I glanced over an Allstate press release issued Jan. 27 entitled, “What Does Your Zodiac Sign Say About Your Driving?” It took a look at what astrological signs are involved in the most accidents and posed the question, “Can an astrological sign really influence driving habits?”

It posited that, maybe because Virgos are said to be shy, perfectionist, worry-warts, they are the tops among drivers in 2010 that got into accidents. Scorpios were involved in the least accidents, perhaps because they are passionate and resourceful.

I did not write anything about it for two reasons: I didn’t feel like it was news, and I don’t even understand the new Zodiac calendar, which apparently has added a sign. I barely understood the last calendar, but I have to admit I owned some Sagittarian traits (I’m on the cusp, Nov. 22.). This new calendar puts me on the cusp of Libra and Scorpio, and I just can’t handle that. But I digress.

The point is, two days later, Allstate felt it had to issue another press release. This time it was entitled, “Allstate Corrects Misperceptions Zodiac Press Release May Have Created.”

Now I’m interested.

(You can no longer find the Zodiac release on Allstate’s site, but last I checked you could here. You can find the follow-up release here. )

Allstate said its release on Zodiac signs and accident rates “led to some confusion around whether astrological signs are part of the underwriting process.” The insurer felt the need to clearly state that was not the case – that such a practice would not be actuarially sound.

Really? Allstate had to say that? Someone somewhere thought that its Zodiac-accident-rate fun was a hint that the company actually uses the stars to come up with what you pay for car insurance? It’s true! I found the articles. Some implied that, indeed, Allstate was up to some trick.

I am not sure why Allstate spent time looking at the new Zodiac calendar and figuring out which sign had the most accidents in 2010. If everything about astrology is scientific fact, Allstate’s little study would still be off because some signs have more days than others. Scorpio may indeed be in fewer accidents because they are resourceful, but it may also have to do with the fact that under the new system the Scorpio sign only contains six days. Virgo has 44 days.

Allstate was probably looking for a not-so-serious way to draw attention to itself and auto insurance via its Facebook page (though other than Allstate Insurance, the word “insurance” is never used in the press release). The original release asks readers to comment on the social networking giant.

It simply backfired. A little research in the name of playfulness resulted in Allstate coming to the conclusion that it needed to say something like, “We realize that our hard working customers view their insurance expenses very seriously. So do we.”

Oh, so stern and somber. Lighten up, everyone.

Is this a lesson on the dark side of the Internet’s viral capabilities? Much of the “misunderstanding” surrounding the Zodiac-accident fiasco was not generated by the mainstream press, but bloggers and comments to stories and news sources I have never heard of. One thing is for sure, it did create a buzz. Just not the kind for which Allstate was hoping. Did the company need to issue a second release and try and make the first one disappear? Would a misperception about Allstate using astrology in underwriting affect stock prices? Maybe.

What do you think about this?