April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month: COUNTRY Financial® DriverIQ Auto Telematics Program is Improving Safe Driving Behaviors in Clients
Cambridge, MA, April 14, 2025 – COUNTRY Financial and Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT), the world’s largest telematics service provider, announce DriverIQ Auto Telematics Program is Improving Safe Driving Behaviors. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distracted driving killed more than 3,000 people in the United States in 2024, accounting for 14 percent of all traffic fatalities. Distracted driving includes any diversion that can occur while driving, such as talking, texting, eating and drinking, adjusting music or a navigation system.
COUNTRY has found its auto telematics program, called COUNTRY Financial DriverIQ, is effective in improving safe driving behaviors in clients. COUNTRY DriverIQ users are less likely to be involved in a crash compared to those who are not enrolled. Additionally, those who engage with the DriverIQ app several times per week are 65 percent safer¹. That data is based on the scoring of driver behaviors including phone distraction, speeding and hard braking.
The daily drive home and Friday afternoons are most distracted times of the week.
The COUNTRY DriverIQ mobile app uses smartphone app technology to gather data and give feedback on driving habits such as speeding, hard braking and phone usage. When it comes to distracted driving behaviors, enrolled drivers are found to be most distracted at 4 p.m. on weekdays and between 3 and 5 p.m. on Fridays².
According to Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT), one in three crashes happen within one minute of distracted driving. In addition to lowering the risk of an accident, drivers using auto telematics programs can also experience cost savings. The DriverIQ program rewards safe driving behavior with discounts on car insurance. Drivers who improve or maintain their safe driving behaviors are eligible for a discount – 10 percent upon enrollment, and up to 25 percent upon renewal.
“Auto telematics programs like COUNTRY DriverIQ are a great tool for encouraging drivers to make safe decisions on the road,” said Lois She-Tom, Product Management Director at COUNTRY Financial. “These tools also help to put them in control of their auto insurance rates by rewarding their safe behaviors with a discount.”
“Programs like DriverIQ are helping people build safer habits behind the wheel—and rewarding them for it. When drivers reduce distraction and drive more safely, they avoid crashes, protect their families, and save money,” said William V. Powers, Co-Founder and CEO of CMT. “That’s real progress, and COUNTRY Financial is helping make it happen. At CMT, we’re proud to be part of the solution—powering safer driving with DriverIQ and with programs like it around the world.”
Learn more about the COUNTRY DriverIQ program.
About COUNTRY Financial®
COUNTRY Financial is a marketing name for COUNTRY Life Insurance Company®, COUNTRY Mutual Insurance Company® and their respective subsidiaries, located in Bloomington, Ill. COUNTRY Financial serves about one million households and businesses throughout the United States and offers a wide range of insurance and financial products and services.
About Cambridge Mobile Telematics
Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT) is the world’s largest telematics service provider. Its mission is to make the world’s roads and drivers safer. The company’s AI-driven platform, DriveWell Fusion®, proactively identifies and reduces driving risk, leading to fewer crashes and injuries, making mobility safer. To date, CMT’s technology has helped prevent over 80,000 crashes and protected more than 43,000 people from serious injuries worldwide. CMT partners with insurers, automakers, commercial mobility companies, and the public sector to measure and reduce risk, detect crashes, provide life-saving assistance, and streamline claims. Headquartered in Cambridge, MA, CMT operates globally with offices in Budapest, Chennai, Seattle, Tokyo, and Zagreb. Learn more at www.cmt.ai.