“Today’s younger generations may be one of our greatest assets, not only in speaking up and helping change social norms around distracted driving but also in leveraging new technologies to help prevent it,” said Joan Woodward, Executive Vice President, Public Policy and President of the Travelers Institute. “Using features that block phone notifications while driving, for example, could go a long way in avoiding the temptation to take your eyes off the road.”
According to recent surveys of distracted driving behavior in eight markets around the country, Travelers found that college-age drivers use communication-blocking technology like “Do Not Disturb” more than any other age group. In the greater Los Angeles area, for example, 47% of drivers between the ages of 18 and 24 said they use this technology, compared to 29% of respondents overall.
At each Every Second Matters symposium, the Travelers Institute will share instructions for using features like “Do Not Disturb,” as well as other techniques to help drivers stay focused behind the wheel. This information, as well as new data from the 2019 Travelers Risk Index, is included in the report Every Second Matters: A conversation starter on reducing distracted driving risk, which explores recent trends in motor vehicle collisions and provides safe driving tips.
“It’s important to remember that phone use is only one potential cause of distraction for drivers and diverting your eyes from the road for any reason can have life-altering consequences” said Michael Klein, President of Personal Insurance at Travelers. “We all have an opportunity to do better for ourselves and for each other by keeping our attention on the road ahead.”
James Anderson, Director of the RAND Institute for Civil Justice, who will speak at the Carnegie Mellon program, said, “Automated technologies available in vehicles today are already changing the conversation around driver attention. As they continue to develop, it is imperative that we address every angle of roadway safety, and we’re appreciative of the opportunity to join the Travelers Institute to do just that.”
The following Every Second Matters events will take place this fall at universities across the United States:
- Thursday, Sept. 12 – California State University, Fullerton, California
- Monday, Sept. 23 – Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts
- Tuesday, Sept. 24 – University of New Haven, West Haven, Connecticut
- Tuesday, Oct. 1 – Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Massachusetts
- Wednesday, Oct. 2 – University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Wednesday, Oct. 2 – Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic, Connecticut
- Tuesday, Oct. 8 – Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa
- Tuesday, Oct. 15 – University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
- Wednesday, Oct. 16 – George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
- Thursday, Nov. 21 – Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
As part of these events, the Travelers Institute will continue to host its Careers with Impact program, which visits universities around the country to highlight how, through a career at Travelers, students can help achieve meaningful change on pressing public policy issues, such as distracted driving.
For more information on the company’s Every Second Matters initiative or to register for an upcoming event, please visit the Travelers Institute website.