Erie Insurance Encourages Drivers to Avoid Distractions

ERIE, Pa., April 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Hands on the wheel; eyes on the road.  It sounds easy, yet millions of Americans ignore this advice and become distracted drivers.

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According to DRIVE SMART Virginia, a Virginia Tech study showed that of crash and near-crash occurrences, 80 percent of all crashes, and 65 percent of all near crashes involved a distracted driving incident within 3 seconds of the event.

While 80 percent of crashes are related to driver inattention, there are certain activities that are especially dangerous, such as:

• Texting - 23 times increase in crash risk
• Reaching for a moving object - 9 times increase in crash risk
• Driving drowsy - 4 times increase in crash risk
• Looking at an external object - 4 times increase in crash risk
• Reading - 3 times increase in crash risk
• Using a cell phone - 4 times increase in crash risk
• Applying makeup - 3 times increase in crash risk

Cell phone use is more frequent and lasts longer than other risk behaviors and therefore is listed as the top reason for driver inattention behind the wheel.

"Distracted drivers are a huge problem on the road, whether they're texting, talking or simply programming their GPS," said James Timm, claims manager for Erie Insurance's Richmond office. "For the third year, Erie Insurance is pleased to support DRIVE SMART Virginia and its partners in recognizing April 28th as Distracted Driving Awareness Day in Virginia."

Drivers can pledge to drive distraction free at www.drivesmartva.org.

For more information, visit www.erieinsurance.com or talk to an Erie Insurance agent.

According to A.M. Best Company, Erie Insurance Group, based in Erie, Pennsylvania, is the 14th largest automobile insurer in the United States based on direct premiums written and the 18th largest property/casualty insurer in the United States based on total lines net premium written. The Group, rated A+ (Superior) by A.M. Best Company, has over 4.1 million policies in force and operates in 11 states and the District of Columbia. Erie Insurance Group ranks 484 on the FORTUNE 500.

Erie Insurance earned J.D. Power and Associates' award for "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with the Auto Insurance Shopping Experience." This recognition is based on the results of the 2009 Insurance Shopping Study, which evaluates the experience of customers purchasing a new auto insurance policy. Erie Insurance has also been recognized on the list of Ward's 50 Group of top performing insurance companies.  The Ward's 50 award analyzes the financial performance of 3,000 property and casualty companies and 800 life-health insurance companies and recognizes the top performers for achieving outstanding financial results in safety and consistency over a five-year period (2004-2008).

SOURCE Erie Insurance

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