CHICAGO, Oct. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- AT&T and the Illinois Municipal league today announced that more than 170 municipalities in Illinois have issued proclamations encouraging citizens to drive safely by pledging to never text and drive.  

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120612/DA23287LOGO)

These proclamations follow two statewide proclamations to raise awareness about the dangers of texting while driving that Gov. Pat Quinn issued.  The organizations made the announcement at the Illinois Municipal League's 2012 Annual Convention in Chicago.

"Our goal is to save lives.  The support of mayors and village presidents throughout the state demonstrates the importance of this education campaign as well as their commitment to public safety," said Jim Maurer, Vice President of External Affairs, AT&T Illinois. "We welcome the support of these municipalities and the Illinois Municipal League in our 'It Can Wait' campaign against texting and driving. We're challenging every driver in Illinois to take the pledge to never text and drive again."

Through outreach efforts of the Illinois Municipal League, more than 170 municipalities have issued proclamations to heighten awareness of the dangers of texting while driving and urge drivers not to text and drive. 

"Illinois Municipal league members work hard to protect and improve the quality of life in our municipalities," said IML President Raymond D. Muniz, Jr., Mayor of Saint Jacob.  "We urged our members to issue proclamations to raise awareness of the real dangers of texting while driving, because the consequences can be very real and even fatal for the residents of our cities, towns and villages.  I'm gratified to report that the response was overwhelming with more than 170 proclamations issued statewide."

The AT&T "It Can Wait" campaign urges drivers to take a pledge to never text and drive again, and to date, more than 1,000,000 pledges have been received. 

To learn more, or to take the pledge, anyone can log on to www.ItCanWait.com. 

AT&T plans to spend tens of millions of dollars on the campaign in 2012 and has made it an ongoing commitment in future years.  The effort is comprised of several key initiatives, including:

• Encouraging its 240,000 employees to take the pledge and, in turn, urge all people to commit that they will never text and drive. On an average day, AT&T retail store and call center employees speak to customers more than 500,000 times.
• Working with TV and music celebrities to deliver a strong no-texting-while-driving message via TV ads, concerts, public appearances, Twitter and Facebook.
• Launching an aggressive social media campaign with advertising on Facebook and Twitter to encourage Americans to take the pledge and to share their pledges with their friends via social media.
• Educating the public using TV ads on the dangers of texting while driving that will run during high-profile events and teen-focused programs.
• Working to provide a toolkit of no-texting-while-driving information to every high school in the country.
• Challenging device makers and app developers to work with AT&T so that all devices include a pre-loaded, no-text-and-drive technology solution as soon as possible.
• Launching an online driving simulator at www.itcanwait.com in the coming weeks – so that anyone with access to the Internet can experience the dangers of texting while driving.
• Bringing an in-car simulator to more than 200 locations before the end of this year.
• Enlisting others – including law enforcement, educators, national retailers, consumer safety groups, legislators and the entire wireless industry – to join the no-text-and-drive movement.
• Asking more than 1,000 of AT&T's strategic and other major suppliers to encourage their employees to pledge not to text and drive. 

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company and one of the most honored companies in the world. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's largest 4G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile Internet, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse® and AT&T | DIRECTV brands.

About the Illinois Municipal League
The Illinois Municipal League was founded in 1914 and has worked continuously for the benefit of municipalities. The governing board is comprised of Mayors and Village Presidents.

The Illinois Municipal League:

• Provides a formal voice for Illinois municipalities in matters involving common interests, particularly legislative issues.
• Promotes competence and integrity in administration of municipal government.
• Provides municipal officials knowledge and experience to best administer their duties.
• Provides direct informational mailings such as the Illinois Municipal Review monthly magazine; Legislative Bulletin published during the General Assembly session; Legal Bulletin published bi-monthly and sent to all municipal attorneys.
• Provides publications such as the Illinois Municipal Handbook, Illinois Municipal Directory, Zoning Handbook, etc.
• Educates members via conferences, road shows, and other educational meetings.
• Provides other member services, including the IML Risk Management Association, and staff resources

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SOURCE AT&T Inc.