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From PDA to Taking Selfies to Changing Clothes--Distracted Driving Takes Lots of Forms


selfie while driving (select to view enlarged photo)

ERIE, PA -- March 25, 2015: Pop quiz: What percentage of drivers have brushed or flossed their teeth behind the wheel? While it's crazy to think that anyone would floss their teeth while cruising down the highway, it's just one distraction that people admitted to in a new survey from Erie Insurance. To discourage distracted driving in conjunction with National Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April, Erie Insurance asked drivers what they do behind the wheel. Highlights of the results are shown in this infographic; additional results are available upon request. The online survey of 1,915 U.S. drivers aged 18 and older was conducted in February by Harris Poll on behalf of Erie Insurance.

"A distraction is anything that causes a driver to take their eyes off the road, their hands off the wheel, or their mind off their primary task of driving safely," said Doug Smith, senior vice president of personal lines at Erie Insurance. "Our survey found drivers unfortunately are engaging in a wide range of distracting and potentially dangerous behaviors."

Besides the obvious phone distractions of texting and talking, other distractions people admitted to ranged from public displays of affection to personal grooming to taking selfies.

Distracted driving behavior and percentage of drivers who engaged in it

- Romantic encounter/PDA

15%






- Combing/styling hair

15%






- Changing clothes

9%






- Putting on make-up

8%






- Brushing/flossing teeth

4%






- Taking selfies

4%






- Changing drivers

3%






- Going to the bathroom

3%






Other reported distractions included putting in contact lenses or eye drops; curling eyelashes; scratching off lottery tickets; and even playing the guitar while driving.

The survey found that texting while driving also remains a serious problem, with about one-third of drivers (30 percent) saying they themselves have done it and three-quarters (75 percent) saying they've seen others do it.

The survey revealed regional and other differences about who texts while driving.


Texting by region


Drivers in the Northeast text the least.


- Northeast

24%


- Midwest

28%


- West

30%


- South 

35%




Texting by gender


Men are more likely to text than women.


- Men

32%


- Women 

28%




Texting by age


Younger drivers text more.


- 18-34

51%


- 35-44

39%


- 45-54 

33%


- 55-64

14%


- 65 and older

7%

According to U.S. government statistics, in 2012, more than 420,000 people were injured in car crashes involving distracted driving and more than 3,300 people were killed. In 2013, Erie Insurance analyzed police data and found that daydreaming was the most fatal distracted driving behavior behind the wheel.

"As a car insurance company who cares deeply about our customers, we want to do whatever we can to help people stay safe behind the wheel," said Smith. "We hope that our survey will get people talking about the importance of eliminating distracted driving and keeping their focus on the road."

About the survey The survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of Erie Insurance from Feb 23-25, 2015 among 2,019 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.