Distracted Drivers Make Driving More Dangerous - And Now YOU Will Pay More Because of It.

Today's mobile phones are EVIL. I know that is harsh. But the phone that hung on my parents wall was a marvel, a life saver, a simplistic way to communicate with people world wide. We would call friends and neighbors and talk for hours (well... if it wasn't long distance!).

Now our smartphones bear very little resemblance to the phones of old. They are used less and less for actual conversations - instead they are connected to the internet of things and a myriad of "social apps" (a misnomer in my opinion) and have hypnotized an entire generation that can't even walk down a sidewalk without staring at it. Even worse, they can't seem to put them away while they are driving a 3,500 lb. missile down the road at 65 MPH.
Everyone has seen a driver distracted by a cell phone - but when YOU are on the phone - you often don't realize that distracted driver is you. Here is the statistic that scares me most;

• When polled, 77% of adults and 55% of teenage drivers say that they can easily manage texting while driving.

Let's get the horrifying numbers out of the way. I only included about 1/1000th of what is out there. And the results of the statistics are staggering really.

• Over 2.5 million people in the U.S. are involved in road accidents each year. Of these, 1.6 million have a cell phone involved in them in some way.
• 10% of adults and 20% of teenagers have admitted that they have entire conversations over text message platforms while driving.
• Texting and driving is 6 times more likely to get you in an accident than drunk driving.
• Every day, 11 teenagers die because they were texting while driving.
• 94% of teenagers understand the consequences of texting and driving, but 35% of them admitted that they do it anyway.

But there is another effect from all of this carelessness - and this one is going to hit you in your wallet this time. A great example? State Farm, the nation’s largest auto insurer, just reported a staggering

$7 BILLION dollar loss

from their auto insurance division. Let that sink in for a minute. The result is that they are being forced to raise costs on EVERYONE'S auto policies. The reason?? Those EVIL Smartphones are distracting drivers and repair costs and injuries are climbing at an alarming rate. On average State Farm customers might see at LEAST a 6% to 25% increase in 2017 and much more as more loss numbers come.
State Farm is one example - Travelers Insurance along with Allstate Corp. and Geico have also announced rate increases. These are just the tip of the iceberg in companies that are raising auto insurance premiums across the board. Forbes Magazine says that the increase in the accident rate has resulted in auto insurance companies “bleeding money.” Almost all major companies raised their premiums for 2016 and are expected to raise them again for 2017 and 2018.
So - What can you do??
The best thing to do is to find a local independent insurance agency who can shop you to several companies and ensure the best rates for your situation. While insurance is likely to continue to rise - some companies will take smaller increases than others. Each company has it's own "sweet spot" for the type of customer they want to attract. Shopping around will assure you are with the best company for you.

Did your rates go up this year?

Brew City Insurance can help

Come in to Brew City Insurance for a no-obligation insurance review.
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