Nationwide's 2009 Study Shows Americans DWD

2009 DWD Survey Key Findings at a Glance

Legislation

• A new On Your Side^® Survey by Nationwide verifies with concrete data the general assumption that there is strong public support for legislation to restrict cell phone usage while driving.
• The results of the new survey show there are varying degrees of support for different types of restrictions.
  • 8 in 10 drivers support some type of cell phone usage restriction.
    • The majority of respondents say they are supportive of laws restricting any type of cell phone use while driving.
    • 80 percent respondents support a ban on text messaging while driving.
    • 80 percent of respondents support a ban on e-mailing while driving.
    • Two thirds (67 percent) of respondents say they are supportive of laws restricting phone calls while driving.
  • Of those who supported enacting some type of cell phone usage restriction, nearly 3 in 4 believed the law should apply to all drivers, not just specific groups. 

Education

• Survey respondents perceive a growth in distracted driving behavior on the roads, underscoring the ongoing need for increased public education to raise awareness of the dangers caused by distracted drivers.
  • More than half of respondents say they see more drivers using cell phones while driving than they did 12 months ago.
  • Nearly three-quarters of respondents said that when they drive, they always or often see other drivers using cell phones. 

Technology

• The survey results also bolster Nationwide’s position that legislation alone will not eliminate distracted driving. The development of technology that prevents cell phone usage in moving vehicles must be part of the solution to address the driving habits of survey respondents who indicated that a new law would not change their personal driving habits, including those who plan to resist changes in the law and those who are in denial about their current bad habits.
  • Survey data suggests that some drivers  may now be in denial  about their personal DWD problem. Others may simply prefer not to admit that they DWD because they are aware of its inherent dangers.
    • Nearly half (49%) of drivers said a law restricting use of cell phones would not change their behavior because they don’t currently use cell phones while driving.
  • Survey data also suggests that some drivers may resist a change in the law.
    • In the new survey, only 41 percent of respondents said their behavior would change if cell phone usage were restricted by law.
    • 9 percent of respondents said they would continue to use a cell phone regardless of a change in the law, with Generation Y most likely to resist the change (13 percent).
    • The 2008 survey found that only 63% of drivers planned to abide by laws prohibiting cell phone usage.
  • Experts agree that the success of DWD legislation will rely on our ability to enforce new laws, which has been a challenge. Historically, communities with new DWD bans have experienced an initial dip in behavior, followed by a rebound when the public begins to perceive that the law has not been enforced effectively.

For more detail about this year's results, check out the 2009 Survey Results.

For more detail about this year's results, check out the 2009 DWD Fact Sheet.