Distracted driving claims increase

Alberta had a 58% increase in distracted-driving accidents

Insurance claims related to distracted driving are on the rise, according to claims data released by Aviva Canada on Monday.

From the start of 2016 through March 2018, the insurer saw distracted driving claims increase by 23% across Canada. Accidents related to distracted driving went up by 58% in Alberta, 34% in Quebec, 18% in the Greater Toronto Area and 8% in Atlantic Canada.

“The majority of these accidents are preventable—such as hitting stationary objects, rear ending other vehicles and inattentive lane changes,” Phil Gibson, Aviva Canada’s chief underwriting officer, said in a news release.

To help combat distracted driving, Aviva has launched its Undistracted Driving campaign, and released this video.

Last fall, Aviva published a poll that showed texting and driving makes 95% of Canadian drivers feel unsafe. Eighty-eight percent of respondents said they had witnessed other people on the road texting and driving.

Copyright © 2018 Transcontinental Media G.P. This article appeared in the Canadian Insurance Top Broker magazine