No Phone Zone

Oprah Winfrey is one of the most influential public figures of our time. She is the star of her own show, magazine, has been responsible for innumerable philanthropy projects, has campaigned in various areas for social change, backed political figures (specifically Barack Obama in the 2008 election), and given several other talk show hosts their starts (Rachael Ray and Dr. Oz). This is by no means a comprehensive list of all this incredible woman has done. Because of these acts and her personality she has earned the respect of millions of people.

In January 2010, Oprah launched her "No Phone Zone" campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of calling, texting, and emailing while driving. She aired an episode of her show on January 15, 2010 detailing several stories of people that have been affected by the use of cell phones while driving. She has also started a "No Phone Zone Pledge" that people can sign and so far 423,330 people have done just that. She has created a web page dedicated to the cause that contains the episode, the pledge, a place for people to post personal testaments, and many sources of information on texting/cell phone use and driving. She also has a posting of the standing laws/regulations by state regarding this issue and urges people to get involved.

This effort to get people to stop texting and driving is fantastic. One main reason this works is because Oprah is backing it and she gets a massive amount of publicity. She also really has a knack for tapping into ethos and revealing stories that have an impact on people. Her campaign is engaging of viewers and fellow activists in encouraging people to make the decision to put the phone down while they are driving. This campaign does not need altering in any way. It is very effective and persuasive.