COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A national survey of football fans found that nearly 44% shockingly admitted to live-streaming games while driving, not letting safety stop them from watching. The new research from Root, Inc. (NASDAQ: ROOT), a leading technology company powering car insurance solutions and the parent company of Root Insurance Company, revealed this alarming trend ahead of Super Bowl LIX.

As NFL viewership continues to rise across all streaming platforms, these “Frontseat Fans” trade safe driving for big plays. A slightly less risky 35% admit to sneaking in quick highlights whenever they can, even when behind the wheel. However, of those who tune in while driving, 46% reported keeping their eyes on the road but ears on the game, tuning in through in-car audio.

Nearly half (49%) of male respondents have streamed games while driving this season, compared to 33% of female respondents. 25-34 year-olds were the most likely to stream live games while driving (63%), while the older generation, 65 years and up, were less likely, with only 18% admitting to watching games while driving.

Breaking the data down by division:

Most Distracted Fans:

• AFC South fans are the most distracted, with 50% streaming video while driving.
• AFC West: 48.4% streamed video while driving.
• AFC East: 46.2% streamed video while driving.
• AFC North: 45.1% streamed video while driving.

Least Distracted Fans, but only slightly better:

• NFC South fans are the least distracted, with only 37% admitting to streaming video while driving.
• NFC North: 39.8% streamed video while driving.
• NFC West: 41% streamed video while driving.
• NFC East: 44.9% streamed video while driving.

Regarding this year’s Super Bowl matchup, the survey found that 42% of the Eagles fans admitted to watching games while driving versus 36% of Chiefs fans.

According to Root’s 2024 driving behavior data, the 25% of drivers with the worst distracted driving are 1.24 times more likely to get in an accident than the average driver.

“At Root, we’re raising awareness around the dangers of distracted driving, especially when it comes to streaming content on phones,” said Root Insurance’s Chief Communication Officer, Kelly Ruoff. “We hope everyone will watch the Super Bowl with friends and family and never behind the wheel.”

Preparing for the most-watched event of the year, Root reminds drivers to watch the Super Bowl safely. Consider the following tips if driving during any game:

• Always prioritize safe driving practices and avoid distractions by keeping the volume moderate and focusing on the road.
• Access a sports streaming service through your car’s entertainment system, such as Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.
• Use a dedicated sports radio app like ESPN or SiriusXM and connect to your car’s system via Bluetooth.
• Consider your local sports radio station.
  

As the largest auto insurtech in the country, Root is revolutionizing the car insurance industry by using data-driven insights and mobile technology to offer fair and personalized pricing based primarily on driving behavior. Root rewards safe driving with good rates, so drivers have more reason to put down their phones, focus on the road, and benefit from safety and savings.

Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Root, Inc using Qualtrics Panel from January 22nd to 25th, 2025 from a pool of more than 500 drivers.

Results were weighted for age within gender, region, race/ethnicity, income, and education where necessary to align them with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in online surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in our panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

About Root, Inc.
Founded in 2015 and based in Columbus, Ohio, Root, Inc. (NASDAQ: ROOT) is the parent company of Root Insurance Company. Root is revolutionizing insurance through data science and technology to provide consumers a personalized, easy, and fair experience. The Root app has more than 14 million app downloads and has collected nearly 30 billion miles of driving data to inform their insurance offerings.

For further information on Root, visit root.com.

Contact:
press@root.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/95b11d6a-d00f-479f-b357-6da54d0dd5e8