“Put the damn phone down.” That’s the simple, yet potentially life-saving, advice Neal Ardman wants to convey in the very personal PSA that he created and is offering to “anyone and everyone on this planet that wants to air this.” Last month, Ardman’s son, Austin, was killed by a driver that admitted to texting while […]
“Put the damn phone down.”
That’s the simple, yet potentially life-saving, advice Neal Ardman wants to convey in the very personal PSA that he created and is offering to “anyone and everyone on this planet that wants to air this.”
Last month, Ardman’s son, Austin, was killed by a driver that admitted to texting while driving.
Austin was a 20 year-old college student in College Station, Texas.
“The lady admitted that she was texting when she was driving, ran off the road and hit him at 60 miles an hour,” said Ardman.
So Ardman, president of TV syndicator Broadcast Partners, who said he’s “not used to having to sit back when it comes to my children,” wanted to do something.
“It’s the only thing that’s keeping me going, to make some sense of this and maybe make it so my son doesn’t die in completely vain.”
Every driver has been distracted while driving due to their cell phone. Maybe you actually got in a crash, or drifted out of your lane, or looked up surprised and were able to avoid a collision at the last second.
I know I have. We all know how dangerous it is to text and drive. We’ve seen the TV messages.
But I can tell you that until you hear the emotion of a dad who’s lost a son to texting and driving, it may not mean as much to you.
I am vowing, in honor of Neal and Austin, to not be distracted by my cell phone while driving.
“My son died because somebody had to answer a text right that second,” said Ardman. “It’s not about my son anymore; it’s about putting down the phone when you’re driving.”
To download a version of the PSA in HD, click here.
To download a version in SD, click here.
NOTE: In playback on Dropbox, you may notice some breakup of the video in the dissolves. This is not evident after you download.
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