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SMARTPHONE OWNERSHIP AND DRIVER DISTRACTIONS HIGH AMONG HISPANICS

A New State Farm® Survey of Hispanic Drivers Reveals Frequent Use of Smartphones While Driving

November 18, 2014 / PR Newswire / — Three in 10 Hispanic drivers said they have engaged in webbing while driving, according to a first-of-its-kind distracted driving survey by State Farm. This was the first time Hispanic drivers were surveyed regarding their driving behaviors. Drivers who use cellular phones while driving are four times more likely to have a crash than those who refrain from this risky behavior.ⁱ

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The new survey, which was comprised of 650 U.S Hispanic drivers over 18 years old, shows nearly 37 percent text and drive and the majority of drivers (54 percent) program a navigation system/GPS while driving. The survey revealed that approximately one quarter indicated reading emails, responding to emails, reading social media, and update social media while driving.

“The mobile internet is generating another set of distractions for drivers to avoid,” said Chris Mullen, Director of Technology Research at State Farm. “Much attention is paid toward reducing texting while driving, but we must also be concerned about addressing the use of multiple mobile web services while driving.”

According to a report by the National Highway Transportation Safety Association, racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionately killed in traffic crashes, compared with the much larger non-Hispanic White population. Of particular concern is the large number of fatalities in the Hispanic population because this ethnic group is the largest minority group in the United States. These distractions pose an ever increasing risk to drivers and their safety on the road.

“The safety community must ensure we are keeping pace with our understanding of the types of distractions drivers face,” said Mullen. “Regulation, enforcement, education and technology all have a role to play in making our roads safer for all who share them.”

While distracted driving research and education often focuses on young, inexperienced drivers, the data indicate that motorists of all ages are using their smartphones while driving.

Other Key Findings:

91 percent of Hispanic drivers with cellphones indicated that they owned a smartphone
For Hispanic drivers ages 18-29, 53 percent text while driving, and 37 percent check email
Drivers are accessing the internet on a smartphone at 30 percent, while drivers 18-29 are doing so at a much higher rate, 41 percent
Twenty-five percent of drivers are updating social media networks, with drivers ages 18-29 doing so a bit more at 33 percent

A copy of the full report can be found here

“State Farm continues to support a multi-pronged approach to encouraging more engaged driving,” Mullen said. “Engaged driving occurs when drivers actively devote sufficient attention to actions critical to safe driving. It’s our goal for all drivers to have this level of engagement at all times.” For tips on how to break the distracted driving habit go to the Learning Center at State Farm.

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About the survey:
In October and November of 2014, the State Farm Strategic Resources Department used an outside panel vendor to conduct an online survey with approximately 650 U.S. Hispanic consumers. Survey respondents included those who reported being Hispanic or Latino, having some insurance and financial responsibility for their household, having a valid driver’s license, owning a cellphone, and driving between 1 and 80 hours per week. The sample was representative of the U.S. Hispanic population by age, gender, region, and preferred language of the online survey.

About State Farm®
State Farm and its affiliates are the largest provider of car insurance in the U.S. and is a leading insurer in Canada. In addition to providing auto insurance quotes, their 18,000 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve almost 84 million policies and accounts – approximately 82 million auto, home, life, health and commercial policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 41 on the 2014 Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com or in Canada http://www.statefarm.ca.

ⁱ McEvoy, S.P.; Stevenson, M.R.; McCartt, A.T.; Woodward, M.; Haworth, C.; Palamara, P.; and Cercarelli, R. 2005. Role of mobile phones in motor vehicle crashes resulting in hospital attendance: a case-crossover study. British Medical Journal 331(7514):428

Photo Gallery

A first-of-its-kind study from State Farm looks at the common distractions for Hispanic drivers.
A majority of Hispanic drivers (54 percent) program a navigation system/GPS while driving, according to a new survey by State Farm.
Do drivers try to manage their risk when they use their cellphones? A new report from State Farm shows that one quarter of Hispanic drivers say they read and respond to emails, read and update social media while driving.
For Hispanic drivers ages 18-29, 53 percent text while driving, and 37 percent check email, according to a new State Farm survey conducted of Hispanic drivers.