Nissan “Red Thumb Day” to Urge Drivers to Stop Texting and Driving

U.S. Department of Transportation statistics show cell phones are involved in 1.6 million auto crashes each year. These crashes cause a half-million injuries and take 6,000 lives annually.

To help raise the visibility of this critical issue, Nissan has partnered with NBC Universal and Adam Levine to promote “Red Thumb Day” – inspired by “Red Thumb Reminder,” a program created by Steve Babcock of EVB advertising.

Marking your thumb serves as an important reminder to not text and drive. The initiative aims to help drivers stop texting while driving.

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Levine, Maroon 5 front man and coach on NBC’s Emmy Award-winning singing competition, “The Voice,” has also joined in to help raise awareness for the issue.

On Dec. 15, during “The Voice” broadcast, Levine decided to declare the following 24 hours “Red Thumb Day,” urging drivers to put their phones down when behind the wheel, not just on that day, but every day.

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Nissan is encouraging drivers to join the Red Thumb movement by sharing photos tagged #RedThumb via their favorite social media channels. #RedThumb posts will be featured on a microsite, along with a special message from Levine supporting the cause.

Red Thumb Reminder bands will be available at local Nissan dealerships, and distributed to the in-studio audience at “The Voice” taping today, Dec. 16.