Text Kills Launches Indiegogo Campaign to Fund Texting While Driving Documentary

UTV Weekly | July 30, 2013

Documentary to Feature Personal Stories of Victims, the Science and Psychological Impact Associated With Texting and Other Uses of Mobile Devices, and an Assessment of the Effectiveness of Texting Laws

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San Clemente, Calif. July 10, 2013 – Text Kills®, a community outreach organization that over the last three years has traveled the country in an effort to spread awareness about the dangers and hazards of distracted driving and text-bullying, is pleased to announce the official launch of its Indiegogo campaign, through which it will raise donations for the filming of a comprehensive documentary focusing on the harmful practice of texting while driving or TWD. Not only will the film expose scope of this problem through interviews with victims and a depiction of their tragic stories, but also it will help stimulate public dialogue about how best to remedy this growing threat to our collective safety, by looking at what happens in a user’s brain when a Smartphone is used while driving, the various effects – psychological and otherwise – that are associated with the pervasive use of these mobile devices, and an overall assessment of the effectiveness of texting laws.

Since its founding in 2010, Text Kills® has taken its Text Kills® bus across the country in its mission to educate people and have them sign the bus, as part of their making personal commitments not to engage in either TWD or the hurtful activity of being a text-bully. At their numerous school, business, and community appearances, Text Kills® has gathered many personal stories about how distracted driving, particularly texting while driving, has affected people and changed lives … forever. Text Kills® plans to compile these experiences and capture behind-the-scenes footage of the group’s operations in a documentary, which it will distribute free of charge to educators as part of the effort to raise awareness about the dangers of texting while driving. Text Kills® sees the “crowdfunding through donations” route as a perfect fit for funding this project and helping to fuel this creative enterprise, as there were more than 1 million of these types of successful crowdfunding campaigns completed in 2012 on platforms such as Indiegogo and Kickstarter.

“Our mission is to reach as many people as we can with this message of safety, and in the process get everybody to take the pledge not to text and drive,” commented Text Kills® Founder Wayne Irving II. “We’ve heard so many stories over the years about how this issue has affected people, both uplifting ones and ones that illustrate the all too tragic realities of TWD. What these stories all share is a common potential for getting people to open their eyes up and pay attention to this serious issue, and we believe that by making this documentary we can do just that; through this film, which we intend to distribute all over the world, we will be bringing the names and faces of actual TWD victims front and center, for everyone to see. It’s all about raising awareness and encouraging personal responsibility when it comes to TWD, and this documentary will encourage both.”

Text Kills®’s Indiegogo campaign seeks to raise $15,000 to cover the expenses of producing and distributing the documentary, including costs associated with equipment rentals, hiring a film crew, editing, marketing, and development. Donations above and beyond the initial $15,000 target will go towards much needed repairs on the widely renowned and celebrated Text Kills® bus, a potential remodel of the bus, and the purchase of a Text Kills® VW Bug that would serve as an additional “hands-on” distracted driving simulator. Should donations reach $325,000, the Text Kills® Bus will undergo a state-of-the-art remodel on the popular Discovery Channel show, Outcast Kustoms, where the bus will be outfitted with internal and external video screens for driving simulators, engine updates, suspension updates, solar panels and even a fold down performance stage off of the back of the bus for musicians.

Donors to the Text Kills® Indiegogo campaign will receive different rewards depending on the amount of their pledge. Those pledging smaller amounts will receive stickers, shirts, and key chains, while larger donors can receive associate or executive producer credits in the documentary, as well as their own page on IMDB. Business owners who pledge $300 can have a custom business ad hosted on the Text Kills® website for six months, as well as exposure on the organization’s high-traffic social media pages. Corporate sponsors who pledge $10,000 will receive their own four square foot space on the side of the Text Kills® Bus that they can use for advertising for a full year.

Text Kills® sees this film project as an imperative, critical “next step” in the organization’s development, given the stark reality that dangers and harmful effects presented by both TWD and text-bullying appear to be growing, rather than diminishing. A new study completed by the US Department of Transportation shows that based on data for 2012 texting while driving has now overtaken drinking and driving as the primary cause of death among teens in this country, claiming 3,000 lives a year compared to the 2,700 persons who are killed as a result of driving while under the influence of alcohol. Similarly, a recent study by Michigan State University showed that text-bullying is just as harmful, and perhaps even more harmful, than more traditional forms of bullying such physical abuse or violence, with just as many victims contemplating suicide or skipping/avoiding school as a result.

For more information about the documentary and how you can help Text Kills® fund this worthy project, visit the Indiegogo page at:

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/text-kills-twdocumentary

About Text Kills®:

Text Kills® is a donation-supported 501c3 non-profit outreach organization that regularly partners with law enforcement, fire/safety authorities, schools, other non-profits, community outreach programs, and corporate safety officers in an effort to educate and increase public awareness concerning the dangers of cell phone use while driving or when used to bully and harass (text-bullying and cyber-bullying). Text Kills® also works with Bully Buster USA™ in community outreach and safety awareness, dedicated to educating the public about the deadly issues of distracted driving and text-bullying. To help spread the Text Kills®’ message of driver safety and responsibility, the Text Kills® bus traverses the country, collecting signatures on its sides from people pledging not to text while driving (TWD). Text Kills® is a registered trademark of Iconosys, Inc. Iconosys is 10% owned by the public company, Monster Arts, Inc. (OTCQB:MONT).

Text Kills® is listed on the United States Federal Communications Commissions’ (FCC) Distracted Driving Information Clearinghouse Website under Industry & Technology: http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/distracted-driving-information-clearinghouse

For more information about Text Kills® and how to book the Text Kills® bus at your next safety day, school, or event, please go to www.textkills.com or call 949-436-TEXT (8398).