VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., April 27, 2010 – GEICO is taking a dangerous and timely topic and turning it into a day of safety awareness with its 5th annual Distracted Driver Awareness Day on Wednesday, April 28. Distracted driving applies to anything that takes your eyes off the road, your hands off the steering wheel, or interrupts your concentration while driving. Among the activities GEICO has organized:
- Ocean Lakes High School will have an assembly on Wednesday, April 28, for teens featuring Virginia Beach City Councilman John Uhrin, guest speaker Denise Baylouf with the Nightingale Air Ambulance Unit, and Harvey L. Bryant, a Commonwealth attorney. Speakers will discuss distractions specific to the Tidewater region, including tourists and cruising in the beach areas. GEICO will be handing out distracted driving materials and other teen safety information.
- GEICO will be hosting an on-site safety fair for associates at One GEICO Landing, Virginia Beach, Va. on Wednesday, April 28, with a variety of vendors including Sprint, Drive Smart and Enterprise Rent-a-Car. GEICO associates will be able to participate in games depicting the adverse consequences of distracted driving, quizzes and receive giveaways.
- GEICO associates were at the Silver Leaf Commuter lot, Monday, April 26, from 5:20 a.m. – 6:50 a.m. encouraging drivers to sign a distracted driving pledge card.
Driver inattention is the leading factor in most crashes and near-crashes according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Nearly 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes involved some form of driver inattention within three seconds before the event.
GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company) is a member of the Berkshire Hathaway family of companies and is the third-largest private passenger auto insurance company in the United States. GEICO provides millions of auto insurance quotes to U.S. drivers annually. The company is pleased to serve more than 11 million private passenger customers and insures more than 18 million vehicles (auto & cycle).
GEICO's online service center helps policyholders take care of policy sales, policy changes, claims reporting and to print insurance ID cards.
GEICO also provides insurance quotes on motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), travel trailers and motorhomes (RVs). Coverage for boats, life, homes and apartments is written by non-affiliated insurance companies and is secured through the GEICO Insurance Agency, Commercial auto insurance and personal umbrella protection are also available.
For more information, go to www.geico.com.
