More than 170 cities and towns in Illinois have issued proclamations urging citizens to pledge never to text on their mobile phones while driving.

Telecommunications company AT&T and the Illinois Municipal League made the announcement Friday at the league's annual convention in Chicago.

Jim Maurer of AT&T Illinois says the goal is to save lives by challenging every driver in Illinois to take the pledge. AT&T is spending millions of dollars on a campaign called "It Can Wait" to publicize the dangers of texting and driving.

AT&T is 1 of the nation's largest cellphone companies. The company says it's challenging device makers and app developers to work toward a pre-loaded, no-text & drive technology for all devices.