A study by Root Insurance has found that nearly half of drivers surveyed (47 percent) cited distracted driving on the road as their top concern when driving.
“Using a mobile device while driving has become second nature. As Root's study confirms, too many drivers don't think twice about this behavior, even when they should,” said Root Insurance's director of data science for telematics, Joe Plattenburg. “The number of distractions are increasing, and so is the need for companies and drivers to find new ways to encourage focused driving.”
Drivers know using their phone while driving is wrong but still do it anyway. Drivers admit to spending an average of 13 minutes a day – or 91 minutes a week – using their devices while driving. Additionally, nearly two in five drivers (38 percent) who checked their mobile devices while driving said that they did not even put their phones down when they see law enforcement.
Almost all drivers (99 percent) pointed to phones as being among the top three distractions while driving. Distractions that the survey found were most likely to turn drivers' attention away from the road and to their phones included:
- Group chats, such as a text or an email chain with multiple people (52 percent);
- Social media, such as memes or newsfeed (33 percent); and
- Streaming video, such as a show or movie trailer (18 percent).
Root found that, despite their own behavior, those surveyed remained intolerant of distracted driving by others. An overwhelming majority of drivers (89 percent) said that they would give an Uber or Lyft driver a bad rating for texting while driving, while 39 percent admitted that they had done that themselves. Meanwhile, nearly all drivers (90 percent) said that they believed they were better behind the wheel than Uber or Lyft drivers.
Unrelated to mobile phone use, the study also found other unsafe activities taking place on U.S. roads and highways. Nearly three in 10 drivers (29 percent) said that they did not even keep their hands on the wheel, admitting they have steered with a different body part, such as a knee or chin.
Additional activities included:
- Grooming while driving, doing hair/makeup, or shaving (18 percent);
- Playing with a pet (13 percent); and
- Changing clothes (12 percent).
This study followed an earlier report by Root that found that Gen Z drivers (18 to 24-year-olds) used their mobile devices while driving 20 times per 100 miles driven.
“Root's mission is to help drivers make better decisions on the road, and the industry standard fear tactics are clearly not working,” said Root's co-founder and chief executive officer Alex Timm. “We've heard from policyholders that when we incentivize our drivers with a lower insurance rate, they are more motivated to stay focused on the roads and not their mobile devices.”
Last year Root launched its “Focused Driving Discount,” a new pricing incentive under which drivers who avoid mobile phone use while driving can save up to an additional 10 percent on their insurance quote.
Victoria Spears
Victoria Prussen Spears is senior vice president of Meyerowitz Communications Inc., a law firm marketing communications consulting company. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and Brooklyn Law School, Ms. Spears was an attorney at a leading New York City law firm before joining Meyerowitz Communications. She may be contacted at [email protected].