Progressive.com Survey Reveals What Americans Feel About Control, Who and What Controls Us and What We Want To Control in the 21st Century

         Mom And Dad, Weight And Relationships, The Internet And Guns

    MAYFIELD VILLAGE, Ohio, March 19 Mom controls us,
television and the Internet help us feel like we're in control, and we want to
control our weight more than our spousal relationships, according to a new
progressive.com survey. The countrywide survey found that respondents were
more than twice as likely to report that their mothers had more control over
them than their fathers.  At the same time, respondents were nearly four times
as likely to want to control their weight than their relationships with a
spouse or significant other.
    The survey host site, progressive.com, is the most popular company Web
site for auto insurance on the Internet, and has just introduced new online
features to provide consumers with more control over their auto insurance. The
survey found that 38 percent of respondents feel the Internet gives them
control, while a whopping 73 percent have already shopped for auto insurance
online. Thirty-three percent of people are using the Internet 60 percent more
often to control and monitor accounts online than they were five years ago.
    "Everyone wants to feel like they're in control of things, and our site is
designed to offer people the ultimate control when it comes to shopping for,
buying, and maintaining auto insurance over the Internet," said Toby Alfred,
site manager for progressive.com. "This is especially important, considering
the online auto insurance market is expected to grow into a $13 billion market
in the next three years. But auto insurance is obviously not the only place
people want to feel in control, so we decided to look at other areas of
peoples' lives to try and determine just how important control really is."
    Some other interesting findings: Forty percent of respondents would like
to see the President's closed-door meetings with lobbyists broadcast live on
the Internet, and 37 percent of respondents said they'd like the President to
give them control over what their children watch on television - nearly double
the number that would like the President to give them more control over where
and how they can buy a gun.
    And while people are getting more comfortable using a mouse, they still
feel comfortable with a television remote. The survey found that more than
one-fourth of all respondents feel the television remote gives them control,
while women were more likely than men to feel in control with the television
remote in their hand.
    For the ultimate in auto insurance control, progressive.com provides
consumers with a variety of auto insurance features including:

    * A safety section presenting crash-test videos with analysis from the
      Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and a variety of safety tips;

    * A vehicle recall search where consumers can type in the year, make, and
      model of a vehicle to retrieve current recall information from the
      National Highway Traffic Safety Administration;

    * The ability to quote, compare rates, and buy auto insurance in
      real-time;

    * An Insurance 101 section that defines insurance terms and helps
      consumers locate their state's Department of Insurance;

    * A local, independent agent locator called "Find An Agent";

    * Shopping tools that help consumers calculate automobile-related costs
      including buying vs. leasing, loan payments, financing vs. paying cash,
      tips on loan terms, buying new or used vehicles, rebates, special dealer
      financing, and vehicle depreciation;

    * An Internet search tools and tips site providing consumers with general
      information about how to use the information on the Web, not just where
      to find it;

    * Personal.progessive.com, ( http://personal.progressive.com ) where
      customers have the ability to manage their own policies online.
      Consumers can access the site and experiment with each feature using an
      actual live policy by entering the ID: PROGRESSIVE and password:
      PRESS123.

    Progressive Insurance , headquartered in Mayfield Village,
Ohio, is the nation's fourth largest auto insurance company.  In business
since 1937, the company provides all drivers with competitive rates and
24-hour, in-person and online services. The company sells its products over
the phone at 1-800-AUTO-PRO(R), online at progressive.com and through more
than 30,000 independent agencies throughout the U.S. More information about
Progressive can be found at http://www.progressive.com .