Commissioner Causey to throw out first pitch for Distracted Driving Awareness Appearance at baseball game in Winston-Salem scheduled for Friday

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Winston-Salem Dash game on Friday, June 24, to bring greater public awareness to the perils of distracted driving  

The media is invited to attend and cover the appearance, which is being promoted and in coordination with the Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina Inc.

“Driving requires total concentration, and it’s very important drivers never take their ‘eye off the ball’ when they are behind the wheel,” Commissioner Causey said. “North Carolina’s roads are very busy during the summer, with families headed to the beach, park or out to the baseball games. We do not want any drivers to run ‘foul’ of the law by driving distracted.”

Commissioner Causey has offered a few tips to help drivers avoid the pitfalls of distracted driving:

• If you feel you really need to send a text, pull off the road and safely park before sending the text.
• Select a passenger as your “designated texter” to send and receive texts for you.
• Set your navigation system before you start driving. Do the same for your radio station.
• Don’t scroll through apps or social media while driving. If you feel tempted, you can turn your phone off, or you can put it out of sight in the glove box, back seat or trunk.
• Ask a ‘relief pitcher’ in the car to tend to the needs of children if the need arises and ask your teammates in the car with you to help you stay focused and avoid distracted driving.

To help promote this appearance, NCDOI has released a special cardboard baseball card. To view a digital version of the card, visit NCDOI’s Distracted Driving Page at: https://www.ncdoi.gov/Distracted

Here is Commissioner Causey’s public schedule for Friday, June 24: