As Kids Head Back to School, Adults Get Mixed Grades for Back-to-School Driving

Survey Asks About Sharing The Road With School Buses, Driving in School Zones
                           and Driver Distractions

    MAYFIELD VILLAGE, Ohio, Aug. 27 When children go back to
school, parents develop a checklist:  shop for clothes, buy new shoes, and
purchase pens, paper and notebooks.  But Progressive Insurance ,
the nation's fourth largest auto insurer, wants everyone to put one thing at
the top of their list during the back-to-school season -- safe driving.
    To better understand drivers' knowledge of rules regarding sharing the
road with school buses and driving in school zones, a survey that queried
625 respondents was conducted on progressive.com.
    Falling under the "needs improvement" category...the survey found that
only 56 percent of respondents knew that you should wait for a school bus
driver to disengage the red flashing lights of the school bus before
proceeding, while 33 percent of unique respondents said they had engaged in at
least one of the following distracting activities while driving through a
school zone:  answering a cell phone, changing radio/tape/CD, eating/drinking,
or making a call on a cell phone.  The survey also found that 26 percent of
respondents would drive by a school zone cautiously only if school were in
session.
    On the positive side, the survey found that 95 percent of respondents
would come to a complete stop when approaching a school bus from behind that
is displaying flashing red lights, and another 95 percent said they would slow
down to the posted speed limit when approaching a school zone during school
hours.
    "The back-to-school season is an important time for drivers to pay extra
attention to the road because children are getting on and off buses, walking
to and from school, and playing on or near school property and in
neighborhoods," said Toby Alfred, site manager for progressive.com.  "We are
encouraged by some of the results we've seen from this survey but want to
remind everyone to drive carefully, especially while in school zones."
    And while the survey found that a majority of people understood the rules
of driving in a school zone, 36 percent of respondents said they know someone
who has been ticketed for speeding in a school zone or for passing a school
bus illegally.
    Further, 31 percent of respondents said they would not change their
driving habits when they know school is in session, 65 percent said that while
driving, they have experienced a child suddenly darting out on a bicycle from
a driveway, and 27 percent have swerved to avoid hitting a child on a bicycle.
Also, 36 percent of respondents said they were not able to see a child riding
a bicycle because it was dark out.
    For more information and tips for safe back-to-school driving tips, visit
Info to Go on http://www.progressive.com .
    Progressive , with headquarters 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-
PROGRESSIVE(SM), online at progressive.com and through more than 30,000
independent agencies throughout the U.S. More information about the company
can be found at progressive.com.

                               Did You Know....
             According to a countrywide survey by progressive.com

    Bus Protocol
    Ninety-five (95) percent of respondents would come to a complete stop when
approaching a school bus from behind that is displaying flashing red lights.
Respondents who drive trucks were the least likely to come to a complete stop.

    We Know When To Stop ...
    Ninety-one (91) percent of respondents surveyed realize that while in the
opposite lane on a two-lane road, they should come to a complete stop when
approaching a school bus displaying flashing red lights.  Respondents who live
in the Western states were the least likely to come to a complete stop
compared to respondents in other areas of the country.

    ... But Are Fuzzy On When To Proceed
    Only fifty-six (56) percent of respondents knew that you should wait for a
bus driver to disengage the buses' red flashing lights before proceeding.

    Hitting The Zone
    Ninety-five (95) percent of respondents said they would slow down to the
posted speed limit when approaching a school zone during school hours.

    Multitasking
    Thirty-three (33) percent of unique respondents said they had engaged in
at least one of the following distracting activities while driving through a
school zone: answering a cell phone, changing radio/tape/CD, eating/drinking,
or making a call on a cell phone. Of all respondents, twenty-nine (29) percent
changed radio stations, nineteen (19) percent ate or drank something, eleven
(11) percent answered a ringing cell phone and nine (9) percent made a cell
phone call.

    Cell Phones and School Zones
    Ten (10) percent of women and seven (7) percent of men surveyed said they
made cell phone calls while driving through a school zone during school hours.

    Safety Is In Session
    Twenty-six (26) percent of respondents would drive by a school zone
cautiously only if school is in session and four (4) percent wouldn't even
notice they were driving through a school zone.  Thirty-two (32) percent of
women surveyed said they would drive by a school zone cautiously only if
school were in session.

    Let's Hope It's Good Habits
    Thirty-one (31) percent of respondents would not change their driving
habits when school is in session.

    Children At Play
    Sixty-five (65) percent of respondents said that while driving, they have
experienced a child suddenly darting out on a bicycle from a driveway, and
twenty-seven (27) percent of respondents swerved to avoid hitting a child on a
bicycle.

    Gender At Play
    Thirty-one (31) percent of men and twenty-three (23) percent of women
reported they have swerved to avoid hitting a child on a bicycle.

    Hard On The Eyes
    Thirty-six (36) percent of respondents said they could not see a child
riding a bicycle because it was dark out.

    I Drive Carefully.  As for My Friends ... .
    Thirty-six (36) percent of respondents said they know someone who has been
ticketed for speeding in a school zone or for passing a school bus illegally.

    Not Aware
    Thirty (30) percent of respondents reported not knowing when school starts
in their local area.

    Carpooling
    Seventeen (17) percent of men and (15) percent of women surveyed said they
regularly help carpool children to school.  And of those respondents that
regularly carpool children to school, twenty-five (25) percent drive by a
school cautiously only if school is in session.

    * Areas of the country delineated by:

    Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, NJ, PA, RI, VT)
    Gulf (FL, AL, MS, LA)
    Midwest (IA, IL, IN, MI, MN, MO, OH, WI)
    Great Plains (CO, ID, KS, MT, ND, NE, NM, OK, SD, TX, UT, WY)
    West (AZ, AK, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA)
    Mid Atlantic (AR, DC, DE, GA, KY, MD, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV)

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