Executive Vice President, Public Policy, and President, The Travelers Institute, Travelers Companies (The)
Joan Woodward of Travelers Institute and Ryan McMahon of Cambridge Mobile Telematics discuss #distra
Source: https://www.spreaker.com/user/cyruswebbpresents/joan-woodward-and-ryan-mcmahon-interview Host Cyrus Webb ...
About Joan Woodward
Joan Woodward, President of the Travelers Institute, has been active in public discussions on mental health, cybersecurity, and distracted driving. In a May 2025 podcast, Woodward stated that the United States is "in a mental health crisis," citing a National Institutes of Health report that one in five adults experiences mental illness. She argued that a manager has "more influence on your mental health than your primary care physician" and said that well-being can be taught to managers to help them identify struggling employees. In a July 2025 appearance, Woodward described her own career risk of leaving Capitol Hill for the financial services industry, advising others to "take a risk on yourself" and "be confident in yourself." Woodward has also addressed cybersecurity risks for businesses. In an October 2024 podcast, she said that "a cyber event can cause a major operational and financial disruption" and that "most people believe you've either been hacked already or you're going to be hacked." She has promoted the Travelers Institute's "Wednesdays with Woodward" webinar series, which she said draws thousands of participants. On distracted driving, Woodward cited a Travelers risk survey finding that 70% of respondents see it as a bigger problem than a few years ago, with more than a quarter admitting to using social media while driving.
Transcript (13 segments)
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Cyrus Webb0:00
Welcome to Conversations Live. For more than a decade, we've brought you the best in books, entertainment, celebrity interviews, and current events. When the movers and shakers of the world have something to say to you, they say it to us first. Here's your host, Cyrus Webb. Welcome back everyone to Conversations Live. I'm your host, Cyrus Webb. Glad you all could join us once again. For our radio audience tuning in at WAD 94.1 FM and wadonline.com, we're glad that you all can be with us. Also tuning in to our worldwide audience at Alart Radio on Amazon Music, we're glad you all could be with us as well. Well, this is part of our News E News segment here at WED, and today we're talking about something all of us have to be careful about, and that is distracted driving. With the holiday season in full swing and more people hitting the road, it's an important time to discuss the dangers and the impact of distracted driving. Joining us to discuss how we can put the brakes to distracted driving, we're excited to welcome two great guests to our broadcast today. We have Joan Woodward, who's the president of Travelers Institute, and Ryan McMahon, who's the senior vice president of Cambridge Mobile Telematics. They're going to talk to us not only about where you all can go for more information, but also some great things to keep in mind as well. Joan, Ryan, thank you too for the time. Really appreciate it.
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Joan Woodward1:14
Well, thanks so much for having us on. You're right, holiday season really is upon us, and so is holiday travels. And so this is such an important topic.
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Cyrus Webb1:21
Joan, if you don't mind, I want to start with you. Can you tell us about the different types of distractions that drivers face on the road and how they can combat those this year?
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Joan Woodward1:30
Yeah, it's really a terrific opportunity to take a minute out of our day and think about distracted driving. So it's anything you do that doesn't keep your eyes and your mind on the road. So reaching for something in the back seat, eating, using your phone anything that diverts your attention away from the road and really puts others at risk. So luckily, there are some simple tips we have for staying safe behind the wheel. And here's a few. So first, program that navigation or set up your podcast before you leave. Take a moment to be intentional and prepared. And two, speak up when you see someone driving distracted. That's your moment. So send that signal to friends or family that's driving that it's not okay, it's not acceptable. And three, if you must take that call or send that text, pull over somewhere where you can be safe.
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Cyrus Webb2:24
Joan, those are some great practical tips. I think all of us, young and old, can really appreciate that. You're the president, Joan, of Travelers Institute. Travelers recently did a survey that they released the details of. Can you share with us more about what you found there?
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Joan Woodward2:37
Sure. Our risk survey shows that 70% of respondents see distracted driving as a bigger problem now than even a few years ago. Phone use continues to be the big problem. More than a quarter of our respondents admit to using social media while driving. I mean, even actively shopping, making a purchase while they're driving. I mean, this is alarming stuff. So one easy thing you can do is most smartphones allow you to block incoming notifications while you drive. So on that iPhone, it's called Driving Focus, and Android users, it's called Driving Mode. So activate that Do Not Disturb While Driving mode. It will save lives.
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Cyrus Webb3:18
Love that. Such great information. Ryan, I want to bring you into the conversation. Thank you also for being with us today. How do you assess when it comes to road risk, Ryan, and how can we measure it when it comes to our own lives?
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Ryan McMahon3:30
Yeah, great question and thank you. I think the real interesting element to consider is the same technology that is distracting us can actually help us understand our risk. And here is the bottom line. We measure driving behavior as assessed through sensors on a smartphone. And what we've seen is that when a driver is using their phone while they're driving, they're increasing their risk of crash by 300%. And it's not just the fact that the crashes occur, they occur with 40% higher speeds, which means a very significant increase in the amount of injuries that are occurring and unfortunately fatalities. The data is a sobering reminder that getting behind the wheel is not a casual activity. There's a lot of responsibility, and frankly, our roads are more dangerous than they were three years ago.
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Cyrus Webb4:28
Yeah, it's really great for us to remember, especially with so many people hitting the road this time of year. Ryan, when I introduced you, I mentioned you're the senior vice president for Cambridge Mobile Telematics. How are telematics programs promoting safer driving this time of year?
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Ryan McMahon4:42
Well, luckily, as Joan mentioned, there's a number of tools that are actually available to individuals. And one of those tools is being brought to you by the insurance industry. Insurers are giving incentives to drivers to opt into telematics programs, usage-based insurance programs, and others that are effectively measuring an individual's driver safety, providing incentives back to those drivers, and encouraging them to get to where they're going to be safe behind the wheel. And these are not small incentives. The insurance industry provides about $4 billion back to drivers that demonstrate their safety every year, and that number is going to continue to grow. So there's no reason not to make it to where you're going and to get paid a little bit more at the same time.
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Cyrus Webb5:28
Hey, who wouldn't like that? Great information, Ryan. Again, everyone, Joan Woodward, the president of Travelers Institute, and Ryan McMahon, the senior vice president of Cambridge Mobile Telematics, helping you to put the brakes to distracted driving. Some great tips were shared here today, and some great incentives for us all as well. Joan, Ryan, really appreciate the two of you being on with us. Joan, start with you. How can our audience find out more information about Travelers Institute?
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Joan Woodward5:56
Sure. It's travelersinstitute.org. And we have lots of resources to help your listeners be safe this holiday season. And then Cambridge Mobile Telematics, it's cmt.ai.
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Cyrus Webb6:09
All right. We'll make sure that we link that up for our audience, for our podcast as well. Thanks to the two of you for the great work you're doing and for spending some time with us today. Really appreciate it. And looking forward to speaking with you again. Thank you. Thank you. All right. And we thank your audience for tuning in to another great segment of Conversations Live, again part of our News E News segment here at WAD. Until next time, I'm your host, Cyrus Webb. Things always enjoy your day, enjoy your life, enjoy your world. Thank you all for choosing Conversations Live. Then it's going to make today amazing. Take care.