Toronto, Ontario — Crashes linked to distracted driving are up, and according to results from a new Travelers Canada survey, drivers are bringing it upon themselves, with about 30 percent of respondents saying they created the distraction that caused them to crash.
An additional 25 percent of those who responded to the survey reported a “near miss” as a result of their distracted driving. These figures mark 50 and 56 percent increases since 2022, according to the survey.
Delving further in, it was found that about 48 percent of drivers still insist on holding their cell phone to make and receive calls, despite the fact that nearly every phone on the market these days has some sort of hands-free calling feature to mitigate this distraction.
A further 21 percent of those surveyed admitted to reading texts and emails while they drive.
The survey also identified some other passive stressors that contribute to distracted driving, including watching the behaviours of other drivers, traffic congestion, looking for parking, following directions, as well as managing the behaviour of passengers.
Shedding light on the quantifiable emotional strain of modern driving, 16 percent of drivers who responded to the survey said that they often cry or “experience intense emotions” while driving. This rate climbs to 21 percent among younger drivers (18 to 34).
Pointing toward the ever-valuable power of positive influence, 90 percent of drivers reported that they would put their phone away while driving if their passenger asked them to.
Additionally, workplace policies have been shown to be effective at curbing phone-use behind the wheel, as the survey found that 93 percent of those with such a policy “always or usually follow it.”
Unfortunately, however, only 17 percent of employed Canadians reported their workplace has an official policy against sending or receiving work-related phone calls, texts or emails while driving.
“The results of this year’s survey support what many of us see while we are on the road—more people are driving distracted,” said v-p of personal insurance, sales, distribution and marketing for Travelers Canada, Paul Stone.
“This behaviour includes everything from texting to checking emails to driving while under emotional strain, all of which can lead to accidents. Safe roads are not just a matter of chance, but a collective responsibility, and acknowledging the prevalence of risky driving behaviours is the first step towards creating a safer driving culture.”
