White Plains, NY - October 31, 2000 |  Cell phone use while driving is the tip of the iceberg of accident-causing driving distractions, according to a survey by Response Insurance, a national auto insurance company.

A national survey of more than one-thousand drivers was released as many local governments are seeking to restrict cell phone use on the road. Response Insurance is the company that sponsored the survey that launched the national debate on driving distractions. Additional survey results can be found at www.response.com

Thirteen percent of drivers who talk on cell phones behind the wheel say it had caused, or nearly caused, them to get into a car accident. Overall, cell phone usage was reported by 29% of all drivers in the Response Insurance National Driving Habits Survey.

But the survey also found that 76% of drivers engaged in one or more distracting activity while driving. In many cases those distractions resulted in accidents or near-accidents at an even higher rate.

“The real problem is in the drivers who seem to think they’re sitting in their living rooms, rather than behind the wheel. They’re eating, talking on the phone, listening to the radio, reading and combing their hair – everything except paying attention to the road,” said Mory Katz, Chairman of Response Insurance.

Newly released survey results also drew a clearer picture of the typical cell phone-driver:

• Men edged out women on the phone, 31% to 28%
• Baby-boomers 35-44 years old randed highest at 40%, as compared to drivers 65+ at just 10%
• Drivers from western states call/drive more than those in the northeast, 33% to 26%
• Drivers earning more than %50K a year call and drive more than those in the $15-25K range, 46% to 15%
• Parents do it more than those without children, 38% to 24%

"Distractions come in many forms and talking on a cell phone is just one of the activities that can result in inattentive driving," Mr. Katz stated. Alarmingly, the survey revealed that 20% are so busy multi-tasking behind the wheel that they have steered their car with their thighs.

Additional survey results and information can be obtained at www.response.com or by calling toll free 1-800-610-5928.

The survey was developed by Response Insurance and Leflein Associates, Inc. and conducted by Opinion Research Corporation International. A total of 1,016 telephone interviews were conducted October 14-17, 1999 among a nationally representative sample of adults 18 years of age and older. A second survey covering related topics was conducted April 27-30, 2000 among 954 interviews.