According to industry experts, almost all US drivers own a mobile phone, and all of them are prone to making and answering a call or sending and reading text messages while behind the wheel. Loosing focus because of being caught in an important call or being preoccupied reading long messages can be good enough reason for being involved in a collision. A study conducted a major insurance consultancy firm showed that majority of their respondents were professionals aged 30 to 50 and all of them use their mobile phones while driving. The result of the study showed that the respondents are willing to answer a call or immediately respond to an email or a text messages even if they are driving as they would not want to be reprimanded for not doing so, if the call or message is from their boss or a client.

With these in mind, local groups are worried that if the trends on mobile phone usage while driving does not improve, situations may be worse and may eventually show its effect on the number of car accidents. In Florida and New York, 7% of collisions were caused by drivers distracted while talking on their cellular phones. The rates for Pennsylvania are relatively lower at 5%.

An Insurance Information Institute representative said in a recent interview that they are targeting to release a mass promotional campaign on the fatal effects of motorists getting busy on cellular phones while driving. The organization estimates that the number of accidents resulting from mobile phone usage can go up during the holiday season. As Christmas gets near, people will be busy contacting family members and loved ones. Industry experts say that when a driver on the road received a call from a relative he hasn’t seen in years, the sudden rush of excitement can take over and there is a tendency for the driver to momentarily forget that he is currently driving. In that split-second that he forgets he’s on the road, a collision may have already taken place.

In addition to preventing cell phone use, there is strong support from the organization to fight motorists who hide traffic offences such as exceeding the speed limit in an effort to get cheaper insurance.

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Jim Haskins, Executive Vice President of Claims and Procurement for Aviva Canada, explains, “While Canadians are traditionally very experienced winter drivers, the first snowfall of the year can be extremely challenging even for the most apt motorist. Icy road conditions result in vehicle sliding and skidding, which are the most common cause of collisions particularly at the start of the season.”

Aviva’s data also shows that roughly 5.6 % of insured drivers file claims in winter, as opposed to 4.1% – the average number of people filing claims during the rest of the year. Again, winter road conditions, are to blame. Black ice, sleet, and snow can force drivers to focus all their attention on the road directly in front of their cars, rather than on everything around them. This focus means that there’s less attention paid to vehicles to the left and right, which, in turn, causes fender benders and side-on collisions to become more common.

In an effort to reduce the number of winter accidents, the customer service department at Aviva Canada offers the following helpful hints:

- Invest in snow tires and new windshield wipers. The tires are especially important, as they allow drivers to stop up to 40% faster than they can when using all-season tires.
- Always keep an emergency kit in your car. It should include a flashlight, snow shovel, thermal blanket, extra windshield washer fluid and anti-freeze, jumper cables, hazard flares, and a few non-perishable food items, like granola bars, or beef jerky.
- Drive slowly, and maintain a safe distance between your car and the one in front of you.
- Program the numbers of your insurance company, and a towing company, into your cell phone, and keep a copy of your insurance card in your car.
- Check the road conditions for your destination before you leave home, and if they’re at all questionable, be sure someone knows your route, and when to expect you.
- Don’t take chances: if the roads are bad, don’t travel at all.

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DALLAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Auto accidents are the number one killer of teenagers age 16 to 19 according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. GEICO associates in Dallas are working hard to change that by talking to teens through GEICO’s national teen safe driving speakers bureau.

Associates in Dallas are ready to take this show on the road to meet with high school classes to help teens get a realistic picture of how they drive when they first hit the roadways–not so well. Schools, driver’s education classes and parents can sign up for a presentation by contacting John Balfour at r5_dallas_events@geico.com for more information.

GEICO’s “Real Teen Driving” video plays a central role in the teen presentations, showing teens that new drivers make mistakes every day while learning to drive, like failing to stop at stop signs, speeding and allowing too many distractions. GEICO presenters point out that teens are not terrible drivers, just inexperienced; it is this inexperience that most often leads to deadly crashes.

Along with safety tips, GEICO associates cover the consequences of unsafe driving habits, and offer graduated drivers licensing information. An insurance 101 section informs teens about basic coverages and costs.

GEICO also offers more information in “Teen Drivers – the First 6 Months.” It covers tips for parents on how to better prepare their new drivers for the first six months that teens drive on their own. GEICO’s parent-teen driving contract is featured in the presentation.

GEICO offers an online library of information to help keep teens safe on the road. Please go to www.geico.com/information/autosafety/safety-library/ to download and order materials.

GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company) is the fourth-largest private passenger auto insurer in the United States. It provides auto insurance coverage for more than 8 million policyholders and insures more than 13 million vehicles. In addition to auto insurance, GEICO offers customers insurance products for their motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATV’s), boats, homes, apartments and mobile homes. Personal umbrella protection and life insurance are also available. As a member of the Berkshire Hathaway group of companies, GEICO is rated A++ for financial stability by A.M. Best Company and ranks at the top of several national customer satisfaction surveys. For more information, go to www.geico.com.

SOURCE: GEICO

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