U Drive. U Text. U Pay.

transportation.gov

“U Drive. U Text. U Pay.”

NHTSA's first national distracted-driving high-visibility enforcement crackdown, April 2014, scaling up the Phone in One Hand pilots: an $8.5 million national ad buy (7-15 April) alongside police crackdowns (10-15 April) in states with texting bans, supported by about $8 million in grants. Repeated in later Aprils.

Years: 2014–now
Country: United States
Budget: $8.5 million national advertising (2014) plus about $8 million in DOT grants to states
Topic: Traffic safety
Asks people to: Stop
Strategy: Fear appeal Policy paired
Channel: Radio Social (paid)TV
Audience: Adults Young adults
Drivers, with 2015 messaging focused on young drivers.

Evidence

NoneUnknown

No evaluation of the national campaign found; the pilot it scaled up showed reduced handheld use (see nhtsa-phone-in-one-hand-ticket-in-the-other).

Sponsor (who paid)

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (U.S. DOT) Federal government, funder and coordinator
State highway safety offices and law enforcement agencies State local government, enforcement

Credits (who made it)

The Tombras Group Media, 2014 source

Executions (individual ads)

West Virginia Governor's Highway Safety Program ad, Apr 1, 2021 2021 · social-paid · meta-ad-library · >1M impressions · spend $5K - $6K
West Virginia Governor's Highway Safety Program ad, Mar 31, 2023 2023 · social-paid · meta-ad-library · >1M impressions · spend $3K - $3.5K
The consequences of distracted driving are serious 2022 · social-paid · meta-ad-library · 15K - 20K impressions · spend $500 - $599

Related campaigns

Phone in One Hand. Ticket in the Other. 2010–2013
Distracted Driving Prevention (Stop the Texts, Stop the Wrecks) 2011–now

Sources

U Drive. U Text. U Pay. campaign cracks down on distracted driving (U.S. DOT) sponsor · 2014
NHTSA Starts Ad Campaign on Distracted Driving (OH&S, April 2014) news · 2014
Distracted Driving Campaign Focuses on Young Drivers (OH&S, April 2015) news · 2015

Research notes

Later replaced by 'Put the Phone Away or Pay' (not verified). Distinct from the Ad Council 'Stop the Texts, Stop the Wrecks'. Meta Ad Library / Google Ads Transparency Center: search advertiser 'NHTSA' / 'National Highway Traffic Safety Administration'. Credit from contract records, 2026-10-22 procurement pass: NHTSA's April 2014 national ad buy falls inside Tombras task order 0001 under DTNH22-13-D-00280, 'National and regional media and communications support services', May 2013-Jun 2014, USD 44.3M, and O'Dwyer's (Feb 2013, cited on the Tombras agency record) says NHTSA's media account covers distracted driving. The record does not name the slogan; treat as media-buying credit, creative unconfirmed. The Ad Council's NHTSA distracted-driving orders (2012-2017, USD 3.0M) are for the separate donated-media 'Stop the Texts, Stop the Wrecks' work.

Record cases/nhtsa-u-drive-u-text-u-pay.json, updated 2026-10-22· Link to this campaign