FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, March 28, 2018
CONTACT: ARRIALE TABSON
Mobile: 615-767-3242
American Idol Contestant David Francisco Joins Tennessee Highway Safety Office,
Tennessee Highway Patrol, Walk Bike Nashville to Promote “Thumbs Down to Texting & Driving”
TENNESSEE – American Idol contestant David Francisco joins the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO), Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP), and Walk Bike Nashville to promote the THSO’s fourth annual Thumbs Down to Texting & Driving campaign ahead of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
Francisco is a Knoxville native who moved to Nashville in 2016 to attend Blackbird Academy and pursue a musical career. Three weeks later, on April 27, a distracted driver ran a red light and T-boned Francisco on his bicycle. He suffered severe spinal injuries that resulted in physical paralysis. His journey to recovery has been documented in a short film called Back to Blackbird – A Journey of Hope. Francisco recently auditioned for American Idol, inspiring viewers across the nation. Click here to view the audition.
“Last year, we experienced 24,781 distracted-driving crashes statewide,” said THSO Director Vic Donoho. “120 of those crashes were fatal. We were in awe of David’s remarkable recovery and resilience, because his crash certainly could’ve been fatal.”
Now, Francisco joins the THSO, THP, and Walk Bike Nashville to share his story and help decrease distracted-driving crashes in his home state of Tennessee. Click here to view his Thumbs Down to Texting & Driving public service announcement to Tennesseans: https://youtu.be/zP6dPZNfj58
"2017 was the deadliest year on record for pedestrians in Nashville,” said Nora Kern, Executive Director of Walk Bike Nashville. “Distracted driving is a major threat to bicycle and pedestrian safety. We support the THSO’s Thumbs Down campaign as Walk Bike Nashville promotes its new Look for Me campaign to draw awareness for this issue.”
The THSO and THP encourage everyone to participate in the Thumbs Down to Texting & Driving campaign by posting photos of two thumbs down using #ThumbsDownTN via social media throughout the month of April.
“There were 126 pedestrian fatalities in Tennessee last year,” said THP Colonel Tracy Trott. “So far in 2018, there have already been 22. These numbers cannot be ignored. The THP is warning all roadway users to slow down, watch for bicyclists, pay attention to crosswalk signals, and never text while driving.”
For more information about David Francisco, visit davidfranciscomusic.com. To learn more about Walk Bike Nashville or the Look For Me campaign, visit walkbikenashville.org or nashvillelook4me.com.
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The Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) is a division of the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security advocating for traffic safety. The THSO works in tandem with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to implement statewide programs addressing occupant protection, impaired driving, speed enforcement, pedestrian and bicycle safety, and crash data collection and analysis. Programs administered by the THSO are 100 percent federally funded. The THSO’s mission is to effectively develop, implement, and evaluate these programs. To learn more, please visit www.tntrafficsafety.org.