Imagine what would happen if we took the same approach and focused on our responsibility to each other while driving - safely and without additional distraction?

In August 2020, the State Farm® Enterprise Research Department conducted an online survey with adults ages 18 and older examining attitudes and behaviors around distracted driving. It revealed that we are still texting, speeding, reading, on social media, grooming, gaming and taking selfies while behind the wheel driving.

This survey, the ninth wave of a study first conducted in August 2009, found that nine out of 10 drivers (89%) said they engaged in at least one of the 14 distracted driving behaviors studied while behind the wheel.

More drivers reported participating in each behavior studied in 2020 than they did in 2010 or 2015, with the exception of talking on a hand-held phone (engagement has declined significantly since 2010 as more drivers are talking hands free).

Factors at Play

Smartphone ownership has increased steadily since 2011 moving from 53 percent of all respondents in 2011 to 95 percent in 2020. This increase has enabled more drivers to take part in smartphone-related distracted driving, like accessing the internet, which has more than doubled between 2010 and 2020.

Age greatly influenced the reported rate of distracted behaviors in 2020. Drivers under age 40 were significantly more likely than those age 40 and over to say they engaged in distracted phone and navigation behaviors. And while 56 percent believed manually interacting with a phone while driving greatly increases the likelihood of a crash – consumers continue to put themselves and everyone on the road at risk.

Younger drivers were significantly more likely to exhibit other risky behaviors while driving, including speeding, driving drowsy, failing to use turn signals, and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

“So much has changed in our lives this past year,” State Farm Assistant Vice President - Enterprise Research Laurel K. Straub said. “We don't know what our ‘new normal’ might be, but we can start taking responsibility for the safety of ourselves and others by making positive choices when it comes to our driving behavior behind the wheel.”

Imagine if we all pledge to start today to keep our eyes on the road, our hands on the wheel and our minds on the road ahead, how much better protected we would be from exposure to reckless and potentially deadly driving distractions.

“Distracted driving behaviors and crashes are preventable,” Laurel said. “Let’s normalize that.”

Downloads

Distracted While Driving Report

Bar Graph Infographic

Distracted Driving Infographic

 

The fine, while hefty, is nothing compared to the anguish distracted driving causes.

On Oct. 28, 2015, Joe Tikalsky was retrieving his newspaper from the road outside his home. A texting driver struck and killed the popular New Prague school bus driver.

Today his family advocates for distracted driving awareness.

Burying a loved one as a result of a preventable act is inconceivable to many. The Tikalskys’ hope Minnesota’s Hands-Free law keeps other families from experiencing their grief.

“Don’t be the person who decides someone else’s fate,” says Joe's daughter-in-law Tammi Tikalsky.

Unfortunately, the Tikalskys are not alone.

A 2018 Minnesota State Patrol report found distracted driving contributed to 1 in 4 Minnesota crashes. That's an average of 59 deaths and 223 serious injuries per year.

Minnesota is the 17th state to prohibit a person from holding a wireless device while driving.

Don’t be a distracted driver.

Distractions cause you to lose focus on safely operating your vehicle. Manual, visual or cognitive distractions are even causing many to drive dumber in their smart cars.

Texting, is among the worst of all driver distractions. Activities like reading a text message, taking a selfie or updating social media while driving are illegal and dangerous. Avoid the temptation by keeping your phone out of reach while driving. Pull over and park in a safe location if you must use your phone. Or, ask a passenger to make a call or send a text for you.

Currently, 48 states and D.C. ban text messaging for all drivers. State Farm continues to advocate for automobile and highway safety legislation at the state and federal level.

Still fighting the urge to pick up your phone while driving?

Apps like State Farm Drive Safe & Save can help improve your driving habits. To learn more about the new law and ways your can qualify for policy discounts, contact your local State Farm agent.

While these features have promising safety benefits,  they are designed to work in conjunction with engaged driving behaviors.

Forty-two percent of drivers with Lane Keeping Assist tech stated they “frequently” or “sometimes” use video chat while driving compared to 20 percent who engaged in the risky behavior without the advanced technology.

Survey data breakdown by distracted behavior and advanced vehicle technology:

“Innovations such as Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Keeping Assist are designed to make our roadways safer,” said Laurel Straub, State Farm Assistant Vice President, Enterprise Research. “These systems are meant to assist drivers, not replace them.”

When will the car drive itself?

Not any time soon. There will have to be more tech advances before we see fully automated vehicles on our roadways.

The highest level of automation available on the consumer market today is Level Two. At this level, the vehicle can control steering, braking, and accelerating in certain scenarios. Only a subset of new vehicles sold to the general public today are equipped with Level Two features. However, the human driver MUST pay attention at all times and still perform the remainder of the driving. (NHTSA)

Two of those features, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Lane Keeping Assist (LKA) were explored in this survey. ACC, in certain situations, enables your vehicle to automatically adjust its speed to maintain a specific distance behind another vehicle. LKA, in certain situations, enables your vehicle to automatically steer within your lane.

“Advances in vehicle technology are occurring rapidly,” Straub continued. “Even with these technologies in place, it’s important for drivers to pay attention when behind the wheel.”

Half of all respondents also said they would be willing to take their eyes off the road for less than five seconds to focus on another task. All while driving on an open highway at 65 mph. At that speed, you can drive the length of a football field in 3.2 seconds. Anything can happen in 100 yards.

11 tips on how to be as smart as your smart car while you drive

1. Do not read or send text messages
2. Do not update social media
3. Do not access the internet
4. Do not talk on the phone unless it's connected to the car audio
5. Do not check or send emails
6. Do not take selfies or film videos
7. Do not enter destinations into GPS while the car is moving
8. Keep your phone out of reach (glove compartment, purse, etc.). Pull over and park in a safe location if it is necessary to use your phone.
9. Ask your passenger to make a call or text for you.
10. Set your phone to send an automatic reply while you are driving.
11. Do nothing that takes your attention away from your number one task -- driving safe.

Still fighting the urge to pick up your phone while driving?  Apps like State Farm Drive Safe & Save are designed to help you improve your driving habits. 

It is not a step-by-step guide to driving. This presentation is designed to bring awareness to some of the risks teen drivers face and encourage discussion with a goal toward keeping teens safer behind the wheel.

Many teen driving crashes are preventable. This video with speaker’s guide addresses the leading causes of teen crashes, according to the Centers for Disease Control:

• Driver inexperience
• Driving with teen passengers
• Nighttime driving
• Not using seat belts
• Distracted driving
• Drowsy driving
• Reckless driving
• Impaired driving

Please first download the speaker’s guide and use it along with the video presentation. It provides talking points to go with each slide, and suggested conversation-starters.

Thank you for helping to keep teens safe on our roadways.

Click here (or on the title slide below) to launch the Teen Driver Safety Presentation.

Direct links to the videos embedded in the presentation:

After lunch, John, an engineer, left the house to head back to the office, but first decided to get the mail. Marilyn put on her coat and prepared to do last minute Christmas shopping.

Marilyn thought she heard someone calling for a dog. She heard the voice again. It was louder and more urgent. Curious, she followed the voice, toward the end of her driveway

As she reached the end, about 35 feet from their front door, she saw John. He was lying in the snow, conscious but unable to move, and seriously injured.

He repeated the words “hurt” and “truck” to her. The mailbox door was open with the mail still inside. Marilyn quickly called 911. John, her husband and best friend, was rushed to the hospital.

In an effort to keep John alive, the hospital staff quickly worked to identify the extent of his injuries. Throughout all of this, John remained conscious and kept repeating, “hurt.”

As she held his hand, he stared directly into her eyes and lightly squeezed her hand two times - their secret way of saying of I love you. Then he went into cardiac arrest and passed away. Marilyn would never see him smile again.

John was hit and killed by a truck when he was collecting his mail. An alert was put out for the driver, who did not stop at the crash scene. The 20-year-old, who turned himself in, said he thought he hit a snowbank or mailbox. He also admitted to texting while driving. Investigators reported the driver’s eyes were off the road for seven seconds.

After a five-day trial, the driver was acquitted of all charges. Marilyn decided more needed to be done to raise distracted driving awareness and laws needed to be changed to hold distracted drivers accountable.

Her next journey

The local Junior Woman’s League approached Marilyn about planting a tree in John’s memory. Marilyn, however, had a different idea. She asked the women to purchase thumb bands for distribution throughout town, with messaging designed to encourage drivers not to text while driving.

At the local high school, the resource officer distributed the thumb bands. After an article about the effort was printed in the local newspaper, donations began to flow in for more thumb bands. Local businesses handed them out to customers, more donations came in.

Marilyn knew more needed to be done.

She actively sought out public speaking opportunities and became a passionate advocate for “hands free” driving legislation. Marilyn was contacted by Sue Centner of the Community Alliance for Teen Safety (CATS), which receives funding from State Farm.

“We heard about Marilyn and her courage, and wondered how sharing her story could help save lives in our Derry community and throughout New Hampshire,” said Sue. “Marilyn was determined to make a positive impact in the lives of others.”

Marilyn joined forces with CATS, the Derry Police Department, and Dartmouth’s Injury Prevention Center to produce a televised roundtable discussion about New Hampshire’s proposed hands free driving law. This program was distributed through the cable networks throughout the state.

Marilyn remained a positive force, working with local and state police, CATS, the NH Driving Toward Zero Coalition, and other highway safety advocates. They supported a legislative effort that resulted in New Hampshire becoming the 15th state to ban drivers from using hand-held electronic devices while driving. The law took effect on July 1, 2015.

Marilyn believes legislation and education efforts will help prevent further tragedies like hers. So she continues to share her story at high school assemblies, hoping to make a difference.

“I remember, after Marilyn finished speaking during one presentation, the students spontaneously stood and applauded,” said Sue from CATS. “Marilyn clearly made an impact and she continues to do so throughout the state and at national traffic safety conferences.”

Marilyn is committed to preventing this type of tragedy from happening to others. “John was incredibly generous and dedicated much of his time to his community, serving as a firefighter for 18 years and as the fire chief for four,” she said. “He was an umpire, a master gardener, and a well-known columnist for a local newspaper.”

“One thing that would make me happy is to have the driver responsible for John’s death to join me at speaking engagements,” said Marilyn. “I think he could be a phenomenal advocate and that could be a big step in the healing process for us both.”

“As a new driver, I listen and observe closely what my parents say about safe driving, but sometimes their words don’t match their actions behind the wheel,” says Rina Matarasso.

“I caught myself, a couple of times, mapping on the phone while driving,” says Charlie Matarasso, Rina’s dad. “I take quick glances at my phone to see if I missed a call. I know I shouldn’t do it and I tell my daughter not to, but I still do it sometimes.”

A survey conducted by State Farm® in 2011 reported 54 percent of teens have seen their parents using a phone while driving. Parents are one of the most important influences on teen drivers and how they handle themselves behind the wheel creates a powerful example for their teens.

“My dad doesn’t really fully stop at a stop sign,” says Andres Bonilla. “My parents also have a habit of checking their phone at a traffic light. I see what they do. Is it okay for me to do the same?”

The Humanity Project and students at Monarch High School in Coconut Creek, Florida worked with peers, parents and community auto safety advocates to create an online safe driving booklet for parents called, “I Care! Just Help Them Drive!” The Humanity Project is a non-profit organization, supported by State Farm®, which creates innovative, arts-based programs to help youth solve social problems.

“The booklet offers parents, in a witty and memorable fashion, why they need to practice what they preach to their teenage drivers – with tips about how to do that,” says Bob Knotts, founder of The Humanity Project. It includes a comic strip created by Rina and advice to parents from a teenage professional car driver, Jarret Voorhies.

Driving can be stressful for everyone, especially parents of teen drivers. “I’ve seen the look of terror in my own parents’ eyes when I drive,” says Jarret Voorhies. “Here are four things I’ve learned from racing that parents can teach their teens:”

Listen as Rina and her dad talk with Bob Knotts about the impact parents have on teen drivers. The full podcast can be found on The Humanity Project website.

“I Care! Just Help Them Drive!” is an expansion of the first online booklet, “I Care, Just Let Me Drive.” Both were created by teens, for teens to share among each other and with their parents. The Humanity Project plans to promote “I Care! Just Help Them Drive!” with high schools, PTA’s and auto safety organizations nationwide. To read more of the advice shared by teens, download the free booklet.