Honda Encourages Teens To Have #Thetexttalk With Parents, Cultivating Open Dialogue On Distracted Driving

April 16, 2019 by Honda

•Study1 shows one in three parents text and drive with children in the car

•Throughout April – Distracted Driving Awareness Month – Honda is encouraging teens to have #TheTextTalk with their parents

•Honda campaign features authentic videos of teens and parents in meaningful conversations about the dangers of texting while driving

TORRANCE, Calif., Apr. 15, 2019 – Given the pervasive danger of texting while driving, Honda is flipping the script by encouraging teens to be role models and have #TheTextTalk with their parents throughout the month of April and beyond. The Distracted Driving Awareness Month campaign from Honda features a series of videos geared to motivate teens to have #TheTextTalk, an open dialogue with their parents about practicing safer driving habits: Honda.us.distracted.

The campaign was inspired by today's growing need to address the dangers of driving distracted. Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing found that one in three parents read text messages and one in seven use social media while driving their children between the ages of four and ten. According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, each day in the United States more than 1,000 people are injured in crashes that are reported to involve a distracted driver.2

'By making children and teens the catalysts for change, Honda's distracted driving campaign takes a nontraditional approach in parent-child dynamics to capture true human emotion and encourage safer driving,' said Jessica Fini, social media manager at American Honda Motor, Co., Inc. 'For the past six years, we have used our social media platforms to promote safer driving during National Distracted Driving Awareness month, and we hope having the text talk will inspire a crucial conversation between teens and parents beyond the month of April.'

Distracted Driving Campaign Details

Honda's distracted driving campaign features a long-form video (Honda.us.distracted) broken up into three pivotal parts:

•Introduction: each video opens with a montage of teenagers sitting down for individual interviews, discussing their and their parents' phone behavior.

•Revelation: the video then shows the director asking each teen a series of questions related to their parent's driving habits. The director asks why they haven't discussed the dangers of their parents texting while driving, and how they'd feel if they had the talk with them now.

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•Change: the families reunite to have #TheTextTalk. Each emotional parent-child conversation ends with a heartfelt commitment from the parent to stop texting while driving.

•The long-form video will live on Honda's YouTube channel with cut-down versions of the video featured on Honda's social media channels, including Twitter (@Honda), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Honda/), and Instagram (@Honda), throughout the month of April.

The campaign also features a pledge to drive distracted-free:

•The families featured in the video sign a pledge, a physical reminder of their heartfelt discussion, on how they will stop driving while distracted for the sake of their loved ones.

•The pledge will also be featured on Honda's Instagram and website. Honda is encouraging people to share the pledge by tagging their loved ones on social media.

•Alternatively, a link to the online PDF version of the pledge is available at us.pledge and can be printed, signed, and shared among friends and family as a physical reminder of their commitment to no longer text and drive.

About Honda

Honda offers a full line of reliable, fuel-efficient and fun-to-drive vehicles with advanced safety technologies sold through over 1,000 independent U.S. Honda dealers. The Honda lineup includes the Fit, Civic, Insight, Accord and Clarity series passenger cars, along with the HR-V, CR-V, Passport and Pilot sport utility vehicles, the Ridgeline pickup and the Odyssey minivan.

Honda has been producing automobiles in America for more than 35 years and currently operates 19 major manufacturing facilities in North America. In 2018, more than 90 percent of all Honda brand vehicles sold in the U.S. were made in North America, using domestic and globally sourced parts.

About Honda Safety

Honda is pursuing its vision for a zero-collision society through advanced technologies such as Honda Sensing®, already deployed on nearly one million Honda vehicles on U.S. roads today. These technologies can significantly reduce the likelihood or severity of a collision and also serve as a bridge to highly-automated vehicles of the future. All Honda vehicles also feature the company's Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure for improved collision safety, and have helped all tested 2018 model Honda vehicles achieve the highest available 5-star Overall Vehicle Score from the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration.

1 McDonald et al, 'Factors Associated with Cell Phone Use While Driving in a Survey of Parents and Caregivers of Children ages 4-10 Years,' Journal of Pediatrics, online July 12, 2018. Source: https://www.nursing.upenn.edu/live/news/1147-new-research-finds-about-half-of-parents-use-cell.

2 National Center for Statistics and Analysis. (2018, April). Distracted driving 2016. (Traffic Safety Facts Research Note. Report No. DOT HS 812 517). Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Source: https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812517.