An old school solution to helping memory has been given a makeover, and it may actually save lives in the process.
The Red Thumb Reminder posits that red nail polish can be a cure for distracted driving, and has been steadily gaining momentum since the site’s launch.
A recent video about Red Thumb Reminder on Upworthy has been circulating on Facebook, and while some of the viewers have said it’s sad that society needs a reminder to not text and drive, the majority has begun uploading photos of their own red thumbs.
The campaign began in August 2013, when a devoted dad from Boulder, Colorado decided that he wanted to have a tangible reminder to avoid distractions while driving.
Inspired by his 9-year-old daughter, Steve Babcock, Executive Creative Director at the Evolution Bureau, decided to paint his thumb red in an effort to stop his own habit of distracted driving, since a string around the finger seemed impractical.
He decided to take on the campaign in part to honour his late uncle, who had been killed in an accident that involved texting and driving. Since then, a website was launched, and the Red Thumb Reminder was born.
According to the National Safety Council, 25 percent of all car accidents are caused by texting while driving. 1.6 million car accidents are the result of such distracted driving. Babcock hopes that for every person who decides to take on their own Red Thumb Reminder, there will be pictures on Instagram with the hashtag #RedThumbReminder and the campaign will go viral from there.
