ERIE, Pa., March 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- People aren't
just multi-tasking at work and home; a new analysis shows they're
also doing double duty while driving. Erie Insurance analyzed
social media data to coincide with Distracted Driving Awareness
Month and gain insight into what drivers are doing behind the
wheel.
The company analyzed Twitter and Instagram posts that came from
mobile devices and used the popular hashtag #whiledriving.
The top five hashtags used in tandem with #whiledriving
included clouds, sunset, sky, nature and sun, strongly suggesting
that people are snapping pictures of beautiful scenery and posting
them to social media, while at the same time operating their
vehicles. The ERIE hashtag
analysis also found that men were more likely to be double
distracted than women, with 55 percent of #whiledriving posts
coming from men, and 45 percent from women.
"Drivers should be keeping their hands on the wheel, their eyes
on the road, and their attention on driving but, based on our
analysis of the 'while driving' hashtag, many appear instead to be
gazing off into the sunset, often times snapping and sharing
photos—clearly an unsafe situation," said Doug Smith, Erie Insurance senior vice president
of Personal Lines.
Smith said that the behaviors suggested by the hashtag analysis
show some parallels with a prior Erie Insurance study of police
data that found daydreaming to be the driving distraction most
associated with fatal car crashes.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that
3,179 people were killed and 431,000 were injured in motor vehicle
crashes involving distracted drivers in 2014 alone.
"The statistics about the dangers of distracted driving are
alarming," said Smith. "So while it's understandable to want to
share a picturesque sky with your social media followers—imagine if
it were the last one. It's just not worth it. We hope our analysis
helps drive that point home."
The top 10 hashtags used in conjunction with #whiledriving
were:
- Clouds
- Sunset
-
Sky
- Nature
-
Sun
-
Nofilter
- Landscape
- Car
- Driving
- Selfie
The top U.S. states with the most posts using #whiledriving
were:
- California
- Florida
- Texas
- South Carolina
- New York
- Illinois
- Massachusetts
- Oregon
- Colorado
- Nevada
To arrive at its findings, ERIE
reviewed 90 days of social media tracking data purchased from the
analytics firm Keyhole. The data collected were from iPhones, iPads
and Androids that had their location services turned on.
Tweetable Highlights
- .@erie_insurance study shows drivers "double
distracted"—snapping pics of clouds and sunsets, posting to social
media—all #whiledriving Share
- .@erie_insurance seeks to raise awareness of Distracted Driving
Awareness Month by analyzing social media #whiledriving Share
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 has 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.
(ERIE-G)
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SOURCE Erie Insurance