Americans Drove Less, Sped and Collided More During COVID-19

By Staff 4 years ago

Data from Life360 reveals Americans engaged in more unsafe driving behaviors during the pandemic

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Americans have moved around much less during the pandemic — and that includes behind the wheel. Today, new data from Life360, the leading safety and coordination service for families worldwide, reveals that while Americans drove less during the pandemic, they collided and sped more, and were generally more distracted behind the wheel.

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Life360 compared its app-generated driving data from March-December 2020 — the months most impacted by the pandemic — with data from the same time period* in 2019.

From March-December 2020, key findings include:

  • The Road Less Traveled. With social distancing measures, business closures and a shift to working and learning from home for many, members in the U.S. drove 16 percent less during the pandemic, per active user (917 miles in 2020 compared to 1,092 miles in 2019).
  • Collisions Counted. Life360 noted 10 percent more car collisions during the pandemic, per miles driven than the previous year. Collisions are detected via Crash Detection**, a Life360 driver safety feature that recognizes when a user is driving more than 25 miles per hour and has been in an accident, either as a driver or passenger.
  • Ever More Emergencies. Going hand-in-hand with more collisions, the average monthly dispatch of emergency vehicles increased by 8 percent during the pandemic. This was generated via the app’s Crash Detection feature, which dispatches emergency responders to the exact location of an accident when help is needed.
  • Surge in Speeding. Speeding events, which is defined as accelerating beyond 80 miles per hour, increased by 12 percent during the pandemic.
  • Distracted While Driving. Distracted driving, quantified by how often members use their phone while driving, increased by 9 percent during the pandemic.

As the largest source of driving data in the world leveraging more than 200 billion miles annually, Life360 provides safety insights around driving behavior to better protect family members on the go via location sharing, day-to-day communications, driver updates, emergency response features, and more.

Visit www.life360.com to learn more about Life360. The Life360 app can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and Google Play.

*The dataset was generated by pulling and comparing Life360 driving data from March 1 – December 1, 2019 and March 1 – December 1, 2020. The dataset looks at U.S.-based users only and takes userbase growth into consideration.

**Crash Detection is enabled when: the vehicle is moving at a sustained speed of at least 25 mph for at least 30 seconds before the collision; the vehicle has come to a complete stop after the collision; user’s phone has more than 20% battery life and not be in power saving mode; the phone’s WiFi settings are turned on; and you are in an area with strong cell phone reception (e.g. Crash Detection does not work in a tunnel). If you’re on a CDMA carrier (including Verizon, Sprint, and US Cellular), cell data doesn’t always work if you are on a phone call. If you’re on a phone call at the time of a car crash, it might not be detected. Even if all the criteria mentioned are met, Life360 may not detect all major collisions due to network outages, algorithm error, availability of GPS location data, sensor error on the mobile device, and crash location outside of a wireless service coverage area among others.

About Life360

Life360 operates a platform for today’s busy families, bringing them closer together by helping them better know, communicate with and protect the people they care about most. The company’s core offering, the Life360 mobile app, is a market leading app for families, with features that range from communications to driving safety and location sharing. Life360 is based in San Francisco and as of September 2020 has more than 25 million MAU located in more than 140 countries.

Life360 was founded over a decade ago with the mission to keep families safe and connected. As the leading safety and coordination service for families across the globe, the company is dedicated to the safety and privacy of users worldwide. Life360 members have significant control over how their personal information is used and managed, including the ability to opt out of the data platform. More information on Life360’s data and privacy policy is available on the Life360 website at https://www.life360.com/privacy_policy, through the app, and on the blog.

Contacts

Kira Cooper

life360@thekeypr.com

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