B-N Towing Company Launches W8 2 TXT Campaign
By: Jacob Long, WMBD/WYZZ-TV
Updated: September 5, 2012
BLOOMINGTON - A new perspective is weighing in on the dangers of texting while driving.
You've heard about the illegal habit before from lawmakers and police. But now those who clean up distracted driving crashes are chiming in on the issue.
"I've been working at Joe's Towing for about seven years," said Matt Long with Bloomington-based Joe's Towing & Recovery.
Long (no relation to WMBD's Jacob Long) makes a living towing cars and responding to crashes.
"When you get the response, you don't know what you're going to," he said.
It's until he arrives on scene that Long said sometimes the situation hits home.
He said, "Cause you know something bad happened to somebody."
One situation Long and his boss at Joe's are taking to heart is distracted driving. They said those responses are becoming more common and harder to forget.
"There's two in mind that will never leave my memory bank. It's just hard to let go," Long said.
Manager Bruce Pedigo said, "It's not always the person that texts that dies. Sometimes in an accident it's the people that were doing what was right."
And it's not just limited to the crash site, Pedigo said. Sometimes the families of victims comes to Joe's lot to gather personal effects, and they see the carnage of what happened to the vehicle.
"You really feel the emotions of the family. You can't go through your day without feeling something for those families," Pedigo said.
The company is launching a new campaign with a mangled car. It's painted with the words "wait to text" and "don't text and drive."
"They (the employees) said, 'Hey boss, what about spreading a message about texting.' It's a great idea, and I said let's get 'er done."
The hope is it will inspire drivers to think twice about their actions.
"That text may be the thing that costs you your life. It's just as dangerous as putting a loaded gun to your head," Pedigo said.
For long and the damage he's seen, he said he would be fine if he never got a distracted driving call again.
"It's something that could be avoided. So put me out of a job. Don't text. It's just that simple," Long said.
Joe's hopes to show the car around central Illinois. It already appeared in Bloomington's Labor Day parade.
Long mentioned he heard people pointing it out to their kids.
It itself was not actually involved in a distracted driving crash. Pedigo wanted to protect the privacy of a victim's family so he chose another car.
You've heard about the illegal habit before from lawmakers and police. But now those who clean up distracted driving crashes are chiming in on the issue.
"I've been working at Joe's Towing for about seven years," said Matt Long with Bloomington-based Joe's Towing & Recovery.
Long (no relation to WMBD's Jacob Long) makes a living towing cars and responding to crashes.
"When you get the response, you don't know what you're going to," he said.
It's until he arrives on scene that Long said sometimes the situation hits home.
He said, "Cause you know something bad happened to somebody."
One situation Long and his boss at Joe's are taking to heart is distracted driving. They said those responses are becoming more common and harder to forget.
"There's two in mind that will never leave my memory bank. It's just hard to let go," Long said.
Manager Bruce Pedigo said, "It's not always the person that texts that dies. Sometimes in an accident it's the people that were doing what was right."
And it's not just limited to the crash site, Pedigo said. Sometimes the families of victims comes to Joe's lot to gather personal effects, and they see the carnage of what happened to the vehicle.
"You really feel the emotions of the family. You can't go through your day without feeling something for those families," Pedigo said.
The company is launching a new campaign with a mangled car. It's painted with the words "wait to text" and "don't text and drive."
"They (the employees) said, 'Hey boss, what about spreading a message about texting.' It's a great idea, and I said let's get 'er done."
The hope is it will inspire drivers to think twice about their actions.
"That text may be the thing that costs you your life. It's just as dangerous as putting a loaded gun to your head," Pedigo said.
For long and the damage he's seen, he said he would be fine if he never got a distracted driving call again.
"It's something that could be avoided. So put me out of a job. Don't text. It's just that simple," Long said.
Joe's hopes to show the car around central Illinois. It already appeared in Bloomington's Labor Day parade.
Long mentioned he heard people pointing it out to their kids.
It itself was not actually involved in a distracted driving crash. Pedigo wanted to protect the privacy of a victim's family so he chose another car.
