March 1st kicked off the 2016 Auto Dealers Against Distracted Driving Campaign, which currently has more than 670 dealerships across Canada registered to participate.
Marc-Andre Lefebvre, vice-president of sales for the Quebec region at LGM Financial Services Inc., which organizes the campaign, said this year had support from almost twice as many dealers as last year.
“Measuring registered dealers is only one form of engagement; we are also aiming to surpass last year’s campaign pledge count of 3,000 and I’m confident we will do that,” said Lefebvre, in a written release.
Through the month of March, customers who visit participating dealerships will be asked to make a personal pledge against distracted driving — a serious issue responsible for four million collisions a year in North America. Customers and dealers can also submit pledges online at www.distractionfree.ca.
“This is our second year participating in the campaign and we’re hoping to build off of the great response we saw from our customers last year,” said Linda Thomas of Applewood Auto Group based in Surrey, B.C.
“It’s important we engage directly with our customers because we believe that the act of physically signing your name will encourage a real behavioural change. We hope our campaign will encourage them to think twice before reaching for their phone while behind the wheel,” said Thomas, who added Applewood Kia alone collected 618 individual pledges over the course of the campaign month.
For dealers interested in joining the campaign, LGM said it’s not too late. Dealers can register right up until the end of March.
