“Distracted driving can have devastating consequences for families and communities, with accidents, injuries and fatalities on the rise,” stated Michael Klein, government vice chairman and president of non-public insurance coverage at Travelers. “Avoiding distractions while driving is more than just common sense – it’s a responsible and critical step in protecting lives and promoting public health.”
Seventy % of survey respondents stated they imagine distracted driving is a better drawback now than it has been over the previous few years, Travelers stated. That discovering is supported by estimates from the National Safety Council, which discovered that deaths from preventable site visitors crashes have been up 18% from pre-pandemic ranges in 2022.
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State Farm and Allstate lately introduced vital hikes to their automotive insurance coverage charges, citing the rising severity of auto accidents as one cause for the choice.
The following are highlights from the Travelers survey:
Technology
Electronic gadgets have been among the many main causes of distraction, the survey discovered. Activities that survey respondents acknowledged partaking in whereas driving included:
- Making and receiving calls (80%)
- Using handheld gadgets (57%)
- Posting social media updates (28%)
- Taking photographs or movies (27%)
Employers additionally cited know-how use whereas driving as a difficulty, with greater than 30% of executives (a 19% spike from final 12 months) reporting that their staff had been concerned in crashes whereas driving for enterprise on account of distractions brought on by their cellular gadgets.
Drowsiness, heightened feelings and work-related stress
The survey additionally discovered that emotional distraction, drowsiness and work-related stress have been all vital contributors to unsafe driving habits. More than 75% of respondents stated they’d skilled stress or intense feelings whereas driving, and 62% admitted to having pushed whereas drowsy.
Thirty-seven % of employees additionally admitted to having taken work-related calls, texts or emails whereas driving. When requested why, 44% stated it may be a work-related emergency, and 43% stated they felt obligated to all the time be obtainable.
Safety suggestions
Survey respondents highlighted a number of methods that would assist them stay centered whereas driving, together with:
- A passenger requesting that the driving force not use the telephone (84%)
- A monetary reward for not utilizing the telephone whereas driving (83%)
- An auto insurance coverage low cost (82%)
- Increased financial fines (81%)
“Driving is a series of micro-decisions made in quick succession throughout the course of a trip,” stated Chris Hayes, assistant vice chairman of employees’ compensation and transportation, threat management, at Travelers. “Any type of distraction – a device, a sleepless night or stress – can make the difference between reaching your destination safely or not. We can all help make our roads safer by taking simple steps, such as putting our phones in ‘do not disturb’ mode, speaking up when we see a driver engaging in dangerous behaviors and not calling coworkers when we know that they’re behind the wheel.”
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