As their claim to fame states, BMW is the Ultimate Driving Experience, and as part of that experience safety comes first. Over the years BMW has had ads as well as Teen Driving School programs that actively promote distraction free driving, and remind drivers that it affects more than just the teen driving population.

Volkswagen has had it’s share of distracted driving messages over the years, even scaring a whole cinema of people to make its point. This ad is refreshing simple and straight forward however. “Don’t smartphone and drive. Because nobody can look at both their incoming messages and the road at the same time.” Obviously! We applaud VW for taking this gentler approach, at least until they figure out a way to use German engineering to solve our obsession with cellphones.

In 2016 Honda launched a social media campaign titled #PhoneDownEyesUp in support of Distracted Driving Awareness month. Their ads are positively encouraging safer driving habits. The campaign was intended to be both relatable and sharable among millennials and deliver an easy-to-understand message about the very human limitations we all have when it comes to driving while distracted. Finally a video where we don’t have to close our eyes.

One of the most lovable videos in recent years, talk about being relatable. Their campaign draws on shared human experiences, actually has a touch of humor and still gets the message across – “drive phone free.” Bravo!

Travelers’ #ThinkSafe ad asks a very poignant question “Are you driving under the influence [of your phone]?” While there are many distractions on the road today, your mobile phone is one of the worst offenders. As part of that campaign they also released a Distracted Driving Quiz – https://www.travelers.com/quiz/auto/distracted-driving see how you do. Take the quiz to test your knowledge about distracted driving and your phone.

Zappos took up an ad against Distracted Driving, putting themselves “in the shoes” of their customers. Here’s a brand that’s already been heralded as “lovable” for reasons tied to their work culture, and now is stepping into the limelight by further doing what’s right…using the power of their brand to influence!

Distraction.gov has been the leading voice on Distracted Driving, bringing together the powerhouse voices of NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) and the US Department of Transportation. Over the years they have launched several campaigns to raise public awareness on the dangers of distracted driving. This one in particular stands out because it’s simple and clear – “park the phone before you drive.”

Beginning as a grassroots volunteer program in 2007, the UNICEF Tap Project evolved into a successful and innovative campaign that used a mobile app to save lives by providing children with clean water. Since its inception, the project has raised over $6 million. A recent campaign came with a simple call to action “Go without your phone to help give clean water to children in need.” For every 10 minutes you spend without touching your phone a sponsor would give a day’s worth of clean water to a child. Who would deny that challenge? How long can you go without something far less vital, than water, like your cell phone?

GoPro’s call to action was equally inspiring, and, well, different. Their 2016 video asked people to engage with loved ones by putting down their phones. Their message “don’t stop what you’re doing to capture what you’re doing.” What a beautiful and simple ask, to just enjoy the moment and be present! Clever? Of course. Touching? 100%.