Georgia Southern University will host a distracted driving awareness event on Thursday, Sept. 21 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Russell Union common area.

The Student Government Association is teaming up with mobile company AT&T to run the “It Can Wait” campaign against distracted driving in an effort to have members of the Eagle Nation take the official “It Can Wait” pledge.

“The campaign is designed to promote a culture that understands and advocates for ‘No Texting and Driving / No Distracted Driving,’” said SGA President Dylan John in a GS press release.

The event will feature virtual reality simulators to illustrate the effects of practicing unsafe driving habits with an immersive scenario.

Students, faculty and staff will compete to see which group gathers the most pledges through Sept. 30. SGA will announce the winning group at a future senate meeting.

Students can take the official campaign pledge by texting “ICWEAGLES” to 50555, and faculty and staff can text “ICWGSU” to 50555.

“We at the Student Government have identified this as a campaign/program under our campus safety promotion initiatives…We encourage all Eagles to participate and encourage other members in our community to bring awareness to the importance of safe driving practices,” said John in a university press release.

For more information on the “It Can Wait” campaign, visit https://www.itcanwait.com/.