Travelers survey finds 37% of Canadian drivers admit to using a mobile device behind the wheel

Thirty-seven percent of Canadian drivers admit to using a mobile device when they’re behind the wheel, according to a survey released by Travelers Canada on Monday.

Drivers said the most common reasons for the behavior were family obligations (31%), not wanting to miss something important (27%) and always wanting to be available for work (14%).

Related: Distracted driving overtakes drunk driving as top road safety concern: survey

“The findings suggest that drivers are feeling the pressures of our increasingly connected world, and high awareness of the law does not necessarily translate to prudent behaviours behind the wheel,” said Jordan Solway, group general counsel and vice-president of claim at Travelers Canada.

Sixty-nine percent of respondents said mobile devices were the biggest distraction to drivers. However, only 24% said mobile devices were the biggest distraction to their own driving.

“There is a clear disconnect between how people perceive the dangers of distracted driving overall and their own driving behaviours,” said Pamela Fuselli, vice-president of knowledge transfer and stakeholder relations at Parachute, a national charity dedicated to injury prevention.

Canadian Insurance Top Broker is now on Facebook (facebook.com/TopBrokerMag) as well as LinkedIn (linkedin.com/company/citopbroker) and Twitter (twitter.com/CITopBroker). Follow us for easy access to the top P&C news you need to know.

This story was originally published by Canadian Insurance Top Broker.