Sixteen-year-old Tristan Nunez has had his driver’s license for a few months; he has had his competition license for a few years. The Florida teen’s experience on the race track gives him a unique insight into the dangers of driving, and his age gives him a connection with other new drivers.
When he is not rocketing around a race track at 160 mph, the young racer is telling his fellow teens to avoid one of the most dangerous driving distractions—texting while driving.
Not content to just to drive high-tech racing cars at tracks around the nation, Tristan wanted to do something socially relevant. He and his mother Diana Nunez started looking for charities, causes, and campaigns, which might give the young racer a chance to help others.
“Tristan realizes how very fortunate he is to be able to pursue this career as a racing driver,” Nunez explained after spending a day watching her son testing at Sebring International Raceway. “He wanted to give something back, so he looked into charities and good causes.”
Tristan found the AT&T “Txting and Drivng … It Can Wait” campaign and it immediately struck a chord.
“Even before he got his license Tristan used to give me a hard time about checking my emails at stoplights,” Nunez said.
Tristan also liked the fact that the AT&T campaign presented a lot of information, such as the fact that drivers who text are 23 times as likely to have accidents, and teens send five times as many texts as adults. Teen drivers face the greatest risk.
“A lot of my friends have gotten into accidents. I know some people have died because they were texting and driving. So why not bring awareness to the public about such a big problem,” Tristan said.
“Texting and driving is just a huge distraction—people really don’t even know it. They just think it is so easy to drive—they don’t really understand the dangers of driving on the street.”
As someone who has survived high-speed wrecks, fires, and exploding engines, Tristan Nunez is very aware that driving—on the track or on the street—is serious business. He hopes to get that message across via Facebook and public appearances—and with the bold letters saying “Dn’t txt n drV” across the side of his racecar.
Tristan and his mother take the “Don’t Txt n Drv” campaign very seriously. Whenever they are not traveling to races, they are planning events at safety fairs and high schools, where the young driver can show off his car, talk to teens, and pass out pamphlets about the dangers of texting and driving. When he does autograph signings he doesn’t provide a photo of himself or his car, as many drivers do: he gives his fans a flier explaining the dangers of distracted driving.
“Whenever we have time...
“Whenever we have time off from races we are going to plan events at high schools [and] more safety fairs—as many events as we can go to.” Tristan said he hopes to get a chance to make TV commercials on the topic—when they aren’t texting, teens watch a lot of TV.
Tristan is a natural spokesman for the program. As a teen he can talk to other teens peer-to-peer. He knows what teens care about, how they speak, and what they will listen to. Where an older spokesperson might seem like an authority figure, Tristan is just a regular teenager—albeit one who sometimes drives three times the legal speed limit.
He and his mother also reach out through Facebook. Tristan Nunez Racing started its site a year ago, but it didn’t gain much traction until he added his: “Dn’t txt n drV” message. Now the “Likes” are pouring in.
Diana Nunez mails out bracelets emblazoned with the “Dn’t txt n drV” slogan. Similar to Lance Armstrong’s “Live Strong” bracelets, these sturdy green rubber rings can serve as a reminder.
One California teen requested bracelets for herself and a friend; Mrs. Nunez sent several, asking the girl to share. The teen responded, “This bracelet is great. When I see it as I reach for my phone it makes me think. It has made a difference in my life.”
Nunez pointed out that she and Tristan realized this campaign wasn’t going to end texting and driving. Still she said, if it made a few people think, that was a start.
Tristan Nunez faces a busy spring and summer, with high school, training, racing, and public events. Wherever he is—in his race car, signing autographs, at a safety fair, at school, or on the Internet, he will be spreading his lifesaving message: “Dn’t txt n drV.”
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