Contact: James Carskadon

JACKSON, Miss.,  – Mississippi State University and the University of Mississippi compete on the field every year in the Battle for the Golden Egg. Recently, the two universities competed off the gridiron for something much more important – saving the lives of fellow students, families, friends, teachers and staff members by highlighting the dangers of distracted driving.    

Backed by AT&T, students and faculty at both MSU and Ole Miss had the opportunity to impact behaviors and spread the important message that no post, glance, email, search or text is worth a life. Students were also able to experience the It Can Wait virtual reality simulator and see firsthand the dangers of distracted driving.

“The Egg Bowl is always an exciting and hard-fought competition, and the It Can Wait pledge challenge was just as hard-fought, with safety on the line,” said Mayo Flynt, AT&T Mississippi president. “Only one team will win the football game, but many more students and fans across our state won much more by pledging to keep their eyes on the road, not on their phone.”

AT&T presented a $1,000 check to MSU President Mark Keenum and the Mississippi State University Foundation in honor of their Student Association for raising awareness of distracted driving dangers and garnering the most It Can Wait pledges. During the ICW Virtual Reality Egg Bowl, over 1,200 students, faculty and fans took the pledge. Research shows that taking the pledge makes a difference; those who share their promise or pledge are more likely to stop this dangerous behavior and speak up to others.

Since its launch in 2010, the AT&T It Can Wait campaign has:

• Helped grow awareness of the dangers of smartphone distracted driving to more than 90% of audiences surveyed.
• Inspired more than 12 million pledges – and counting – to keep their eyes on the road, not on their phones.
• Encouraged more than 5 million downloads of the AT&T DriveMode app.
• Worked with departments of transportation in Texas, Kentucky and other states on research that suggests a correlation between It Can Wait campaign activities and a reduction in crashes.
• Collaborated with AT&T data scientists on research that shows how statewide anti-texting laws impact the rate of texting while driving. 

Visit www.ItCanWait.com to learn more.

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) helps millions around the globe connect with leading entertainment, mobile, high-speed Internet and voice services.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.