COLUMBUS, Ohio – Nationwide Insurance has officially launched its 2008 Driving While Distracted (DWD) national campaign, in conjunction with its sponsorship of the NASCAR Nationwide Series, by bringing NASCAR drivers to local high schools throughout the country to drive home the message that multitasking behind the wheel puts drivers and their fellow motorists at risk. Students and community members will receive a firsthand look at the impact driving while distracted has on their driving abilities while racing in a NASCAR simulator.

“Professional drivers in our sport can’t afford to be distracted in even the slightest manner,” says Joe Balash, NASCAR Nationwide Series director. “This program is a great opportunity to teach young drivers the importance of staying focused behind the wheel.”

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says distracted drivers account for nearly four out of five crashes in the U.S. The problem is especially bad for young drivers. In a survey by Nationwide Mutual Insurance of 1,200 drivers, a third of Gen Y-ers admit to always multitasking while driving and 37 percent send text messages while driving. Distractions that take a driver’s eyes off the road even for just seconds put drivers and their passengers at great risk.

“At Nationwide, we’re as much in the business of preventing accidents as we are in reimbursing people after an accident,” says Bill Windsor, Nationwide’s associate vice president of Safety. “Text messaging comes natural to Gen Y-ers. However, multitasking while behind the wheel is quite different from multitasking while sitting at home.”

In 2007, Nationwide conducted a consumer poll and launched a campaign aimed at educating consumers on the very real risks posed by DWD. Nationwide’s DWD survey of more than 1,000 drivers, found younger drivers are especially at risk; one in three drivers 18 to 27 years old send text messages while driving.

The first event of the national campaign kicked off April 2 with NASCAR drivers Kenny Wallace and Brad Coleman in the Dallas/Fort Worth area at Southlake Carroll Senior High School. In addition to spreading the message of dangers of driving while distracted, the local events will provide race fans an opportunity to get driver autographs, clock the fastest time in a NASCAR racing simulator, meet local Nationwide agents and win prizes.

Nationwide and the National Safety Council developed www.NationwideSmartRide.com, a Web site to provide parents and teens free tools and resources to help develop safe drivers and reinforce smart behavior. It is available free to anyone regardless of whether they are a Nationwide customer.