Babylon Supervisor Rich Schaffer and Suffolk County Assistant Deputy County Executive for Public Safety Tim Sini joined with the Texting Awareness Foundation to roll out a campaign to remind drivers not to text and drive, an epidemic that is the #1 killer of teenagers in America. The Texting Awareness Foundation’s campaign asks “What Are You Looking At?” to remind drivers that staying focused on the road is the key to safe driving.
Supervisor Schaffer and Assistant Deputy County Executive Tim Sini have partnered to deploy the foundations decals on all Town and County vehicles. With over 350 Babylon Town vehicles and over 1,000 Suffolk County vehicles on the roads every day, these decals will serve as rolling billboards to bring awareness to major public safety issue. Rocco Panetta, Founder and Director of the Texting Awareness Foundation, has led the organization in its efforts to pass national legislation to address distracted driving. Karen Torres, also from the Texting Awareness Foundation, spoke about her father’s death as the result of a districted drive in 2006.
“Too many people still view texting and driving as innocent behavior, and that has to change,” said Assistant Deputy County Executive Tim Sini. “No text message or phone call is worth shattering a life or injuring someone.”
“Distracted driving is not something to be taken lightly so Babylon is doing its part to raise awareness and set an example, and I thank Suffolk County’s Tim Sini for bringing this idea to us,” said Babylon Supervisor Rich Schaffer. “Too many young lives are being cut short due to texting and driving, and we need a full-scale public awareness effort to bring this issue to the forefront.”