Travelers Institute hosts event to address the distracted-driving
epidemic in partnership with local victims’ families; premieres
“Unfinished Stories” video
MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
The Travelers
Institute, the public policy division of The Travelers Companies,
Inc. (NYSE: TRV),
will host a symposium, “Disrupting Distraction,” today at the University
of Minnesota. Part of the company’s Every Second Matters℠distracted-driving
education series, this session will explore the latest trends and
research around distracted driving and promising approaches to tackling
this important public health problem.
Travelers recently commissioned a survey of 503 Minneapolis-area drivers
and found that 71 percent use a mobile device while driving, with 84
percent of millennials, 72 percent of Gen Xers and 62 percent of baby
boomers engaging in this behavior.
The survey also identified how drivers in the region are using mobile
devices while behind the wheel, which included:
-
Reading texts or emails (56 percent).
-
Typing texts or emails (44 percent).
-
Updating or checking social media accounts, such as Facebook, Snapchat
or Twitter (24 percent).
-
Shopping online (19 percent).
“It’s alarming to see how pervasive the distracted-driving problem is in
our society,” said Joan Woodward, President of the Travelers Institute
and Executive Vice President of Public Policy at Travelers. “Nearly 10
percent of our survey respondents said they had hit a pedestrian,
cyclist or another vehicle, and 17 percent said they had a ‘near miss’
because they were distracted behind the wheel.”
Today’s event — co-hosted by the Travelers Institute, the Shreya R.
Dixit Memorial Foundation, the Distraction-Free for Life Club, Just
Drive, the University of Minnesota College of Science & Engineering,
the University of Minnesota HumanFIRST Laboratory, the Minnesota Safety
Council, the Insurance Federation of Minnesota and Gamma Iota Sigma’s
Beta Pi Chapter — will begin at 11:30 a.m. CT and feature a panel
discussion moderated by Woodward and presentations from speakers,
including:
- Michael Klein, Executive Vice President and President, Personal
Insurance, Travelers.
- Al Johnson, Vice President, Corporate Environment, Health & Safety,
Cargill Inc.
-
Colonel Matt Langer, Chief, Minnesota State Patrol.
-
Dr. Nichole Morris, Director, HumanFIRST Laboratory, Department of
Mechanical Engineering; Research Scholar, Center for Transportation
Studies; Adjunct Professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering,
University of Minnesota.
During the event, Travelers will premiere the second video in its
“Unfinished Stories” series, which honors victims of distracted driving
by imagining what might have been if the crash never occurred. The video
debuting at today’s event tells the story of Shreya Dixit from Eden
Prairie, Minnesota, and the previously released video tells the story of
Phillip LaVallee from Monticello, Minnesota. The Dixit and LaVallee
families will be attending today’s event, and the victims’ fathers,
Vijay Dixit and Gregory LaVallee, will deliver the opening presentation.
To see the latest video and other distracted driving content, visit www.travelers.com/DistractedDriving.
“Too many people believe they can drive safely while distracted and that
they won’t be the one to be involved in a crash, but that one moment
with your eyes off the road can be all it takes,” said Dixit.
“Until we change the casual attitude toward distracted driving and
attach a stigma to it as was done with drunk driving, more stories will
go unfinished,” said LaVallee.
Visit the Travelers
Institute website to see the schedule of upcoming events and learn
more about these initiatives.
About the Travelers Institute
The Travelers
Institute, the public policy division of The Travelers Companies,
Inc., engages in discussion and analysis of public policy topics of
importance to the insurance marketplace and to the financial services
industry more broadly. The Travelers Institute draws upon the industry
expertise of Travelers’ senior management, as well as the technical
expertise of many of Travelers’ underwriters, risk managers and other
experts to provide information, analysis and solutions to public
policymakers and regulators. Travelers is a leading provider of property
casualty insurance for auto,
home
and business.
For more information, visit www.travelers.com.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190221005487/en/
Media:
Stephanie Arpin, 860.277.8876
sarpin@travelers.com
Source: The Travelers Companies, Inc.