With the dangers of distracted driving becoming ever-present on our roads, a unique partnership was formed in 2016 to combat this growing threat with the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Our initiative, PhonesDown.Touchdown, brought together local athletes, NFL quarterback quarterback Kirk Cousins, and MLB infielder, Ryan Zimmerman, to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving, particularly among young drivers approaching their summer break.

By enlisting the star power of these athletes and respected figure for many local youths, PhonesDown.Touchdown hoped to resonate with this key demographic.

The campaign website offered a simple yet effective way for people to show their commitment to safe driving: visitors were encouraged to take a pledge to avoid texting and driving.

By taking the pledge participants were entered in a draw to win an attractive prize: a month of free travel on the 495 and 95 Express Lanes. Sharing the social media image and hashtag #PhonesDownTouchdown further amplified the campaign's reach.

PhonesDown.Touchdown's impact went beyond individual pledges. The campaign resulted in more than 147 million impressions.