Distracted-Driving Simulator Visits North Easton

Center Insurance Agency is proud to bring Distractology to North Easton during the week of April 23-27. Developed and funded by the Arbella Insurance Foundation, Distractology was one of the first programs in the country to address distracted driving with young, inexperienced drivers. Drivers who have completed Distractology are proven to be 19 percent less likely to have an accident and 25 percent less likely to receive traffic violations*.

According to the CDC, 9 people are killed every hour and more than 1,000 are injured as a result of distracted drivers. Teens have the highest crash rate of any group in the United States. According to new research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, new teen drivers ages 16-17 years old are three times as likely as adults to be involved in a deadly crash. What’s more, 86 percent of teenage drivers have driven while distracted, even though 84 percent know it’s dangerous.

“Using your phone while driving triples your risk of a crash and the distracted driving problem keeps getting worse,” said John Donohue, chairman, president and CEO of the Arbella Insurance Group and chairman of the Arbella Insurance Foundation. “It’s our hope that by working together with new drivers, educators and parents, we can once and for all break the addiction so many drivers have to their mobile phones and create a new generation of safe drivers who believe distracted driving is unacceptable.”

Distractology features a mobile classroom outfitted with two high-tech driving simulators designed to give new drivers the chance to experience the perils of distracted driving. Simulations are based on real-world examples, including texting, posting to social media sites like Facebook and Snapchat, and changing the radio all while navigating residential and highway conditions. Arbella recently debuted a new scenario which prompts students to take a selfie behind the wheel. In 2016, there were more than 70,000 Instagram posts tagged #DrivingSelfie, #SelfieWhileDriving, #HopeIDon’tCrash, and other driving selfie-related hashtags.

To date, more than 15,000 new drivers, meaning those that have been licensed less than three years or have a learner’s permit, have completed the Distractology training, with 96 percent willing to recommend it to their friends.

“Over the past 8 years, Arbella’s Distractology campaign has made enormous strides in terms of combating distracted driving,” said Patti Boucher of Center Insurance Agency. “The program is proven to decrease accident rates by almost 20 percent for participating drivers and we’re proud to support Distractology’s important mission.”

The Distractology curriculum and simulator are based on research funded by Arbella Insurance Foundation and conducted by the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst). Distractology, will travel to various communities in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island during the 2017-2018 school year, offering 45 minutes of simulated distracted driving to each participant. Fully funded by the Arbella Insurance Foundation, Distractology is free to eligible drivers.

About the Arbella Insurance Group and the Arbella Insurance Foundation

Established in 1988, the Arbella Insurance Group (www.arbella.com) is a company with more than $800M in revenue with approximately $1.5B in assets, headquartered in Quincy, Massachusetts. Arbella is a customer-focused regional property and casualty insurance company, providing personal and business insurance in Massachusetts and Connecticut, and business insurance in Rhode Island and New Hampshire. Arbella Insurance Group founded the Arbella Insurance Foundation in 2004. The mission of Arbella’s Foundation is to engage in activities and to support not-for-profit organizations that have a significant positive impact on the people and communities served by Arbella.

About Center Insurance Agency

Center Insurance is a full service, independent insurance agency with over 30 years of experience. Center is family owned and operated. Patti Boucher, owner and managing partner, has been an active member of the community and called Easton home for 28 years. Giving back within the community is a core value at Center Insurance and one that is actively cultivated within the agency, which made hosting Arbella’s Distractology Program at Oliver Ames High School a special opportunity and experience for us. Center has access to a comprehensive selection of insurance products, providing personal and commercial coverage for clients. Along with home, auto, and business policies, Center’s team of licensed professionals offer a wide array of additional insurance services including loss control, risk management, and claims recovery.

* Results are based upon data obtained from Arbella Mutual Insurance Company’s youthful operators who took the Distractology training when compared to those who did not from 2010 through 2014. The study showed that drivers were 19 percent less likely to have an accident and 25 percent less likely to receive traffic violations*

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