Distracted Driving — 20% of Us Still Text While Driving

Nationwide’s president of personal lines, Casey Kempton said his company’s latest driver survey found 20% of drivers text while driving, 15% use social media behind the wheel, 13% watch videos, and 11% read or write emails.

And then there are the over half of those surveyed eating or drinking while driving. Another 13% are getting ready for work.

Sadly, and quite frightening, 47% are probably right that built-in touch screens and navigation displays on newer autos are distracting. With entertainment and communication features in them, they definitely contribute to driver distraction.

“Far too many people believe they’re immune to distraction or that a ‘quick check’ won’t hurt,” Kempton said.

Here’s a not-so-surprising more:

• 92% use phones while driving
• 92% are driving faster these days
• 92% say they’re a little more aggressive
• 88% admit to being a little more reckless behind the wheel

The impact of driving these days:

• 33% say driving has become more stressful because of traffic congestion, reckless drivers and navigation issues
• 72% have seen road rage
• 66% are very irritated by other drivers
• 34% say drivers irritating them give them road rage

The minority speaks:

• Just 15% rate other motorists as very good or excellent drivers
• 80% say they’re good drivers, too

When it comes to saving money:

• 70% say they’d enroll in a program that rewards them for good driving behavior
• 50% like the idea if it saves on their auto insurance bill

Source link: Insurance Journal — https://bit.ly/4396fbq