6 ways auto insurers are addressing distracted driving

Insurers have released new data revealing that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in unsafe, distracted driving.

“People were working from home and there was a real sense that roads were empty and people tend to drive faster and take more risks [when there is less traffic,” said Chris Hayes, assistant vice president of transportation and risk control at Travelers.] “It changed the way that people drove.”

Nearly 20% of respondents in a recent Travelers Risk Index survey reported texting or emailing while driving pre-pandemic. Now this dangerous practice is up to 23%. Other data changes include checking social media, which increased two percentage points to 15%, as well as taking videos and pictures, which has climbed to 12% from its pre-pandemic levels of 10%.

Read more: Distracted driving at an all-time high: How insurers can respond 

Nationwide is urging for hands-free legislation in every U.S. In a recent survey conducted by the firm, 86% of drivers say they too support legislation in their states that prohibit holding a phone while driving to talk, text or for other purposes outside of emergencies.

“We know hands-free primary enforcement legislation works,” said Nationwide CEO Kirt Walker. “A 2018 analysis showed that states that enact this type of legislation experienced a 15% decrease in auto crash-related fatalities two years after the enactment of this type of law. Six states in that same analysis saw a decrease of more than 20% in fatality rates.”

For a potential solution, Nationwide joined insurtechs, Cambridge Mobile Telematics and NoCell to make technology available to drivers that could correct distracted behaviors.

Read more: Nationwide advocates for hands-free legislation 

Crash rates were 27% lower for vehicles that had pedestrian automatic emergency braking systems, according to a study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. With information included about lighting, speed limit and the layout of a crash, it’s clear that pedestrian AEB does reduce the odds of a crash in daylight and in areas with artificial lighting.

“The daylight test has helped drive the adoption of this technology,” said David Aylor, manager of active safety testing at IIHS, in a statement. “But the goal of our ratings is always to address as many real-world injuries and fatalities as possible — and that means we need to test these systems at night.”

Read more: Pedestrian crash avoidance tech works but not in the dark, IIHS