 2010
How you and your new teenage driver can learn together, for free.
1:35 PM, Aug 23, 2010
Commuter Dude was invited to participate in a think tank discussion on the dangers of distracted driving. While there, he was introduced to the founder of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
10:05 AM, Aug 2, 2010
As Georgia law enforcement begins cracking down on distracted driving, a new survey shows nearly nine in 10 teen drivers have texted or talked on their cell phones from behind the wheel even though most of them know it's dangerous.
11:32 PM, Jul 6, 2010
Gwinnett Co.'s D.A. will not prosecute Lori Reineke on a felony Vehicular Homicide charge. Police had accused her of texting seconds before she hit and killed a pedestrian last November.