Press/Media Kit

Distracted driving crashes kill more than 5,000 people a year. It’s time to do something to change that.

The Arbella Insurance Group Charitable Foundation (“Arbella”) is taking the first step by creating Distractology 101. The free driving simulator tour, which is based on Arbella-funded research conducted with the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, is designed to create a new generation of safe drivers. It will travel to select communities throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island to train new drivers on how to anticipate hidden hazards, react to the road and avoid accidents. 

Drunk driving was the first epidemic. Thanks to widespread education efforts, alcohol-related traffic fatalities have decreased nearly 50 percent since 1980. Arbella is using the same strategy to attack the distracted driving problem. Tough laws are important, but they alone won’t change behavior.

This program is part of our ongoing commitment to our customers, our agents and our community. If we save even one life, we’ve made a difference.

Media Contact Info:

Press Coverage: 

 

April 2012
	Wicked Local (Mansfield): “Distractology 101 teaches safe driving to MHS students” MassLive.com: “Ideal Insurance to bring Arbella's "Distractology 101" safe driving course to Western Massachusetts” Concord Carlisle High School "The Voice": “Distractology 101: Distracted driving simulator at CCHS” The Concord Journal (Wicked Local): “Distracted driving training course comes to Concord-driving-training-course-comes-to-Concord” The Berkshire Eagle: “Teens use simulator to learn about distracted driving” WNYT.com: “Pittsfield students take part in Distractology 101” The Boston Globe: “Bruins' Tim Thomas plugs Arbella message: Don’t text while driving” The Hartford Courant: “Distracted Driver Program Coming To East Catholic High School” The Windsor Locks Patch: “High School Students Witness Shattered Dreams Demonstration”  ABC40/Fox 6 (Springfield)   “Virtual Driving Course at Ludlow Goes Beyond Driver’s Ed”  Wicked Local (Mansfield)  “Distractology 101 teaches safe driving to MHS students” MassLive.com   “Ideal Insurance to bring Arbella's "Distractology 101" safe driving course to Western Massachusetts”
March 2012
	The Gloucester Daily Times  “Business Briefcase: Arbella raises $62K for hunger relief” The Swampscott Patch  “Distractology Drives the Point Home” The Mansfield Patch  “Cavallo & Signoriello Insurance Brings Distractology to Mansfield High School” The Boston Globe  “Tim Thomas gives an assist to Walk for Hunger” The Boston Herald  “Tracked Down: Tim Thomas” Mansfield News  “'Distractology' program coming to Mansfield High School” The Swampscott Reporter   “A crash course on distracted driving coming to Swampscott High School” The Lynn Daily Item   “Program offers tutorials on distracted driving for students”
February 2012
	Swampscott Patch   “Driven to Distraction No More” Mansfield Patch   “Mansfield High Students May have Distractology Simulator Lessons this March”
January 2012
	WWLP (Springfield)   “Texting and driving proving to be more dangerous” Mass Live Blog   “Alex Lyman: Distracted drivers get help”
October 2011
	The Peabody Patch  “Distractology 101: A Crash Course on Distracted Driving” The Peabody Patch   “Video: Don't Text and Drive” The Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog   “Distractology 101 and AAA Targets Distracted Driving Car Accidents in Massachusetts” The North Kingstown Patch   “Crash Course on Distracted Driving Visits NKHS” Wicked Local (Walpole)    “Distractology gives Walpole High students a crash course in texting while driving”
September 2011
	The Times  “Crash Course - Simulated test has a message for those who drive and text” The Call  “Crash Course - Simulated test has a message for those who drive and text” The Sakonnet Times   “Teen drivers take crash course at PHS” The Boston Business Journal   “Arbella Insurance and UMass: Partnering to drive out distractions on the road” The Herald News   “Crash course gets young drivers' attention” The Providence Journal   “Distractology 101 comes to Portsmouth” WPRI-Ch 12  “Young Drivers Schooled in Distraction” The Portsmouth Patch  “New Program Offers 'Crash' Course in Distracted Driving at Portsmouth High” EastBayRI.com  “Teen drivers take crash course at PHS” The Herald News   “OUR VIEW: Preventing 'sender benders' and 'snackcidents” Wicked Local (Somerset)  “Crash course gets young drivers' attention” Wicked Local (Fall River)  “Crash course gets young drivers' attention” Wicked Local (Westport)  “Crash course gets young drivers' attention” Providence Eyewitness News  “Young Drivers Schooled in Distraction” Wicked Local (Walpole)  “Walpole High School's newest class: Distractology 101”
August 2011
	Wicked Local (Danvers)  “Katrina Powell: Driving while 'intexticated'” UMass.edu  “Distractology 101 Covered by Globe and Channel 3” Milford Daily News  “Simulator helps teens see that texting and driving don't mix in Medway” The Sun Chronicle  “Text, crash, text, crash” The Northampton Stomp  “Distractology 101: Professor, insurance agency team to show danger of texting while driving” The Attleboro Patch  “Drivers Take Crash Course on Distractions [VIDEO]” The Natural Nutmeg Magazine  “August 2011 Issue: Pages 18-19” The Sun Chronicle  “Program targets young drivers” Wicked Local (Medway)  “Simulator helps teens see that texting and driving don't mix in Medway” Milford Daily News  “Teens can learn about distracted driving in Medway”
July 2011
	CBS 3 Springfield (WSHM )  “Simulator teaches young drivers about distracted driving” MassLive.com (The Republican)  “Distractology” MassLive.com (The Republican)  “Commentary: texting and driving is no laughing matter” Beverly Citizen  “Crash course on distracted driving comes to Beverly: Program to give teens, parents lessons on the dangers of multitasking” Boston.com  “Driving simulator course to teach Beverly teens about the dangers of distracted driving” Salem News  “Young drivers can experience the dangers of distraction in free simulation” Salem News  “WAIT, WAIT…CRASH!” Beverly Citizen  “Driving while intexticated: Beverly Citizen reporter takes a crash course on distracted driving” Malden Observer  “Teen Distractology 101 course comes to Malden July 18-22”
June 2011
	Norwood Bulletin  “Distractology 101 Van in Norwood” Norwood Bulletin  Distractology 101: Norwood teens learn dangers texting while driving WWLP  Teens learn about distracted driving Braintree Forum  ‘Distractology 101’ tour coming to Braintree in August
May 2011
	Martha’s Vineyard Community TV  “Channel 13 – Tank Talk – Distractology 101” Woburn Patch  “Dadgar Insurance Presents Distractology 101” Property Casualty 360  “Arbella's "Distractology 101" Shows Young Drivers Dangers of Distractions” Amherst Bulletin  “Around town: Bike Week features slate of events” Wareham Courier  “Teaching novices to drive without distraction” The Wanderer  “High-Tech Driving Simulator” The Martha’s Vineyard Times  “Young Martha’s Vineyard drivers learn about distractions” Woburn patch  “Driving Simulator Will Show Teens Hazards of Texting” TextKills.com  “Driving Simulator Will Show Teens Hazards of Texting” Woburn Advocate  “Distracted driving simulator coming to Woburn May 23-27” NECN  “Teens get crash course on distracted driving” The Wanderer  “Distractology 101 Educates, Informs” WSFB (CT) “Mobile Driving Simulator Heading to Farmington”  PropertyCasualty360 “Arbella's ‘Distractology 101’ Shows Young Drivers Dangers of Distractions”  Fox TV (CT) "Distracted Driving Simulator"
April 2011
	Taunton Daily Gazette “Learn about safe driving at "Distractology 101” The Patriot Ledger “Milton High to offer distracted driving course” Milton Patch “Milton High to offer distracted driving course” The Boston Globe “Milton High to offer ‘Distractology 101’ for young drivers” Fredericksburg.com “Virginia highway fatalities continuing to decline” ESPN.com “A very interesting series vs. Knicks” TomKileyLaw.com “Arbella Announces 2nd Year of Distractology 101” WGBH (Greater Boston) “A new way to educate teens about distracted driving” Suffield Patch “Company with Suffield Branch Named a Top Place to Work in CT” News-12 (NY) “Fairfield students get first-hand lesson on distracted driving” WABC-TV (NY) “Simulator shows texting while driving dangers to high school students” Minuteman News Center “Teens warned of dangers of distracted driving”
December 2010
	The Republican “'Crash Course' Teaches Lesson”   WWLP.com “UMass distracted driving lab gets grant”   CBS Channel 3 Springfield “UMass Simulators Work To Make Real World Roads Safer”   The Republican “Driving Distractology 101”   UMass Amherst “Demonstrations of ‘Distractology 101’ Driver Training Simulator and Naming Ceremony at UMass Amherst Lab on Dec. 10”   NECN “Teens get crash course on distracted driving”   The Daily Westborough “Distractology 101 allows students to see, first hand, the danger of driving while not completely focused on the road”   Wicked Local, Braintree “'Distractology 101' pays visit to BHS”
November 2010
	NECN “Teens get crash course on Distracted Driving”
September 2010
	The Holbrook Sun “Free ‘Distractology 101’ class to be offered to teens in Holbrook”   WGGB ABC 40 and Fox 6 Springfield “Driving Distractions Simulator”   YNN Albany “Program hopes to put the brakes on texting while driving among teens”   Patriot Ledger “COMMENTARY: Message lost if parents don’t back up new texting ban”   The Berkshire Eagle “OMG! I Just Wrecked My Car”
August 2010
	UMASS Amherst College of Engineering “Distractology 101 Draws More Media Attention”   The Herald News “OUR VIEW: Eyes on the road”   Waltham News Tribune “Teens crash and learn”   The Andover Townsman Online “Simulator shows dangers of distraction”   The Braintree Forum “Free ‘Distractology 101’ class offered to teens in Braintree”   Eagle-Tribune “Simulator course teaches teen drivers perils of text, talk at wheel”   The Boston Globe: Braintree “For drivers, 'Distractology 101' comes to town”   The Berkshire Eagle “'Distractology': Study in safety”   The Braintree Forum “Teens: beware toxic texting”   Wicked Local Weymouth “Teens: beware toxic texting”
July 2010
	The Brockton Enterprise “Touring driving simulator nears end of its stay in Middleboro”   The Sentinel and Enterprise “Could you be among those driving while distracted?”   Leominster Champion “Distractology is nothing to LOL about”   The Herald News “DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION: Simulator warns teens about distracted driving”   South Coast Today “Simulator drives home risks of distraction”   WPRI.com  Eyewitness News “Scaring you out of texting-and-driving”
May 2010
	UMASS Amherst News “Today Show Covers MIE’s Distractology 101”   The Boston Globe “An arresting night for a good cause”   Taunton Daily Gazette “Texting while driving simulator aims to save lives”   WJAR-TV “Simulator illustrates dangers of distracted driving”   Taunton Daily Gazette “Course teaches the dangers of ‘distracted driving’”   The Easton Journal “Distracted driving simulator coming to Easton”   MAIA Property and Casual Speaking Blog “Exploring the Hazards of Distracted Driving in Massachusetts”   Fox News Channel “Driving Simulator Aims to Save Lives”
April 2010
	The Boston Globe “Driving without distractions”   Insurance NewsNet “Arbella Unveils Distractology 101(TM) Tour”   WCVB-TV “Simulator Teaches Lessons On Distracted Driving”   Reuters “Crash course takes on deadly distracted driving”   National Post “Mobile classroom aims to teach teens about the dangers of texting and driving”   The Patriot Ledger “Quincy insurer Arbella targets teen drivers with training device”   TeensAgainstDistractedDriving.com “Arbella Unveils Distractology 101™ Tour | Teens Against Distracted Driving”   Edmonton Journal “Distractology 101 Tries to Steer Teenagers Toward Safer Driving Practices”   Consumer Reports Cars Blog “Simulator to deter teens from driving distracted”   WWLP.com “Simulating distracted driving”   “Today” “Vieira tested in Distractology 101”   The Boston Globe “"Today" host Meredith Viera swears on national TV   The Huffington Post “Meredith Vieira Says ‘Oh Shit!’ on ‘Today’ Show”   Newsbusters.org: "Meredith Vieira Says "Oh S--t on Today Show"   BreitBart TV “‘Oh S***’: Meredith Vieira Drops S-Bomb During Live ‘Today’ Show Segment”

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