The 2024 Travelers Insurance Risk Index highlights a concerning trend of increased distracted driving on the nation’s highways. Despite previous declines, common distractions have surged in recent years, some surpassing pre-pandemic levels, leading to a rise in crashes and near misses.
Key behaviors on the rise since before the pandemic include updating or checking social media (up 13%), typing texts or emails (up 10%), talking on cellphones hands-free (up 10%), using cellphones for recording videos or taking photos (up 9%), and reading texts or emails (up 9%). Nearly half of respondents now perceive roads as less safe than a year ago, with 78% identifying inattentive driving as a worsening problem compared to previous years.
“Distraction is one of the leading causes of roadway fatalities, and it continues to have a devastating impact on individuals, families, and communities,” said Michael Klein, executive vice president and president of personal insurance at Travelers. “Creating safer roadways requires action from each of us, and while the survey results show that people are concerned about distracted driving, they are still unfortunately taking dangerous risks.”
Official data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) underscores these concerns, revealing a significant 10.5% increase in U.S. traffic deaths in 2021, with ongoing estimates indicating similarly high fatality rates.
Among surveyed executives, 85% express heightened concern about employees’ mobile technology use while driving, up from 77% in 2023. In response, 68% have implemented distracted driving policies, with many reinforcing these measures by formally communicating restrictions on phone use while driving for work (84%), requiring policy acknowledgments from employees (66%), disciplining non-compliant employees (77%), and prohibiting handheld device use while driving (53%).
Consistent with previous findings, the 2024 Travelers Risk Index suggests that factors like passenger vocalization of concerns (86%) and financial incentives for safe driving (86%) could effectively encourage drivers to maintain focus on the road.
“Distracted driving is a preventable crisis,” said Chris Hayes, assistant vice president of workers compensation and transportation, risk control, at Travelers. “If you’re the passenger in a vehicle, speak up if the driver isn’t paying attention to the road. If you’re an employer, avoid calling employees when you know they’re driving. If you’re a parent, be a positive role model by putting the phone away and avoiding distractions when you’re behind the wheel.”
Source: The Trucker
