Nationwide Insurance today released its second annual DWD (Driving While Distracted) study, which found that, while 98 percent of Americans claim to be safe drivers, a vast majority also admit to DWD. More than four out of five cell-phone owners are guilty of talking on their phones while driving, and nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of all drivers admit to partaking in some form of distracting behavior while driving, from cell phone use to eating. Further, almost 80 percent have been in a vehicle with distracted drivers and more than 40 percent have been hit or almost hit by another driver who was talking on a cell phone while driving.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Business Wire EON) May 18, 2008 --
Nationwide Insurance today released its second annual DWD
(Driving While Distracted) study, which found that, while 98 percent of
Americans claim to be safe drivers, a vast majority also admit to DWD.
More than four out of five cell-phone owners are guilty of talking on
their phones while driving, and nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of
all drivers admit to partaking in some form of distracting behavior
while driving, from cell phone use to eating. Further, almost 80 percent
have been in a vehicle with distracted drivers and more than 40 percent
have been hit or almost hit by another driver who was talking on a cell
phone while driving.
“Our survey shows that four out of five
drivers have been both guilty of, and witnesses to, DWD,”
said Bill
Windsor, Associate Vice President of Safety for Nationwide. “Clearly,
distracted driving has taken over our roadways, and our survey shows
that no one is immune - no matter how safe they think they are. In fact,
according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration,
distracted driving causes 80 percent of all accidents.”
The survey found that the prevalence of DWD can be attributed to
technology and our societal mindset to be available at all times.
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Too Much Technology
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Nearly half (48 percent) considered cell phones and other
technology use to be the most dangerous distraction.
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Availability of technology was cited by 35 percent as the reason
DWD is so common today.
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Use of technology extends beyond speaking on the phone to text
messages and e-mail. Nearly 40 percent of teens and Gen Yers who
own cell phones admit to texting while driving, which requires
additional visual, cognitive and manual attention.
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Too Much Pressure
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Almost two-thirds of drivers who own cell phones said their
colleagues, friends and family expect them to be available by cell
or other electronic communication devices at all times.
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Our current societal mindset and busy, on-the-go lifestyles were
cited by 35 percent as the reason why people drive distracted.
Specifically, multitasking was cited by 22 percent and having too
much to do and too little time was cited by 30 percent.
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In addition to multitasking, the survey found DWD is growing in
prevalence simply to stay connected socially. Nearly half of teens
and Gen Y cited staying connected socially as a reason for driving
while distracted.
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“We found Americans think they’re
safe drivers, even though they admit to driving while distracted,”
continued Windsor. “This dangerous false
sense of confidence combined with current ‘rules’
making it socially and professionally unacceptable to not respond
immediately to a call or e-mail, have made DWD commonplace, but
Americans need to realize that there is no such thing as safe DWD.”
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Key Findings from the Survey:
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Older, But Not Wiser: DWD is a dangerous habit affecting
drivers of all ages. In fact, only three percent of those surveyed
felt that the prevalence of DWD was due solely to inexperienced or
teen drivers. Well above half of all generations (78 percent of
Generation Y, 80 percent of Generation X and 65 percent of Baby
Boomers) were guilty of participating in tasks such as talking on
a cell phone or eating. While teenage drivers were slightly less
guilty of talking on their cell phones while driving at 60
percent, it does not mean that they are immune. In fact, the lower
occurrence rate could be attributed to factors such as graduated
drivers license laws for teens that ban cell phone use while
driving, increased parental control, or the fact that they are
just learning and more apt to follow the rules.
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Accidents Happen: Distractions made up three of the top
four reasons to why respondents have to suddenly apply the brakes
while driving: daydreaming, adjusting music, and use of a cell
phone/electronic device. Other drivers were cited as the other top
reason.
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The Riskier Road: Overall, more cell phone owners found
themselves talking or texting while driving on the highways or
through city streets than when they were parked, in traffic or at
a light (almost 50 percent vs. almost 37 percent). However, teens
were more likely to talk and text while not in motion than their
older counterparts.
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Curbing Behavior: When asked what would be most successful
in preventing cell phone use while driving, respondents were
closely split between technology that would automatically prevent
devices from working in the car (43 percent) and laws banning the
use of cell phones/electronic devices while driving (42 percent).
However, in curbing all distractions, respondents placed more
responsibility on drivers themselves. The individual driver was
listed as most responsible for curbing the behavior by 41 percent
of respondents.
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“When it comes to preventing distracted
driving, laws, company policies and education are important, however,
individual Americans – whether we’ve
had our license for four months or four decades –
are in the driver’s seat when it comes to
putting the brakes on DWD,” said Windsor.
As part of its ongoing efforts to raise awareness of the prevalence of
DWD, Nationwide will be partnering with the National Safety
Council to jointly host a DWD Symposium in Washington, D.C., on October
14-15, 2008. At this Symposium, Nationwide and the National Safety
Council will gather thought leaders to discuss which distractions pose
the greatest threat and how distracted driving can be mitigated.
“The National Highway Transportation Safety
Administration estimates that 115 people are killed in auto accidents
each day in the U.S. With distractions being such a large cause of
accidents, it’s clear that DWD is an issue in
our society that needs to be curbed now,”
said John Ulczycki, Executive Director of the Transportation Safety
Group at the National Safety Council. “We
look forward to partnering with Nationwide to help curb this dangerous
trend that has taken over our roadways.”
For more information on DWD - facts and figures, tips on safe driving
and updates on Nationwide’s partnership with
NASCAR to raise awareness of DWD - please visit www.nationwide.com/dwd.
Methodology:
The survey was conducted via phone by MRSI. A total of 1,503 phone
surveys were completed between April 15 and April 24, 2008, among a
national sample. All respondents were required to be between the ages of
16 and 61 and drive a car. A total of 749 men and 754 women were
surveyed. The survey has 2.5 percent margin of error.
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Generations were defined as:
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Teens: 16 to 17 years of age
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Generation Y: 18 to 30 years of age
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Generation X: 31 to 44 years of age
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Baby Boomers: 45 to 61 years of age
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About Nationwide:
Nationwide, based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest diversified
insurance and financial services organizations in the world, with more
than $161 billion in assets. Nationwide ranks #108 on the Fortune 500
list. The company provides a full range of insurance and financial
services, including auto, motorcycle, boat, homeowners, life, farm,
commercial insurance, administrative services, annuities, mortgages,
mutual funds, pensions, long-term savings plans and health and
productivity services. For more information, visit www.nationwide.com.
Nationwide, the Nationwide Framemark. and On Your Side are
federally registered service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance
Company.
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