The National Safety Council designated April as the National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. So Agency Checklists only thought it fitting, on this last day of April, to do a quick round-up of some of the interesting statistics, studies and contests involving Distracted Driving initiatives over the past month…
CMT Launches New Teen Safe Driving Competition
Cambridge Mobile Telematics and Teens in the Driver Seat® partner to promote safer driving among a new generation of drivers
Cambridge Mobile Telematics and “Teens in the Driver Seat®” have teamed up on a new competition aimed at curbing dangerous driving habits in Teens. The competition which is running from April 16 to May 31 is open to drivers aged 15 through 24. Using CMT’s DriveWell App, teens who enter the contest will receive feedback on their driving habits while competing for the title of safest driver.
“We’re excited to partner with Teens in the Driver Seat to highlight the importance of safe driving among the new generation of drivers,” said Hari Balakrishnan, Founder and Chief Technology Officer at Cambridge Mobile Telematics. “We’ve seen significant improvement in driving habits around the country thanks to city-wide safe driving programs in Boston and Seattle, and look forward to extending this movement across generations, as well.”
The grand prize for the four safest young drivers, based on overall driving score, will include Whataburger for a year, a virtual reality headset and two Amazon Echo Dots. Drivers who have received the top leaderboard rankings for no distraction, safe speed, safe braking and safe acceleration will also receive $200 Visa gift cards.
“Partnering with CMT allows us to leverage the technology these teens already use to encourage better driving,” said Russell Henk, creator and Program Manager of Teens in the Driver Seat. “Taking advantage of their familiarity with their smartphones is a great way to turn potential danger into a solution, making the roads safer one young driver at a time.”
Note: For those interested in learning more about CMT, be sure to check out our 2018 Agency Interview with them entitled, “Cambridge Mobile Telematics: See Why It Is A Driving Force In the Telematics Industry.”
EverQuote Safe Driving Report Shows Positive Impact Among States with Distracted Driving Laws
Study shows U.S. drivers use cell phones on 37% of trips, sees positive impact among states with distracted driving laws
In its second annual Safe Driving Report, Everquote, Inc. says that results show there is a direct positive correlation between stricter distracted driving laws and reduced phone use.
“There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to end distracted driving,” said Seth Birnbaum, CEO & Co-Founder of EverQuote. “However, we believe that our safe driving app, EverDrive, is one type of technology that can help curb distracted driving. Using apps like EverDrive that monitor and record unsafe driving behavior create more aware drivers and, ultimately, we hope that awareness spurs change. Additionally, we believe that pairing this type of technology with stricter distracted driving laws could help reduce phone use while driving.”
The major findings of this year’s study were that on average, U.S. drivers use their phones on more than a third (37%) of trips. During those trips with phone use, Everquote notes that the average drive time was 29 minutes and drivers spent more than three minutes on their phones.
The following are additional findings from the 2018 EverDrive Safe Driving Report:
- Midwesterners are the safest drivers. Drivers in Midwestern states have the highest safe-driving scores in the country. Drivers in Northeastern states have the lowest — also for the second year in a row.
- There’s not a big gender gap when it comes to safe driving. Overall, men and women scored similarly. Men speed slightly more than women: On 40% of their trips versus 38% of women’s. Women use their phones while driving slightly more than men: On 42% of their trips versus 38% of men’s trips.
- Young adult drivers age 18 to 20 use their phones on nearly half of trips (47%). Younger drivers age 17 or under use their phones on 43% of trips. Drivers age 21 and over use their phones on 38% of trips.
- Speeding is the most common unsafe driving habit, but phone use while driving is a close second. Drivers speed on 38% of trips and use their phones on 37% of trips.
The top five states with the best driving habits are:
- Montana and Wyoming – Both states have an overall an overall score of 89.4 out of 100. Montana drivers also had the lowest percent of trips with speeding (19%).
- South Dakota – South Dakota ranked third with an overall score of 88.2 out of 100. For South Dakota drivers, 33% of trips included cell phone use and 20% had speeding.
- Alaska and Idaho – Drivers in these states had overall safe driving scores of 87.2 and 87.1 out of 100, respectively.
The five states with the worst driving habits were:
- Connecticut and Rhode Island– Drivers in these states had overall scores of 71.6 and 71.7 out of 100, respectively. The Constitution State slipped down a spot from its 49th ranking last year. EverDrive data shows that Connecticutdrivers have 34% of trips with cell phone use and 56% of trips with speeding. Rhode Island driver have 39% of trips with cell phone use and 56% of trips with speeding.
- Pennsylvania – Keeping the same ranking as last year, Pennsylvania ranks 48th this year with an overall driving score of 74.7 out of 100, with 37% of trips with cell phone use and 49% of trips with speeding.
- Delaware and Maryland – Drivers in the First State had an overall driving score of 76.1 out of 100, with 40% of trips with cell phone use and 51% of trips with speeding. Drivers in the Old Line State also had an overall score of 76.1 out of 100, with 38% of trips with cell phone use and 51% of trips with speeding.
NAIC Unveils Distracted Driving Awareness Campaign
‘Keep the Road Code’ invites people to commit to safe driving choices
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners had launched a new campaign focused on helping decrease distracted driving incidents on U.S. roads. Dubbed “Keep the Road Code” aims to educate consumers on the many dangers of distracted driving.
“We know that there has been a significant increase in distracted driving accidents and fatalities since 2008,” said Julie Mix McPeak, NAIC President and Tennessee Commissioner of Commerce and Insurance. “It’s an issue close to me because I’m a mom with a new driver at home. I’m grateful for my platform as NAIC President to raise awareness nationwide, and hopefully help curb distracted driving across the country.”
According to NAIC statistics, ten percent (10%) of fatal accidents in the U.S. involve at least one distracted driver, killing approximately 3,500 people each year. Moreover, higher accident rates translate into high insurance premiums for all. In 2009, the NAIC notes that average annual insurance premiums had decreased to $787 from $843 in 2004. In 2010, however, auto insurance rates rose for the first time in six years says the NAIC. Another 2015 report also shows average expenses having climbed by 12 percent.
“Operating a vehicle is the most dangerous and potentially deadly activity most consumers do every day,” McPeak said. “Accordingly, I’ve focused the NAIC’s consumer education efforts this year on the prevention of distracted driving.”
Car Insurance Penalties For Distracted Driving Up Nearly 8,000% Since 2011, The Zebra Reports
New Research Shows Rate Increases Rising Sharply As Insurers Crack Down on Distracted Driving; Penalties Still Significantly Less Than For DUI Violations
Austin-based The Zebra, which is an online car insurance search engine, also has launched its own 2018 Distracted Driving Report. In comparison to EverQuote’s report, the Zebra also shined a light on the discrepancy in insurance penalties between drunk driving and distracted driving as well as including a data-driven look of the future.
Speeding, drinking and driving, disobeying traffic signals – those violations have (unfortunately) been around since the advent of automobiles. Distracted driving is really the only new dangerous behavior to affect your driving record,” says Alyssa Connolly, Director of Market Insights at The Zebra. “The insurance industry and regulators have to ensure any rate changes they make are justified, so even though cell phones aren’t new to you and me, the risks and dangers they pose for drivers have only recently been substantiated – and now distracted drivers are really seeing the effects on their premiums.”
Other interesting statistics culled from the Report include the fact that Distracted Driving Insurance Penalties run the gamut across the U.S. from just $2.51 (New York) to $681 (Michigan) annually. Other cities, like Detroit, can have penalties as high as $2,000.
The study also includes a look at how insurance auto rates are affected by Distracted Driving versus other violations such as DUI. The Zebra notes that while both DUI and Distracted Driving are considered dangerous and deadly behaviors behind the wheel, the penalties imposed are not the same. DUI penalties are more often than not about 383% higher than for penalties involving Distracted Driving. In addition, the report notes that other violations like driving too slowly ($345), making an illegal turn ($328), or passing a school bus ($490) – all include much harsher and higher penalties than distracted driving.
