Nationwide Insurance fights growing trend of Driving While Distracted (DWD) with education, legislation and technology

When it comes to making our roads and highways a safer place to drive, Nationwide is On Your Side^®.  For several years now, Nationwide has been leading the charge against Driving While Distracted (DWD) – which includes talking and texting on cell phones.  It’s more than just a public awareness campaign. We want to be a part of the solution to this emerging and dangerous social trend. Studies say that drivers using phones are four times as likely to cause a crash as other drivers.

“Nationwide believes we can make our roads a safer place to drive by finding solutions to the DWD problem through legislation, public awareness and encouraging the development of new technology,” said Bill Windsor, Nationwide’s Safety Officer. “In addition to saving lives, fewer crashes could result in lower auto insurance costs.”

Legislation

In 2007, Nationwide conducted research to begin framing the problem of distracted driving. The resulting publicity was cited to enact some of the first state laws to outlaw texting. Several states have passed or are deliberating legislation to ban talking or texting on cell phones and other wireless devices while driving.

Nationwide’s new survey found that 8 in 10 drivers support some type of cell phone usage restriction legislation. 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. 

Nationwide recently stated our support for the concept of enacting a national ban on texting while driving. The ALERT Act, sponsored by four U.S. Senators, would prohibit any driver from sending text or e-mail messages while driving a vehicle. If the bill passes, states that do not enact text-banning laws could lose 25 percent of their federal highway funds.

While Nationwide is still exploring the details of this particular legislation, Nationwide supports the concept of a national ban on texting while driving as an integral part of the solution. We also continue to lobby at the state level to promote legislation limiting cell phone use.

• Currently, seven states and the District of Columbia ban driving while talking on a hand-held cell phone for all drivers
• Seventeen states and the District of Columbia ban texting while driving for all drivers
• Seventeen states ban bus drivers from talking on a cell phone while driving a school bus
• Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia restrict cell phone use for novice drivers
• Other states do not have a statewide ban, but allow localities to pass laws banning the use of cell phones while driving. You can see all of the current laws on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s website.

Technology

While passage of legislation is a good start, Nationwide has taken the strong public position that technology will play an important role in effectively changing behavior behind the wheel. In early 2008, Nationwide began working with Aegis Mobility on a new, cell-phone based technology that will have a positive impact on reducing DWD crashes by advising callers and texters that the individual they are trying to reach is driving. Nationwide will be offering a discount for individuals that sign up for the DriveAssist™ program when it becomes available.

A software-based technology, DriveAssist, automatically detects the onset of driving. It works like a personal assistant by informing the caller the person they’re trying to reach is driving and can’t answer the phone or text messages. The service always allows 911 calls and offers an override feature for passengers.

Education

Nationwide has been drawing attention to the emerging and dangerous social trend of Texting While Driving (TWD) for the past several years.  A 2008 study by Nationwide of more than 1,500 Americans revealed that 18 percent of those surveyed admitted to texting while driving – that number jumps to 37 percent for drivers under 30 years old.

Related: Nationwide's Distracted While Driving survey featured in recent New York Times' front-page story, Drivers and Legislators Dismiss Cellphone Risks.

For the second year, Nationwide sponsoring events at high schools across the country in conjunction with the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Results from our 2008 survey show teens are the most likely to text behind the wheel, so we’ve teamed up with NASCAR drivers, including Kyle Petty, to demonstrate the dangers of texting while driving.

At these events, students learn how these distractions impact their driving when we challenge them to race in a NASCAR simulator while texting on a cell phone. We’ve visited North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and Iowa so far this year, with more events scheduled through 2009.

Nationwide has also partnered with the National Safety Council to hold an International Distracted Driving Symposium last October where the most recent research on cell phone and texting distractions was introduced and resulted in the NSC’s unprecedented call for a national ban on cell phone use by drivers.

Moving Forward

Now in its third year, Nationwide’s DWD campaign continues to keep this issue in the public spotlight. Nationwide’s third-annual consumer poll was just released and planning for the 2010 campaign is underway.

“We realized with that first survey that we really needed to help raise the awareness on the distracted driving issue,” said Windsor. “Nationwide has done a lot to educate the community and support legislation and technology to combat this issue, but we still have a lot of work yet to be done.”