U.S. Department of Transportation Teams with ESPN and State Farm To Go 'On the Road' to Wipe Out Distracted Driving

U.S. Department of Transportation Teams with ESPN and State Farm To Go 'On the Road' to Wipe Out Distracted Driving

U.S. Department of Transportation Teams with ESPN and State Farm To Go 'On the Road' to Wipe Out Distracted Driving

U.S. Department of Transportation
August 3, 2010

DOT 153-10

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Contact: Karen Aldana

Tel: 202-366-9550

Participation in two-week pro football training camp bus tour to raise 'Put it Down' awareness

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced today that it has joined forces with State Farm and ESPN’s “On the Road to Camp”—a cross-country bus tour that will take ESPN’s senior analyst Chris Mortensen and Insider Adam Schefter to all 32 pro football training camps in 19 days. The tour, which runs from July 29 to August 16, aims to generate awareness of the real and increasingly serious dangers caused by distracted driving.

On separate buses, carrying the “Stop Distracted Driving” message, Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter will cross the nation visiting all 32 team training camps. Together, they will log more than 15,000 combined miles before they meet in New Orleans on August 16.

“Distracted driving is an extremely dangerous and life threatening practice. We are excited to goOn the Road with ESPN and State Farm to share the message that all of us need to stop distracted driving. By reminding all drivers to simply put it down, we can help put an end to the dangers of distracted driving and keep our roads safe,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

“This tour is uniquely positioned to reach football fans across the league, and provides the perfect setting to work with the USDOT and State Farm to raise awareness of the serious dangers of distracted driving,” said Ed Erhardt, President, ESPN Customer Marketing and Sales.

In 2008, nearly 6,000 people died on American roadways in crashes that involved distracted driving. ESPN, State Farm and USDOT hope to educate the public on the dangers of distracted driving.

State Farm, USDOT and ESPN are committed to keeping our roads safe. This program is a unique way to help raise awareness of the dangers of distracted driving and remind drivers that they are not invincible, and that many tragic accidents could have been prevented if it weren’t for distracted driving.

Coverage of ESPN’s “On The Road to Camp” will include daily appearances by Mortensen and Schefter on SportsCenter and NFL Live, as well as Monday Night Countdown (before ESPN’s Monday Night Football preseason games on Aug. 12 and 16); reports on ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike in the Morning (simulcast on ESPN2); blog items, video, interactive maps and daily post cards on ESPN.com; and regular updates on Twitter (@mortreport and @Adam_Schefter). Additionally, the campaign will include on-air vignettes highlighting the statistical increase in Distracted Driving-related accidents.

For a full Schedule of “On the Road to Camp”, click here.

For more information on distracted driving please visit http://www.distraction.gov.