ERIE, Pa., March 25, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Pop quiz:
What percentage of drivers have brushed or flossed their teeth
behind the wheel? While it's crazy to think that anyone would floss
their teeth while cruising down the highway, it's just one
distraction that people admitted to in a new survey from Erie
Insurance. To discourage distracted driving in conjunction with
National Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April, Erie
Insurance asked drivers what they do behind the wheel. Highlights
of the results are shown in this infographic; additional results
are available upon request. The online survey of 1,915 U.S. drivers
aged 18 and older was conducted in February by Harris Poll on
behalf of Erie Insurance.
"A distraction is anything that causes a driver to take their
eyes off the road, their hands off the wheel, or their mind off
their primary task of driving safely," said Doug Smith, senior vice president of personal
lines at Erie Insurance. "Our survey found drivers unfortunately
are engaging in a wide range of distracting and potentially
dangerous behaviors."
Besides the obvious phone distractions of texting and talking,
other distractions people admitted to ranged from public displays
of affection to personal grooming to taking selfies.
Distracted driving
behavior and percentage of drivers who engaged in it
|
- Romantic
encounter/PDA
|
15%
|
|
|
|
|
|
- Combing/styling
hair
|
15%
|
|
|
|
|
|
- Changing
clothes
|
9%
|
|
|
|
|
|
- Putting on
make-up
|
8%
|
|
|
|
|
|
- Brushing/flossing
teeth
|
4%
|
|
|
|
|
|
- Taking
selfies
|
4%
|
|
|
|
|
|
- Changing
drivers
|
3%
|
|
|
|
|
|
- Going to the
bathroom
|
3%
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other reported distractions included putting in contact lenses
or eye drops; curling eyelashes; scratching off lottery tickets;
and even playing the guitar while driving.
The survey found that texting while driving also remains a
serious problem, with about one-third of drivers (30 percent)
saying they themselves have done it and three-quarters (75 percent)
saying they've seen others do it.
The survey revealed regional and other differences about who
texts while driving.
|
Texting by
region
|
|
Drivers in the
Northeast text the least.
|
|
- Northeast
|
24%
|
|
- Midwest
|
28%
|
|
- West
|
30%
|
|
- South
|
35%
|
|
|
|
Texting by
gender
|
|
Men are more likely
to text than women.
|
|
- Men
|
32%
|
|
- Women
|
28%
|
|
|
|
Texting by
age
|
|
Younger drivers text
more.
|
|
- 18-34
|
51%
|
|
- 35-44
|
39%
|
|
- 45-54
|
33%
|
|
- 55-64
|
14%
|
|
- 65 and
older
|
7%
|
According to U.S. government statistics, in 2012, more than
420,000 people were injured in car crashes involving distracted
driving and more than 3,300 people were killed. In 2013, Erie
Insurance analyzed police data and found that daydreaming was the
most fatal distracted driving behavior behind the wheel.
"As a car insurance company who cares deeply about our
customers, we want to do whatever we can to help people stay safe
behind the wheel," said Smith. "We hope that our survey will get
people talking about the importance of eliminating distracted
driving and keeping their focus on the road."
About the survey
The survey was conducted online
within the United States by Harris
Poll on behalf of Erie Insurance from Feb
23-25, 2015 among 2,019 adults ages 18 and older. This
online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no
estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For
complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please
contact Leah Knapp at
leah.knapp@eriesinruance.com.
About Erie Insurance
According to A.M. Best Company,
Erie Insurance Group, based in Erie,
Pennsylvania, is the 11th largest homeowners insurer and
12th largest automobile insurer in the
United States based on direct premiums written and the 16th
largest property/casualty insurer in the
United States based on total lines net premium written. The
Group, rated A+ (Superior) by A.M. Best Company, has more than 5
million policies in force and operates in 12 states and the
District of Columbia. Erie
Insurance Group is a FORTUNE 500 and Barron's 500 company. Erie
Insurance is proud to have received the J.D. Power award for
"Highest in Customer Satisfaction with the Auto Insurance Purchase
Experience" two years in a row. ERIE has also been recognized by Forbes as one
of America's 50 Most Trustworthy Financial Companies and is on
the list of Ward's 50 Group of top performing insurance companies,
which analyzes the financial performance of 3,000 property and
casualty companies and recognizes the top performers for achieving
outstanding results in safety, consistency and financial
performance over a five-year period (2009-2013).
News releases and more information about Erie Insurance Group
are available at www.erieinsurance.com.
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SOURCE Erie Insurance