April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Each year increasingly more preventable accidents happen due to distracted driving — and, like Abbie’s, many are fatal. The Abbie DeLoach Foundation (ADF) is dedicated to bringing awareness to the national problem of distracted driving.

As a society, we continue to rely on electronic devices, especially cell phones, but we must use them wisely while operating a motor vehicle. Please consider partnering with the Abbie DeLoach Foundation to help raise awareness and encourage drivers to commit to ending their distracted driving.   

Abbie’s Story 

April 22, 2015 was meant to be a day that five beautiful, brilliant Georgia Southern University nursing students would long remember as they completed their clinical rotations. But due to a delay on I-16 at 5:45 a.m., it became a monumental day that included one of the most horrific tragedies in Georgia history. A seven-vehicle wreck caused the tragic deaths of all five nursing students. At that moment, their life stories ended, and the nation felt the heartache. One of the lost was 21-year-old daughter, sister, friend and follower of Christ, Abbie Lorene DeLoach. 

The driver who claimed the five lives while injuring many more was texting while driving.   

As a result of this incident and many others, an effort was made to enact the Georgia Hands Free Law. It became effective July 1, 2018.

Abbie’s family has kept her spirit alive through the creation of the Abbie DeLoach Foundation. This year ADF plans to help reduce distracted driving by sharing #HandsFreeforAbbie images and messaging on social media and encouraging drivers to make a commitment to drive phone-free by taking the #HandsFreeForAbbie Pledge. 

Nurses dedicate their lives to caring for others. Abbie’s life as a nurse was just beginning when it was  cut short because of distracted driving. The more people we can encourage to take the pledge, the safer our roads will be for all. 

Three Easy Steps to Partner With Us

1. Provide us with your organization’s logo as soon as possible so we can publicly share your #HandsFreeforAbbie efforts on our HandsFreeForAbbie.com website. Please upload your contact information and logo to the website, or email the logo directly to [email protected].

2. Post images and messages on your social media channels, or in your internal communications to employees, throughout the month of April 2023.

3. Share the pledge and encourage your employees (and/or audience) to make a commitment by signing a pledge. 

Visit HandsFreeForAbbie.com to download social media images that you can use, along with pledge and sign-up sheets for employees, or click these links:

• Downloadable Pledge and Signature Sheet

• Social Media Resources (one is attached)

Suggested social media copy:

• The #HandsFreeForAbbie campaign will run throughout April 2023 in conjunction with Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Please join us as an individual or organization. Take the pledge on HandsFreeForAbbie.com and share the pledge.

#DistractedDrivingAwareness #HandsFreeForAbbie #savelivestogether #takethepledge 

Social Media for Abbie DeLoach Foundation:

Facebook: @AbbieDeLoachFoundation

Instagram: @aldfoundation