Hands Free for Abbie
Why We’re Hands Free
On April 22, 2015, Abbie DeLoach and six of her fellow Georgia Southern University nursing students were headed to their last day of clinical rotations. A delay on I-16 at 5:45 a.m. led to a seven-vehicle wreck that became one of the most horrific tragedies in Georgia history. The nation felt the heartache. The driver whose actions claimed the lives of five precious nursing students, while injuring many more, was texting while driving.
The #HandsFreeForAbbie campaign is held annually in April to coincide with distracted driving awareness month and helps raise awareness to ending distracted driving. The goal: to save lives like Abbie’s, and those of her fellow nursing students.
Take the #HandsFreeForAbbie Pledge*
When I drive a vehicle:
- I will not hold my phone in my hand or support it with any part of my body.
- I will not write, read or send text messages, emails, social media content and other internet data.
- I will not watch videos.
- I will not record or broadcast videos.
- I will not touch my phone to activate or program any music streaming app.
- I will be a good passenger and speak out if the driver in my car is distracted.
- I will encourage my friends and family to drive phone-free.
- I will help protect lives by making the commitment to drive phone-free today.
*Incorporates messaging from the Hands-Free law, the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
I Took the Pledge!
Share on Social Media (and use #HandsFreeForAbbie)
Business and Organizational Partners
We are asking you as a business or organization to join us with your commitment to #HandsFreeForAbbie. We will be listing our committed partners here.
More About #HandsFreeForAbbie Campaign
In 2016, Jimmy DeLoach Jr. founded the Abbie DeLoach Foundation to honor his daughter’s legacy by helping others. To date, over $1.25 million in scholarship revenue has been provided to nursing students, student athletes and outreach abroad — all pursuits that exemplified Abbie’s passions in life.
Two years later, Jimmy participated in the effort to enact the Georgia Hands-Free law. The law, which took effect on July 1, 2018, states that all drivers operating a motor vehicle on any highway in Georgia are prohibited from holding a phone while driving — and much more.