Sprint, Others, Use Contests, Thumb Socks to End Texting While Driving

In an ongoing effort to alert young drivers to the dangers of texting while driving, Sprint, with support from “The Oprah Winfrey Show” has launched a nation-wide campaign called “Thumb Wars.”

The campaign focuses on educating 100,000 16- to 25- year olds by the end of the summer.

The campaign features a PSA with Joel McHale and Ken Jeong from NBC’s “Community”engaging in a Thumb War.

And to remind drivers not to text, they can order Thumb Socks, which prevent them from texting. The key is that they can’t purchase the items, they have to order them by sharing how they plan to use them to spread the word about not texting while driving.

A bumper sticker design contest supports the program. Through May 17 people ages 13 to 25 can create and submit a design that if picked will be printed and sent all over the country.

In January, Sprint and “The Oprah Winfrey Show” sponsored the “No Phone Zone” campaign, as part of the campaign with a public service announcement. Oprah hosted its first national No Phone Zone Day on April 30 to end the distraction talking on the phone can cause while driving. Events were held in Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles and Washington, DC, to honor victims of distracted driving.