Thomas MacMillan Photo
Wingate (pictured) said he’s changed his ways behind the wheel.
If you’re driving, don’t text. And if you’re texting, don’t drive.
That was the message issued (not texted) from City Hall as the Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to name New Haven a “Don’t Text and Drive City.”
The measure was put forward Monday night by Aldermen Al Paolillo and Brian Wingate. Wingate, the chair of the Public Safety Committee, said the idea grew out of a conversation with AT&T, which had contacted him in September to talk about creating a day for not texting while driving. AT&T has launched a similar campaign; you may have noticed stickers like the one pictured all over town.
“I’m challenging the whole city of New Haven not to text and drive,” Wingate said. He said he’s been guilty of it in the past, but is trying not to do it.
He said he hopes the aldermanic decision is the first part of a public awareness campaign about the dangers of texting and driving.
In their official resolution, Wingate and Paolillo cite a statistic that texting while driving makes people 23 times more likely to get into an accident.
The resolution states that aldermen pledge not to text and drive and encourage others to do the same.
“Hopefully we can shine more light on this,” Wingate said.