My Mission
The mission is simple I am just one person trying to make a small difference in the world by helping people to stop texting and driving. As you will see in "The Science!" section, this product is designed to help you stop texting and driving using the power of cognitive dissonance.
The Stats
In the United States, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted driving, which includes texting, accounted for approximately 9% of all fatal crashes and 15% of injury crashes in 2019.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that each day in the U.S., approximately 8 people are killed, and over 1,000 are injured in crashes involving a distracted driver.
A study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that taking your eyes off the road for just two seconds doubles your risk of being involved in a crash.
Traditional Methods
Current campaigns to address distracted driving revolve around telling people not to do it, or highlighting the consequences for engaging in the activity.
These campaigns take a similar approach as past campaigns to change unsafe social behaviors and have limited impact. We have all heard or seen some examples of this
"You Drink, You drive, You lose"
"Click it or ticket"
"Just say no"
Why is this different?
While on the surface it sounds simple, and similar to other campaigns, this approach uses the science behind Cognitive Dissonance. So what is Cognitive Dissonance?
The Science!
Cognitive dissonance is a psychological concept that describes the discomfort people feel when they hold contradictory beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors. Proposed by psychologist Leon Festinger in the 1950s, it suggests that individuals have an innate drive to maintain consistency among their cognitions (thoughts, beliefs, attitudes) and actions. When inconsistencies arise, it creates a state of tension or discomfort.
As an Example if you believe you are a morally just person, and you engage in a morally unjust act, say you cheat on an exam, you are in a state of cognitive dissonance. You believe yourself to be one thing, and yet your actions are that of someone who is not that thing.
To reduce cognitive dissonance, individuals might modify their beliefs or behaviors to align with one another. For instance, they might change their attitudes to fit their actions or find new information to support their beliefs. Alternatively, people may trivialize the inconsistency or avoid situations that exacerbate the dissonance.
Using the example above you may rationalize the act of cheating by telling yourself it was for the greater good, or that you only did it this one time and it was a special circumstance. This self deception allows you to be comfortable engaging in an action that is contrary to your beliefs about yourself.
This theory has been applied in various contexts, from understanding decision-making processes to marketing strategies and social psychology. It helps explain why people sometimes engage in behaviors that contradict their beliefs and how they resolve the resulting discomfort by changing their perceptions or behaviors.
Cognitive dissonance theory highlights the human tendency to seek consistency and reduce psychological discomfort when faced with conflicting beliefs or actions.
The Plan!
So as we have just learned, our brains really hate it when our statements or beliefs contradict our actions. Most everyone "believes" that texting and driving is bad, yet most everyone engages in the behavior from time to time, and then rationalizes the reason for it in order to resolve the state of cognitive dissonance. Stop me if these sound familiar to you.
- "I only do it when I am at a stop light"
- "I only did it because it was a time sensitive response"
- "I am good at multi tasking so I can do it safely"
However by the simple addition of a publicly visible, clear action statement, onto our vehicles, we remove or drastically reduce our ability to rationalize the action. If you have one of these bumper stickers on your car stating publicly.
" I DON'T TEXT AND DRIVE"
You are broadcasting your action in a way that makes it very difficult to rationalize. Picture yourself texting and driving with one of these on your car on a crowded highway, feels uncomfortable right? Its not like you can roll down the window and explain to them that it was just one time, or that its your mom and its super important.
So instead you are much more likely align your action to your publicly visible statement, and you wont engage in the act at all .
Still not sold?
Try this simple experiment, write down the following statement on a piece of paper.
"I DON'T EVER LEAVE DIRTY DISHES IN THE SINK"
Sign your name to it and tape it on the wall next to your sink or stick it on your refrigerator. You will find that the next time you go to leave a dish in the sink, It will become much harder for you to do so.
Sure it might be just one coffee mug, but you made a public statement to everyone you live with that its not something you do, period. So you will more than likely take the 30 seconds to rinse the mug before you leave to avoid the uncomfortable mental state, not to mention having your contradiction pointed out to you by those you live with.
We Are all over!
Ready to try it?
Choose either our magnetic transferable bumper sticker, or if your vehicle doesn't have a metallic bumper or tail gate we provide a removable vinyl option as well. Neither of these will harm your vehicles paint job or leave behind any marks or residue.