Wyn Delano
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON — (WMAL) Washington Nationals’ first baseman Ryan Zimmerman has been tapped to lead an “Anti-Distracted Driving” campaign directed at teens the D.C. area.
Zimmerman will be introduced as the face of the program at a press conference on May 10th at McLean High School in Virginia, surrounded by teens.
The slogan: “Phones Down. Home Run.”
Using a cell phone while driving has become an increasingly dangerous new trend among drivers, especially teens and young adults who have grown up in the smartphone era.
According to a press release from the campaign, 35 percent of teenagers admit to texting while driving and 21 percent were using a cell phone when they got into a fatal accident.
The release is also colored with plenty of sports metaphors. For example, “if one spends five seconds reading a text at 55 mph, one can travel the length of a major league home run without looking at the road.”
The program is supported by several partners and notably includes Transurban, the operators of the I-95 and Capital Beltway toll lanes.
Last year, a similar program was headed by Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins, who had his own fair share of sports related driving metaphors.
Last year’s slogan, “Phones Down. Touchdown.”
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