Adam Levine, Nissan & NBC Launch 'Red Thumb Day' to Urge Drivers to Stop Texting and Driving

By: Dec. 15, 2014
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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.

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 will 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.

"The statistics are alarming. According to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, a quarter of teens respond to a text message once or more every time they drive. Twenty percent of teens and 10 percent of parents admit that they have extended, multi-message text conversations while driving," said Jeremy Tucker, vice president, Marketing, Nissan North America, Inc. "Together with Adam Levine, Nissan encourages drivers to put the phone down and get where they are going safely. A 'Red Thumb Reminder' may seem insignificant. However, every time you see it, it reminds you to not text and drive."

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 on Dec. 16.

For more information on Red Thumb and to find out where to pick up a Red Thumb Band, visit www.redthumb.org.

About Nissan North America

In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program and has been recognized as an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. More information on Nissan in NORTH AMERICA and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.NissanUSA.com and www.InfinitiUSA.com, or visit the Americas media sites NissanNews.com and InfinitiNews.com.

About Nissan

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second-largest automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 244,500 employees globally, Nissan sold almost 5.2 million vehicles and generated revenue of 10.5 trillion yen (USD 105 billion) in fiscal 2013. Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of more than 60 models under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands. In 2010, Nissan introduced the Nissan LEAF, and continues to lead in zero-emission mobility. The LEAF, the first mass-market, pure-electric vehicle launched globally, is now the best-selling EV in history with almost 50% share of the zero-emission vehicle segment. For more information on our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit our website at http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/.

About Adam Levine

As the front man of GRAMMY Award-winning recording artist Maroon 5, Adam Levine has left an indelible mark on popular music. The primary songwriter for the band and a guitar player, Adam's talents give Maroon 5 their signature sound. His heartfelt ballads and anthems have become part of the fabric of popular music. Maroon 5's new album Overexposed was released in 2012 and an instant smash hit. The group were recently nominated for two GRAMMY AWARDS in the categories of Best Pop Performance and Best Pop Album. These recognitions mark the 11th GRAMMY nomination for the 3-time GRAMMY award-winning band. Maroon 5 will kick off a U.S. tour in February. In addition to his work with Maroon 5, Adam is a coach on the NBC hit television series "The Voice." For more information, please visit www.maroon5.com.

About "The Voice"

"The Voice" is a presentation of United Artists Media Group (an MGM company), Talpa Media USA Inc. and Warner HORIZON Television. The series was created by John de Mol, who serves as executive producer along with Mark Burnett, Audrey Morrissey, Marc Jansen and Lee Metzger. THE VOICE airs on NBC on Monday and Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. For more on "The Voice," visit http://www.nbc.com/the-voice. Follow "The Voice" on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/NBCTheVoice and on Twitter at @NBCTheVoice and #TheVoice.

About Steve Babcock

Steve Babcock is a partner and Executive Creative Director at EVB advertising agency, based in San Francisco and Boulder, Colo. He came up with the idea of "Red Thumb Reminder" after being inspired by his daughter, who ties yarn around her finger to remember things to bring to school. It inspired him to paint his thumb red, to remind him not to text and drive, and create a movement aiming to inspire other people to do the same. For more information go to www.redthumbreminder.com.

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