Focusdriven Announces Race Car Driver Zach Veach As Its National Spokesperson

Grapevine, Texas - FocusDriven, Advocates for Cell-Free Driving, today announced 15-year-old Andretti Autosport race car driver Zach Veach as a supporter of cell-free driving and a national spokesperson for the non-profit organization. Veach, USF2000 National Championship driver and part of the Indy Racing League's Road to Indy developmental ladder program, will help raise awareness on the dangers of texting while driving.

Zach Veach Credit: Zach Veach

"We are very proud to have Zach become a part of FocusDriven," said Jennifer Smith, FocusDriven president and founding board member. "His support will help us reduce distracted driving crashes. Text messaging is the way many people communicate, especially teens. It is important for others to understand the risks of text messaging while driving, and there is no better person than Zach to share this message with teens."

Veach has been very active in educating teens about the risks of texting behind the wheel. A native of Ohio, Veach spoke in front of the Ohio House of Representatives to gain support for a distracted driving bill (H.B. 415) that would outlaw text messaging for all drivers in the state.

The American racer also spent this past May gathering support for Oprah Winfrey's "No Phone Zone" from auto racing's elite, adding support from 33 Indianapolis 500 race car drivers, including Danica Patrick and Helio Castroneves. He also raised funds for FocusDriven by auctioning off a 16 GB Apple iPad signed by the drivers.

"I'm really excited to be a part of an organization which has a direct mission to save lives," said Veach, who put two top-five finishes in the books this past weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park in his No. 7 ADS Mazda. "With my racing background, I hope to promote a vision other kids my age will follow and live by. After all, promoting safer roads is something we should all be a champion for - it's a cause you can't afford not to get behind."

Drivers who text behind the wheel are 8 to 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash. Texting while driving contributes to more than 200,000 crashes each year, according to the National Safety Council. To address these numbers, Veach will hold his own teen safe driving day, "Ziggy's Teen Safe Driving" at the Autobahn Country Club in Chicago late next month in conjunction with one of his partners, Mazda. At the event, Veach will unveil his self-made iPhone and Droid application that alerts others when a person is driving with an automated text message. One hundred percent of the proceeds will benefit FocusDriven. Additionally, this fall, Veach will release his first book, 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before You Turned Sixteen, with a special feature chapter on distracted driving.

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