National Survey Finds Passengers Who Speak
Up Can Make a Huge Difference
ERIE,
Pa., May 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A national
survey commissioned by Erie Insurance shows that passengers can
dramatically help reduce texting while driving by asking the driver
to stop. Almost half of drivers who were asked or told to stop
texting (43%) said they stopped doing it at once and never did it
again. And yet, 10% of passengers don't speak up when a driver
starts texting. Why? The majority say it's because they wouldn't
want to offend the driver or feel it would be uncomfortable to say
something.
Because speaking up can make such a big difference in stopping
the dangerous behavior of texting while driving, Erie Insurance
reached out to a psychology professor for tips for how passengers
can overcome their discomfort with making "the ask."
Dr. Stanislaw Kolek is a visiting
assistant professor at Allegheny
College whose areas of study include vulnerable road users,
driver training, driving styles and hazard perception in driving.
He offers four different approaches for asking a driver to stop
texting while driving.
- Negotiation – This method involves acknowledging the
situation and providing a solution. "If you are in a car and the
driver starts texting, you could say, 'It looks like you really
need to be texting someone right now so why don't you let me drive?
I can drive and you can text, and once we get to our destination,
you can get back into the driver's seat,'" said Kolek. "It's a way
to get them to realize that the behavior is not wanted and that
you've already come up with a solution. Asking them if you can be
the driver in that situation is usually a very non-antagonistic way
of getting yourself out of a dangerous situation."
- Positive Reinforcement – Another tactic is to let the
driver know how putting down their phone can benefit them. For
example, Erie Insurance has a program called YourTurn, a smartphone
app that enables safe drivers to earn rewards that can be used for
gift cards or donated to charity. Within the first 30 days of using
YourTurn, drivers have seen an average reduction of 35% in phone
distractions, 20% in hard braking and 20% reduction in at-risk
speeding. "Letting the driver know about a rewards program is a
good approach, especially if they don't already know about it. You
can say 'Hey, there is this app you can download and be rewarded if
you just don't use your phone while driving,'" said Kolek.
- Partnership and Mutual Accountability – This approach is
like a buddy system in which two people both agree to do or not do
something and hold each other accountable. It's often used when
people are trying to, for example, increase how much they exercise
or change their eating habits. It can also apply to breaking the
bad habit of texting while driving. "You can say, 'If I don't text
while driving, you can also not do it, and then we can both kind of
keep each other accountable,'" said Kolek. The impact of this
approach can be amplified if there are also mutually beneficial
rewards attached. For example, if a married couple is on the same
car insurance policy, both have to drive safely in order to get the
best rate.
- Negative Consequences – Creating negative consequences
for the driver is another tactic, but often is used only as a last
resort if other, more positive approaches fail. One negative
consequence, Kolek says, is social isolation with a group. "You can
say, 'You're the driver and I am your passenger and we're a team
right now. I really don't want to be in the car with you while you
are texting.' That would probably be effective if the person is
reasonable and wants you to continue riding with them," said
Kolek.
You can watch a video of Dr. Kolek sharing tips for how to ask a
driver to stop texting while driving here.
The data about the impact of speaking up is from a survey Erie
Insurance commissioned to explore the notion that for society at
large to stop a negative behavior, it has to become socially
unacceptable. The survey asked people not for their personal
opinions, but rather how they think society as a whole views
texting while driving. Almost three-quarters (73%) think it's
considered socially unacceptable – but that leaves 27% who think
it's considered socially acceptable, indicating that more progress
needs to be made in terms of changing society's views on the topic.
To see more survey results and infographic, visit
erieinsurance.com/distracted-driving.
About the Survey:
This survey was conducted online
within the United States by The
Harris Poll on behalf of Erie Insurance from January 31 - February 2, 2023, among 2,060 U.S.
adults ages 18 and older. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a
Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is
accurate to within +/- 2.8 percentage points using a 95% confidence
level. For complete survey methodology, including weighting
variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact
raychel.adiutori@erieinsurance.com.
About Erie Insurance
According to A.M. Best Company,
Erie Insurance Group, based in Erie,
Pennsylvania, is the 11th largest homeowners insurer, 13th
largest automobile insurer and 13th largest commercial lines
insurer in the United States based
on direct premiums written. Founded in 1925, Erie Insurance is a
Fortune 500 company and the 19th largest property/casualty insurer
in the United States based on
total lines net premium written. Rated A+ (Superior) by A.M. Best,
ERIE has more than 6 million
policies in force and operates in 12 states and the District of Columbia. News releases and more
information are available on ERIE's website at www.erieinsurance.com.
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SOURCE Erie Insurance Group