A study reveals drivers are “double distracted” #WhileDriving

Credit: Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images

Credit: Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images

For Distracted Driving Awareness Month, Erie Insurance took a look at how many people used Twitter and Instagram while driving.

Many  people look at their phones while driving, checking a text or looking at an email, but the “ double distracted” take it to the next level.

They are the ones who are posting on social media while driving, even taking pictures. And we all know how many “test shots” it takes to get the perfect one.

While paying attention to the popular hashtag #WhileDriving, Erie Insurance found men are more likely to be “double distracted” than women, with over 55 percent of these social posts coming from men.

In 2014 alone, it was found that 3,079 people were killed and 431,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes that involved distracted drivers, according to Distraction.Gov.

“Drivers should be keeping their hands on the wheel, their eyes on the road, and their attention on driving but, based on our analysis of the ‘while driving’ hashtag, many appear instead to be gazing off into the sunset, often times snapping and sharing photos — clearly an unsafe situation,” said Doug Smith, Erie Insurance senior vice president of Personal Lines, in a release.

Ohio is luckily not in the top 10 states of #WhileDriving offenders.

The 10 most used hashtags used with #WhileDriving according to Erie Insurance were:

  1. Clouds
  2. Sunset
  3. Sky
  4. Nature
  5. Sun
  6. Nofilter
  7. Landscape
  8. Car
  9. Driving
  10. Selfie

The top 10 states that have the most #WhileDriving offenders:

  1. California
  2. Florida
  3. Texas
  4. South Carolina
  5. New York
  6. Illinois
  7. Massachusetts
  8. Oregon
  9. Colorado
  10. Nevada

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