How I’m Encouraging My Husband to Put Down the Phone When Driving Thanks to #RedThumb Movement (w. giveaway)

Texting and driving may be against the law in my state but it doesn’t stop people from picking up their phones in the car. Holding up the phone to your ear, texting at a red light, and tapping away at the keyboard to type in an address at Google Maps to get you where you’re going puts you at risk and it puts me at risk too. For years I’ve been advocating no texting and driving because all it takes is a split second to change a life so you can imagine how crazy it makes me when my husband picks up his phone in the car.

He may not be typing out a text but the simple act of picking up the phone in the car makes me cringe. It makes me mad. It’s something that I can’t ever ignore. As much as I love my husband, the time he takes to look at his phone when we’re in the car puts all of us at risk. It makes me want to grab his phone and throw it out the window.

He’s seen the videos from the powerful It Can Wait campaign, where testimonials from parents and young drivers exactly how much their lives have changed in the split second where their eyes were focused on their phone and not on the road ahead. He’s listened to my lectures, knows the risks, and while he’s mostly rid himself of the habit, there are times when I catch him picking up his phone to navigate to our destination. And this is not ok.

Cellular carriers like A&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile banded together to send a strong message to users through It Can Wait and now Nissan is reinforcing that message through a similar initiative called the #RedThumb movement.

The#RedThumb movement was started by Steve Babcock who painted his thumbnail red to remind himself to put down his phone while driving. This small action ignited a movement and was something Nissan decided to join because safe driving is a priority. By joining #RedThumb, Nissan is encouraging people to turn their thumbs red and pledge to put their phones down while driving to help reduce fatalities on the road.

Some have gotten a manicure, bought bright red yarn to tie on their thumb, or made a design on their thumb with a red permanent marker. Whatever you do, you’re making a difference by taking the pledge. You can also inspire your friends to do the same by a photo on social media using #RedThumb and encouraging your family, friends and followers to do so too.

How will you turn your thumb red in honor of the #RedThumb movement?

To encourage safe driving, I bought my husband a pair of red gloves. They’re the perfect antidote to a chilly steering wheel and it’s my hope that he’ll remember that there’s a reason for wearing bright red gloves in the car and not pick up his phone while driving. It also doesn’t hurt that while the gloves are touch screen friendly, it’s really difficult to use a mobile phone with gloves on! While my method may not be foolproof especially as the weather warms and gloves are put away, it’s my hope that by spring, my husband will have forgotten his old ways and will keep his phone in his pocket while in the car.

How will you turn your thumb red to remember to not text and drive?

Take the #RedThumb pledge and enter to win one of 2 prize packs from Nissan that includes:

• A $25 Cash Card
• Red Thumb Kit which includes a Red Thumb Band, Red Thumb Stickers, Dashboard Grip Pad and a T-shirt

To enter, pledge to join the #RedThumb movement by posting a photo to Instagram by next Tuesday, January 27 and include the hashtag #RedThumb. Then come back here and post a link to your Instagram photo as your comment to enter to win a prize pack.

It’s my hope that by posting a photo of how you’ve turned your thumb red as a commitment to safe driving that you’ll inspire your friends and followers to do the same. Good luck!

To learn more about Nissan’s involvement in this important initiative, visit their #RedThumb page.

I received a gift card to use towards a creative way of turning my thumb in support of #RedThumb movement. All opinions are my own. Images courtesy of Nissan.