COLUMBUS, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Root Insurance, the nation’s only auto insurance company to incorporate individual driving behavior into every quote, today launched the results of their new survey, conducted online by The Harris Poll among over 1,800 U.S. drivers. The study, “Root for Safety: Building Distracted Driving Awareness” found that 80 percent of American drivers admit they have used a mobile device while driving. Issued in observance of the National Safety Council’s (NSC) Distracted Driving Awareness Month, the survey probes U.S. drivers 18 and over on driving behavior to build awareness around the prevalence of distracted driving behavior.
"Safety on the road comes down to good decisions made by individual drivers," said Root co-founder and CEO Alex Timm. "Encouraging good driving is at the core of Root's business model. We're on a mission to deeply understand distracted driving behavior so we can help drivers make better decisions—which will ultimately result in safer roads and less expensive insurance rates for everyone."
According to the NSC, in 2017 more than 40,000 people were killed on America’s roadways, with distracted driving as a major contributor.
Other key findings from Root’s survey include:
- 19 percent of American drivers can’t drive more than 30 minutes without checking their phone;
- 39 percent of American drivers admit to texting while driving;
- 10 percent of male drivers admit to shopping online while driving;
- 1 in 7 drivers who are parents of children under the age of 18 admit to taking a selfie while driving
"From mobile devices to dashboard infotainment systems, the number of distractions presented to drivers continues to increase as attention span continues to shorten," said Root Insurance's Director of Telematics, Joe Plattenburg. "These survey results support what we've seen from our own data analysis—Americans aren't driving with their eyes on the road. Distracted driving is a problem we must address if we're going to keep our roads safe."
While insurance prices are traditionally based on a host of demographic variables including age, gender, marital status, occupation and credit score, Root’s model uses first-of-its-kind technology and data science to insure only good drivers, using a proprietary algorithm based primarily on actual driving behavior such as hard brakes, aggressive turns, and mileage driven. The benefit of only insuring good drivers? A stake in the ground to building awareness around the safety and savings benefits of safe driving.
About the study:
This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Root Insurance from March 15-19, 2018 among 2,002 U.S. adults ages 18 and older, among whom 1,844 are drivers. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact Root/Edelman (contacts below).
About Root:
Root Insurance is the nation’s first licensed insurance carrier powered entirely by mobile and founded on the principle of fundamental fairness. Root offers personalized car insurance that gives good drivers the rates they deserve, managed seamlessly through a mobile app.
Root uses smartphone technology and data science to understand actual driving behavior, the primary factor in determining personal automobile insurance rates.
Root is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio and is backed by the largest reinsurance companies in the world, including Maiden Re, Munich Re and Odyssey Re. Currently, Root is available to drivers in Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Utah, and will be coming to more states soon. For more information, visit http://www.joinroot.com and get the rate you deserve by downloading the app.
