Eyes on the road, hands on the wheel – Wawanesa launches #YouHaveOneJob distracted driving awareness campaign
WINNIPEG, Manitoba, April 1, 2019 - It’s no joke – being distracted while driving can have severe consequences to your safety and have significant impacts to your insurance rates and right to drive.
“Distracted driving is a major factor in rising collision rates, and vehicles are becoming more expensive to repair due to the new technologies built into them,” says Wawanesa’s President of Canadian Property & Casualty Operations, Carol Jardine. “When we focus on the road, we not only keep ourselves and others safe – we can also help influence rising insurance costs.”
During the month of April, Wawanesa Insurance is promoting safe driving habits by inviting Canadians to join the conversation about the impacts of distracted driving. Through the #YouHaveOneJob social media campaign on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, Wawanesa will also encourage and teach people how to use the ‘Do Not Disturb’ feature on smartphones.
No one is immune to the potential consequences to their safety, driving record and insurance premiums if they engage in high risk behaviours behind the wheel. The Insurance Bureau of Canada reports that distracted driving is potentially as dangerous as impaired driving and is much more common. If you drive while distracted, here are facts you should know:
- You are 23 times more likely to be involved in a collision if you text while driving and four times more likely if you talk on a cellphone (hand-held or hands-free) while driving.
- A distracted driver may fail to see up to 50 per cent of the available information in the driving environment. You may look but not actually “see” what is happening.
- A study showed that nearly 80 per cent of collisions and 65 per cent of near-collisions involved some form of driver inattention up to three seconds prior to the event.
More data is available on the Insurance Bureau of Canada’s website.
Tips to stay safe while driving:
- Before entering your vehicle, activate the ‘Do Not Disturb’ feature on your smartphone and ask your loved ones to do the same;
- If your smartphone doesn’t have this feature, place your phone out of reach to avoid temptation; and
- If you must make a call, send a text or post a message to social media, find a safe place to pull over to do this.
About The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company
The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company, founded in 1896 in the Village of Wawanesa, Manitoba, is the largest Canadian Property and Casualty Mutual insurer with more than $3 billion in annual revenue and assets of more than $9 billion. Wawanesa Mutual, with executive offices in Winnipeg, is the parent company of Wawanesa General, which offers property and casualty insurance in California and Oregon; Wawanesa Life, which provides life insurance products and services throughout Canada; and Western Financial Group, which distributes personal and business insurance across Canada. With over 5,000 employees, Wawanesa proudly serves over two million policyholders through regional offices and service offices in Canada and the United States. Wawanesa actively gives back to organizations that strengthen communities where it operates, donating well above internationally recognized benchmarks for excellence in corporate philanthropy. Learn more at www.wawanesa.com.
For more information: