Press release
As Summer Road Trip Season Starts, Erie Insurance Offers Tips from Psychologist on How to Speak up if Someone is Texting While Driving
National Survey Finds Passengers Who Speak Up Can Make a Huge Difference ERIE, Pa., May 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A national survey commissioned by Erie
About this update from Erie Indemnity Company
[{"type":"text","content":"National Survey Finds Passengers Who Speak Up Can Make a Huge Difference\nERIE, Pa., May 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A national survey commissioned by Erie Insurance shows that passengers can dramatically help reduce texting while driving by asking the driver to stop. Almost half of drivers who were asked or told to stop texting (43%) said they stopped doing it at once and never did it again. And yet, 10% of passengers don't speak up when a driver starts texting. Why? The majority say it's because they wouldn't want to offend the driver or feel it would be uncomfortable to say something.\n\n \n \n\n \nBecause speaking up can make such a big difference in stopping the dangerous behavior of texting while driving, Erie Insurance reached out to a psychology professor for tips for how passengers can overcome their discomfort with making \"the ask.\"\nDr. Stanislaw Kolek is a visiting assistant professor at Allegheny College whose areas of study include vulnerable road users, driver training, driving styles and hazard perception in driving. He offers four different approaches for asking a driver to stop texting while driving.\nNegotiation – This method involves acknowledging the situation and providing a solution. \"If you are in a car and the driver starts texting, you could say, 'It looks like you really need to be texting someone right now so why don't you let me drive? I can drive and you can text, and once we get to our destination, you can get back into the driver's seat,'\" said Kolek. \"It's a way to get them to realize that the behavior is not wanted and that you've already come up with a solution. Asking them if you can be the driver in that situation is usually a very non-antagonistic way of getting yourself out of a dangerous situation.\"Positive Reinforcement – Another tactic is to let the driver know how putting down their phone can benefit them. For example, Erie Insurance has a program called YourTurn, a smartphone app that enables safe drivers to earn rewards that can be used for gift cards or donated to charity. Within the first 30 days of using YourTurn, drivers have seen an average reduction of 35% in phone distractions, 20% in hard braking and 20% reduction in at-risk speeding. \"Letting the driver know about a rewards program is a good approach, especially if they don't already know about it. You can say 'Hey, there...