TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Travelers Institute, the public policy division of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRV), today launched its Every Second Matters symposium series in Canada to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving and encourage safe behaviours behind the wheel. Today’s program is being held in collaboration with the Economic Club of Canada, the National Safety Council, the Road to Zero Coalition and the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario.
As part of this campaign, Travelers Canada is sharing results of its new survey, conducted online by The Harris Poll, of over 900 Canadian drivers. The results indicate that despite the well-publicized dangers of distracted driving, 37 per cent of Canadian drivers use a mobile device to communicate while driving. The reasons cited include:
- 31 per cent feel compelled to communicate by phone call or text while driving because of family obligations that require constant attention.
- 27 per cent do not want to miss something important.
- 14 per cent always want to be available for work.
“The findings suggest that drivers are feeling the pressures of our increasingly connected world, and high awareness of the law does not necessarily translate to prudent behaviours behind the wheel,” said Jordan Solway, Group General Counsel and Vice President of Claim at Travelers Canada. “Through the Travelers Institute and the Every Second Matters campaign, we hope to introduce a sense of urgency for drivers to set their phones and other distractions aside to help make our roads safer.”
The survey findings also demonstrate a contrast in how drivers view their own distractions compared to those of others. For example, 69 per cent of Canadian drivers think the biggest distraction to the average person while driving is using a mobile device. However, only 24 per cent think using a mobile device is the biggest distraction to their own driving.
“There is a clear disconnect between how people perceive the dangers of distracted driving overall and their own driving behaviours,” said panelist Pamela Fuselli, Vice President, Knowledge Transfer and Stakeholder Relations, at Parachute, Canada’s national charity dedicated to injury prevention. “Distractions that take your hands off the steering wheel or mind off the road can have deadly consequences. In order to achieve a culture shift, we all need to commit to staying focused while driving and speaking up when we see distracted behaviour.”
Solway and Fuselli will join leaders from across sectors to explore promising approaches to combating distracted driving. The symposium will also highlight a new report, Every Second Matters: A conversation starter on reducing distracted driving risk, for Canadian drivers. Additional events will be held across Canada throughout 2018 and 2019. Please visit the Travelers Institute website to learn more about Every Second Matters.
Travelers Canada Poll Methodology
The survey was conducted
online by The Harris Poll on behalf of Travelers Canada March 9–12,
2018, among 948 Canadian drivers 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. For complete survey
methodology, including weighting variables and sub-group sample sizes,
please contact Yen To, YTO@travelers.com.
About the Travelers Institute
The Travelers
Institute, the public policy division of The Travelers Companies,
Inc., engages in discussion and analysis of public policy topics of
importance to the insurance marketplace and to the financial services
industry more broadly. The Travelers Institute draws upon the industry
expertise of Travelers Canada’s senior management, as well as the
technical expertise of many of Travelers’ underwriters, risk managers
and other experts to provide information, analysis and solutions to
public policymakers and regulators. Travelers is a leading provider of
property casualty insurance for auto, home and business. For more
information, visit https://www.travelerscanada.ca/.
