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Who's Driving While Using a Cell Phone and What They're Gabbing About

  Countrywide Survey By progressive.com Finds that Typical Cell Phone Users
Aren't Discussing High-Stakes Business Deals-They're Catching Up With Friends
                                  and Family

    MAYFIELD VILLAGE, Ohio, May 2 Much research has been done
on the association between cellular telephone use and motor vehicle
collisions.  According to a study published in the New England Journal of
Medicine, using cellular phones while driving quadruples the risk of a vehicle
collision.  It's no wonder. According to a new survey by Progressive
Insurance, 46 percent of respondents report having swerved into another lane
and 41 percent say they sped up while driving alone and talking on their cell
phone.  And, 11 percent of those who use a cell phone while driving alone
report knowing someone who was involved in an accident that resulted from
talking on a cellular phone.

    Progressive, the insurance company that offers consumers in-depth
information about auto insurance, set out to define the typical cell phone
user. A survey on progressive.com found that more than 90 percent of survey
respondents use the cell phone while driving alone in their vehicles.  Fifty
(50) percent of them are driving to and from work and 78 percent are talking
with friends or families, not coworkers.

    In fact, 31 percent of people who use their cell phone while driving alone
haven't used their cell phone for a work-related call in the past six months.
In addition, 40 percent work outside the home between 41-50 hours a week and
report that they wouldn't use a cell phone while driving alone if they had
more time to take care of personal business (hence the calls to friends and
family).

    "One of Progressive's goals is to provide consumers with insights about
auto insurance and related subjects, from understanding coverage options to
how rates are determined," said Toby Alfred, site manager for progressive.com.
"Using a cell phone while driving sometimes leads to erratic behavior that all
drivers need to know about."

    To pinpoint exactly who is driving while talking on their cell phone, the
survey reveals the typical cell phone user drives alone and ...

    * More than half (61 percent) are men.
    * Seventy one percent are between the ages of 18 and 34.
    * They most often drive mid-size cars, followed by compact cars and SUVs.

    Alfred said: "Consumers need to know who is using the cell phone while
driving and they need to know how to safely drive using a cellular phone.
Progressive has launched a new site, 'Info to Go,' on progressive.com that
provides information that can help all drivers be safer on the roads."

    At progressive.com, consumers can access important information regarding
cell phone use such as tips for safe use of a cell phone while driving, state
and federal legislative updates, an interview on the subject with a leading
researcher from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), links to
industry sites and information about how insurance rates are calculated.

    Some other interesting facts from the study include: 23 percent of people
who were talking on a cell phone while driving alone report having tailgated
another vehicle; 21 percent have cut someone off and 18 percent nearly hit
another vehicle.

                            Did You Know That ...
            According To The progressive.com Cell Phone Survey ...

    So Who Are They Really Talking To
    Fifty (50) percent of those respondents who drive alone while talking on a
cell phone are driving to and from work and 78 percent are talking with
friends or family members, not coworkers.  And 31 percent of respondents
haven't used their cell phone for a work-related call in the past six months.

    Time Is Of The Essence
    Forty (40) percent of respondents who talk on their cell phone while
driving alone work outside the home between 41-50 hours a week and 48 percent
report that they wouldn't use the cell phone while driving if they had more
time to take care of personal business.

    So What's The Profile
    A majority (61) percent of the respondents who report driving alone and
using the phone are men and 71 percent of phone-using drivers are between the
ages of 18 and 34.  Cell phone-using drivers most often drive mid-size cars,
followed by compact cars and SUVs.

    Personal Emergencies
    Sixty (60) percent of those people surveyed said that they have not used
their cell phones while driving alone for an emergency in the last six months,
while 35 percent of people who have made over 30 personal calls in the last
six months to friends and family while driving alone.

    Convenience ... But At What Price?
    More than half of all respondents (52 percent) said that the main reason
they use a cell phone while driving alone is because it's the most convenient
time for them to be on the phone.

    A Proven Distraction
    Of those respondents who drive alone while talking on their cell phone,
32 percent pay less attention to their driving when receiving bad news on a
call -- and 43 percent say they speed up to get away from other drivers who
are talking on their cell phone and driving erratically.

    To Legalize Or Not To Legalize
    Despite the number of people who use a cell phone while driving alone,
26 percent of respondents said that cell phone use while driving should be
made illegal and 23 percent of respondents said that law enforcement should be
able to pull people over solely for using their cell phone while driving.

    Six Degrees Of Separation
    Eleven (11) percent of respondents said they personally know someone who
was in an accident that resulted from talking on a cell phone while driving.

    Workaholics
    Men were two times more likely than women to say they would not use a cell
phone while driving alone if they had enough time to get their work done.

    Beware Of Your Neighbors
    Women were three times more likely to use their cell phone while driving
alone through a neighborhood/residential area than high-traffic downtown
areas.

    Run a Red Light Lately
    Men were almost two times more likely than women to report running a red
light while driving alone and talking on their cell phone.

    A Nightmare Commute
    Fifty percent (50) of all respondents who drive alone while using a cell
phone are driving to and from work. Fifty-three (53) percent of men and
46 percent of women drive alone and use their cell phones while driving alone
to and from work -- more than they used a cell phone while running errands or
driving on the weekends.

    Not Always Business Related
    A whopping 91 percent of women and 69 percent of men said they speak to
friends or family members most often via cell phone while driving alone.

    Getting Bad News And Driving - A Bad Combo
    Thirty-two (32) percent of respondents who talk on their cell phone while
driving alone report paying less attention to driving when they receive bad
news over the phone.  Additionally, nine percent of men and seven percent of
women driving alone said they speed when they receive bad news while talking
on their cell phone.

    The Old 'Traffic' Excuse
    Forty-one (41) percent of people said that they would refrain from using
their cell phone while driving alone if they were not stuck in traffic so
often.

    Money With Privileges
    Twenty-six (26) percent of people with incomes between $50,000 and $75,000
use their cell phones most often while driving alone, more than any other
income bracket.

    The Price Of A Phone Call
    Of those respondents who have talked on a cell phone while driving alone:
    * 46 percent have swerved into another lane
    * 41 percent have sped up
    * 23 percent have tailgated another car
    * 21 percent have cut someone off
    * 18 percent have nearly hit another car
    * 10 percent of people have run a red light

    Top Five Car Accessories Of People Who Talk On Their Cell Phone While
      Driving Alone
    1. Tinted windows (52 percent)
    2. Sunroof (40 percent)
    3. Objects hanging from the rearview mirror (33 percent)
    4. Spoiler (25 percent)
    5. Vanity license plates (12 percent)

    Top Four Areas Driven In By People Who Talk On Their Cell Phone While
      Driving Alone
    1. Highways (69 percent)
    2. Neighborhood/residential areas (24 percent)
    3. Downtown areas (7 percent)
    4. School areas (less than one percent)