Mobile Tech Devices Boost Driving Risks

When it comes to using a mobile device behind the wheel, drivers in Orange County and nearby Los Angeles County take even more risks than the national average. 

The 2019 Travelers Risk Index found that 71% of area respondents say they use a mobile device for calls or apps while driving, compared to 68% nationally. 

“The reason we’re seeing such an uptick in traffic fatalities, we believe, is because of our technology,” Joan Woodward, president of the Travelers Institute, told the Business Journal on Sept. 9. The institute is the public policy division of The Travelers Companies Inc., the insurance giant. 

In conjunction with the new data, Travelers Institute hosted an “Every Second Matters” event at California State University-Fullerton on Sept. 12, to launch its fall public awareness campaign.

Broken down by age group, the survey said 53% of baby boomers admitted they use their phone for calls or to use apps while driving, compared to 75% of those in Generation X, and 85% of millennials. 

Woodward points to one “shocking” number in particular: 20% of the drivers in OC and four nearby counties admitted to shopping online while behind the wheel.

Alarming Figures

The survey conducted in the first half of August said 43% acknowledge reading a text message or email while driving and a bit more than a quarter record videos or take photos with a smartphone.  

“Due to their own distracted driving, 11% have gotten into a crash, 7% have hit a pedestrian and 6% have hit a cyclist,” according to the survey.

In addition to OC and LA County, the areas surveyed were Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.

“The stigma associated with drinking and driving needs to be associated with distracted driving,” Woodward said.  

Woodward said today’s digital display entertainment systems and navigation systems often require someone to look at them while underway, increasing the risks compared with the old-fashioned car radios operated by pushing a button or turning a knob.

There is a bright spot for the younger generation, according to the Travelers study.

Almost half of college-age drivers say they use communication-blocking technology such as Apple’s “Do Not Disturb While Driving” feature. That’s more than for those in the older age groups. 

“I do think it’s because they’re so much more familiar with the features of their phones that they use more features than the older people,” Woodward said of the college-age drivers.

In another bright spot: 62% of respondents in the Greater Los Angeles-area sample of 500 people said that they are extremely likely to speak up as a passenger if a family member is driving distracted.