http://www.insurancetech.com/management-strategies/232200670
http://www.insurancetech.com/management-strategies/232200670
11 Burning Insurance Industry Questions That Will Be Answered in 2012
Insurers enter the new year facing many questions about regulation, technology trends and more. Not all the answers will emerge this year, but I&T provides clarity on some of the most pressing unknowns.
Insurers enter the new year at a crossroads in many ways. Technologies such as mobile that once were considered "emerging" or "curiosities" now are bleeding from the marketing department into the enterprise and have become table stakes in many cases. Further, legacy systems -- no longer seen as mere annoyances, but rather as inhibitors that prevent much-needed growth -- are spurring major investments in core systems replacement projects. And the environment in which all of this is taking place is itself in flux as new regulation and vendor and insurer consolidation reshape the status quo.
These developments raise many critical questions for insurance companies. While we may not get answers in 2012 to all of the questions facing the industry, we surely will see some clarity on many of them. I&T offers insights into 11 unknowns that are likely to shape the insurance industry in the coming year.
4. How Will Social Media Be Used Beyond Marketing?
Several industry consultants and analysts have pointed out that social media often contains public, unstructured data that insurers can use. While privacy and resource issues have prevented many carriers from looking too closely at the information, the industry enters 2012 with several software vendors offering products to help analyze unstructured social media data -- perhaps signaling an uptake in this kind of use.
"The industry will move slowly on it, but I think there's a lot of hype and education and awareness," says Strategy Meets Action founder Deb Smallwood. "It's amazing how many software companies are out there working on this."
Recent SMA research indicates that 24 percent of insurance companies are evaluating using social data in claims and 26 percent are evaluating it for underwriting. Celent (Boston) has been examining the phenomenon as well, and Celent insurance analyst Craig Beattie says it's important for insurers to tread carefully at first. "There's a risk here that if underwriters start using social to penalize people, they'll lock down all the data in social networking sites," he says.
Beattie recommends a reward-based approach to using social to establish a risk profile -- at least in the short term. "There's a generation of people coming up now who share everything with their friends," he notes. "The interesting challenge will be what service offering or what incentive will insurers have to offer to let them see what they're doing." --N.G.
5. Will Usage-Based Insurance Finally Take Hold?
Social media isn't the only way insurers have tried to get a more holistic view of their policyholders. For a decade or so, auto carriers (led most notably by Progressive) have tried to get telematics-powered, usage-based insurance to catch on. This year, while Progressive rolled out its Snapshot program in all 50 states, other major carriers -- including Allstate and State Farm -- launched their own versions of usage-based offerings, indicating that the industry sees this market poised for growth.
Robin Harbage, director for Towers Watson, says the time is right for usage-based insurance to gain traction. "It's just a question of enough choices out there for consumers that it starts to become ubiquitous," he says. "There are 18 states that have four or more usage-based insurance products available."
The most popular way for telematics data to be collected is still the insurer-provided proprietary device that plugs into a car's onboard computer. While there have been some rumblings that alternate means of collection might be employed -- either by using OEM services such as GM's OnStar or the always-on, location-aware smartphone -- those solutions are still a while off at best, Harbage says. "The reason it's developing with the proprietary device is largely because of the need for control of the data. If you're going with OnStar, you can only use what data they're willing to provide you in the way they're willing to provide it," he explains.
"Smartphone technology is clearly something people are interested in leveraging in order to do this," Harbage continues. "But it's just not always clear at this point how the vehicle is associated with the smartphone." --N.G.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
USA hartford enter UBI with Truelane
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/hartford-to-enter-pay-as-you-drive-arena-2011-12-08
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. HIG -2.42% plans to launch a pilot program next year to price auto insurance using an onboard device that measures how well its policyholders drive.
The program, called TrueLane, will roll out "in the first half of 2012," said Andy Napoli, the president of Hartford's consumer markets division, in a presentation to investors Thursday.
TrueLane puts Hartford in the company of insurers including Allstate Corp. ALL -1.25% , Travelers Cos. TRV +0.18% and State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co., which have been rolling out discount programs based on measurements of their policyholders' driving habits.
Insurer Progressive Corp. PGR -0.66% leads the field with its Snapshot program, available in most U.S. states. It uses a small device that plugs into a car's onboard diagnostic computer to measure when policyholders use their vehicles, how far they drive and how hard they brake. Customers who volunteer to install the device can get a markdown on their auto insurance of as much as 30%. Currently, Progressive won't raise rates on drivers based on the information it collects.
Auto insurers have typically evaluated potential customers by comparing them with others who share similar characteristics. Young single men, for example, have a substantially higher chance of getting in an accident than other demographic groups, and typically pay higher premiums. About a decade ago, Progressive led a trend toward incorporating credit scores as a metric for measuring the likelihood that a customer will submit a claim.
But data from an individual driver, collected with a so-called telematics device in real time, trump any effort to pool people with similar characteristics. With an onboard device, insurers can offer discounts to people who drive in a safer manner than the usual metrics would suggest. They might find a young single man who shows signs of being a defensive driver, someone who uses the car only on weekends, or others whose habits wouldn't be revealed by the standard information insurers gather about their customers.
Napoli, who announced the Hartford pilot program at the company's annual investor day, said the TrueLane program will help "us to stay at the leading edge of pricing sophistication."
"The data is compelling," he said. "This capability has really redefined the way we think about pricing auto."
Insurers that don't use telematics to price auto coverage will eventually attract poor drivers who were turned down for coverage by the insurers that do, Napoli said
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. HIG -2.42% plans to launch a pilot program next year to price auto insurance using an onboard device that measures how well its policyholders drive.
The program, called TrueLane, will roll out "in the first half of 2012," said Andy Napoli, the president of Hartford's consumer markets division, in a presentation to investors Thursday.
TrueLane puts Hartford in the company of insurers including Allstate Corp. ALL -1.25% , Travelers Cos. TRV +0.18% and State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co., which have been rolling out discount programs based on measurements of their policyholders' driving habits.
Insurer Progressive Corp. PGR -0.66% leads the field with its Snapshot program, available in most U.S. states. It uses a small device that plugs into a car's onboard diagnostic computer to measure when policyholders use their vehicles, how far they drive and how hard they brake. Customers who volunteer to install the device can get a markdown on their auto insurance of as much as 30%. Currently, Progressive won't raise rates on drivers based on the information it collects.
Auto insurers have typically evaluated potential customers by comparing them with others who share similar characteristics. Young single men, for example, have a substantially higher chance of getting in an accident than other demographic groups, and typically pay higher premiums. About a decade ago, Progressive led a trend toward incorporating credit scores as a metric for measuring the likelihood that a customer will submit a claim.
But data from an individual driver, collected with a so-called telematics device in real time, trump any effort to pool people with similar characteristics. With an onboard device, insurers can offer discounts to people who drive in a safer manner than the usual metrics would suggest. They might find a young single man who shows signs of being a defensive driver, someone who uses the car only on weekends, or others whose habits wouldn't be revealed by the standard information insurers gather about their customers.
Napoli, who announced the Hartford pilot program at the company's annual investor day, said the TrueLane program will help "us to stay at the leading edge of pricing sophistication."
"The data is compelling," he said. "This capability has really redefined the way we think about pricing auto."
Insurers that don't use telematics to price auto coverage will eventually attract poor drivers who were turned down for coverage by the insurers that do, Napoli said
Are We Safe Drivers? Americans Say Yes
http://www.cnbc.com/id/45583263
Given the steady flow of headlines about distracted driving and how American drivers seem more interested in everything but staying focused behind the wheel, a new study on how we see ourselves paints an interesting picture.
Progressive Insurance [PGR 17.99 -0.12 (-0.66%) ] commissioned Harris Interactive to poll just over a thousand Americans about their driving habits.
Here's how those drivers view themselves behind the wheel:
84 percent of drivers define themselves as cautious (49%) or defensive (35%)
82 percent of those surveyed said they either leave at least two car lengths between their car and the car in front of them (49 percent) or follow the 2-3 second rule (33 percent).
Approaching a yellow light, two-thirds of drivers (63 percent) say they slow down and prepare to come to a full stop.
In the past three years, 72 percent of drivers have not been in an accident or received a moving violation.
Progressive Insurance says the survey shows many Americans could and should qualify for lower insurance rates because they follow safety guidelines on a regular basis. The company has been promoting its Snapshot service, which is a device installed in your car that monitors your driving habits. The safer you drive, the less money you pay for insurance.
What I find intriguing about this survey is how Americans see themselves behind the wheel.
In my experience, most people give themselves way too much credit for consistently following the rules of the road. In fact, I've ridden with people who complain about how everyone else is aggressive on the road and then they go forward and cut people off with regularity.
So you tell me by taking our poll - or by leaving a comment; do you think most people have an accurate view of how they drive? Or are they out of touch with reality?
Given the steady flow of headlines about distracted driving and how American drivers seem more interested in everything but staying focused behind the wheel, a new study on how we see ourselves paints an interesting picture.
Progressive Insurance [PGR 17.99 -0.12 (-0.66%) ] commissioned Harris Interactive to poll just over a thousand Americans about their driving habits.
Here's how those drivers view themselves behind the wheel:
84 percent of drivers define themselves as cautious (49%) or defensive (35%)
82 percent of those surveyed said they either leave at least two car lengths between their car and the car in front of them (49 percent) or follow the 2-3 second rule (33 percent).
Approaching a yellow light, two-thirds of drivers (63 percent) say they slow down and prepare to come to a full stop.
In the past three years, 72 percent of drivers have not been in an accident or received a moving violation.
Progressive Insurance says the survey shows many Americans could and should qualify for lower insurance rates because they follow safety guidelines on a regular basis. The company has been promoting its Snapshot service, which is a device installed in your car that monitors your driving habits. The safer you drive, the less money you pay for insurance.
What I find intriguing about this survey is how Americans see themselves behind the wheel.
In my experience, most people give themselves way too much credit for consistently following the rules of the road. In fact, I've ridden with people who complain about how everyone else is aggressive on the road and then they go forward and cut people off with regularity.
So you tell me by taking our poll - or by leaving a comment; do you think most people have an accurate view of how they drive? Or are they out of touch with reality?
Insurance telematics: early adopters need to know the facts
http://www.fleetnews.co.uk/blog/entry/insurance-telematics-early-adopters-need-to-know-the-facts/41714/
Linden Holliday, CEO of MyDrive Solutions, explains that early adopters of this new technology need to be fully aware of the range and limitations of those products that are first to market.
What is insurance telematics?
Insurance telematics is the process by which data is collected and analysed to enable driver behaviour to be assessed, and the level of risk presented by each individual to be calculated.
This allows an insurance company to assess individual risk much more accurately and therefore provide a much fairer price to the proposer.
Why has it become important now?
Telematics in the car insurance industry has now become a practical option through the reduction in the base price of the technology for in-car monitoring.
Secondly, legislative changes are increasingly impacting the industry. The European Court of Justice’s gender ruling in March means that from December 2011, car insurance companies will lose the ability to price differentially when it comes to gender.
For example, the current average first time driver insurance policy for a 17-year old male who has just passed his test is £4,400. His female counterpart can be insured for the first year at an average cost of £2700.*
As of next year however, car insurers will no longer be able to price car insurance premiums based on the gender of the individual driver. There is also a possibility that car insurance companies will soon lose the ability to differentiate by age.
As such, car insurers need a different means by which to assess risk and price insurance premiums accordingly, and through the analysis of behavioural data driven by insurance telematics, this has now become entirely possible.
Why is the direction that the industry is currently taking fundamentally flawed?
Early arrivals in this market place are balancing the available technology and the bandwidth – the ability to transfer data from the car to a server via the telecoms network
Providers have tried to minimise the amount of data that must be collected in order to make a prediction on driver ability.
The first suppliers to market have opted for low volume transmission of data – sampling typically every 30 seconds and additionally, exceptional events. We believe this rate of sampling is too low to enable a true picture of the driver’s behaviour to be established, and the exceptions themselves are typically set at an arbitrary level by the insurer, with no objective basis for determining what a true exceptional driving manoeuvre is.
The currently available “pay how you drive” propositions are somewhat better than the current proxies that car insurers are using to price risk. However, going down the 30 second logging, exception-based route will never lead to true understanding of individual driver behaviour.
One second data logging
It is possible to measure driving behaviour at a much more granular level using one second data logging.
The amount of data collected is significantly larger than that gathered by using the exception-based approach, and if done correctly, the increase in data will not swamp IT resources.
This results in a much more accurate view of driving behaviour, and therefore risk.
This allows the car insurance company to provide a more detailed assessment of the risk presented, and importantly gives the driver the information required to understand how they drive, and to work on improvements as necessary.
Furthermore, a more frequent measurement allows the company to see many more discrete behaviours, some of which might be missed by 30 second logging.
Contextualising driver behaviour
Knowledge of driving behaviour is of little value when it cannot be related to the location of the individual and the type of roads on which he is driving. Indeed, the value of driving behaviour can only be truly derived when it is contextualised to the underlying road network.
Using GPS data allows car insurers to analyse what type of roads their drivers are most likely to spend time on, and thus assess the associated risk they present.
A driver who spends the majority of time driving on motorways, for instance, is in fact around six times less likely to have an accident than a driver spending the same amount of time on open rural roads, whereas a driver who consistently spends time on the road after 11pm is approximately three times more likely to have a fatal accident than a driver who simply uses his car to commute in daylight hours.
Without the ability to relate this wealth of information back to the actual driving behaviour that has been recorded, how is the car insurer to assess the level of risk presented to him?
It is important that driving behaviour is always contextualised in relation to the road network, and specifically, the time of driving and the location of the car (which itself allows the insurer to understand exactly what hazards (roundabouts, junctions, bends etc) the driver is negotiating, and with what level of competence. Only by the utilisation of GPS data and cross referencing to the map can this be done effectively.
Conclusion
With the advent of insurance telematics the possibilities have rapidly opened up to allow car insurers to treat each of their drivers as the individual that they are, rather than merely as averaged pools.
However, early adopters of the technology are frantically trying to minimise the amount of data that has to be collected to make an accurate assessment of the actual risk presented by using 30 second data logging. This will never lead to true understanding of individual driver behaviour.
If car insurance companies do wish to drill down into the data to such a level that they understand the risk presented by each individual driver; they must pull together a number of capabilities.
These include behavioural data as derived by a minimum of one second logging, geographical data as determined by GPS data, and psychological expertise to assess why drivers behave in the manner that they do on the road.
Until all of these criteria have been brought together and analysed as a complete picture, we don’t believe car insurance companies will be able to understand the risk presented by individual drivers.
* As reported on BBC News, “Insurance and pension costs hit by ECJ gender ruling,” 1st March 2011- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12606610
Linden Holliday, CEO of MyDrive Solutions, explains that early adopters of this new technology need to be fully aware of the range and limitations of those products that are first to market.
What is insurance telematics?
Insurance telematics is the process by which data is collected and analysed to enable driver behaviour to be assessed, and the level of risk presented by each individual to be calculated.
This allows an insurance company to assess individual risk much more accurately and therefore provide a much fairer price to the proposer.
Why has it become important now?
Telematics in the car insurance industry has now become a practical option through the reduction in the base price of the technology for in-car monitoring.
Secondly, legislative changes are increasingly impacting the industry. The European Court of Justice’s gender ruling in March means that from December 2011, car insurance companies will lose the ability to price differentially when it comes to gender.
For example, the current average first time driver insurance policy for a 17-year old male who has just passed his test is £4,400. His female counterpart can be insured for the first year at an average cost of £2700.*
As of next year however, car insurers will no longer be able to price car insurance premiums based on the gender of the individual driver. There is also a possibility that car insurance companies will soon lose the ability to differentiate by age.
As such, car insurers need a different means by which to assess risk and price insurance premiums accordingly, and through the analysis of behavioural data driven by insurance telematics, this has now become entirely possible.
Why is the direction that the industry is currently taking fundamentally flawed?
Early arrivals in this market place are balancing the available technology and the bandwidth – the ability to transfer data from the car to a server via the telecoms network
Providers have tried to minimise the amount of data that must be collected in order to make a prediction on driver ability.
The first suppliers to market have opted for low volume transmission of data – sampling typically every 30 seconds and additionally, exceptional events. We believe this rate of sampling is too low to enable a true picture of the driver’s behaviour to be established, and the exceptions themselves are typically set at an arbitrary level by the insurer, with no objective basis for determining what a true exceptional driving manoeuvre is.
The currently available “pay how you drive” propositions are somewhat better than the current proxies that car insurers are using to price risk. However, going down the 30 second logging, exception-based route will never lead to true understanding of individual driver behaviour.
One second data logging
It is possible to measure driving behaviour at a much more granular level using one second data logging.
The amount of data collected is significantly larger than that gathered by using the exception-based approach, and if done correctly, the increase in data will not swamp IT resources.
This results in a much more accurate view of driving behaviour, and therefore risk.
This allows the car insurance company to provide a more detailed assessment of the risk presented, and importantly gives the driver the information required to understand how they drive, and to work on improvements as necessary.
Furthermore, a more frequent measurement allows the company to see many more discrete behaviours, some of which might be missed by 30 second logging.
Contextualising driver behaviour
Knowledge of driving behaviour is of little value when it cannot be related to the location of the individual and the type of roads on which he is driving. Indeed, the value of driving behaviour can only be truly derived when it is contextualised to the underlying road network.
Using GPS data allows car insurers to analyse what type of roads their drivers are most likely to spend time on, and thus assess the associated risk they present.
A driver who spends the majority of time driving on motorways, for instance, is in fact around six times less likely to have an accident than a driver spending the same amount of time on open rural roads, whereas a driver who consistently spends time on the road after 11pm is approximately three times more likely to have a fatal accident than a driver who simply uses his car to commute in daylight hours.
Without the ability to relate this wealth of information back to the actual driving behaviour that has been recorded, how is the car insurer to assess the level of risk presented to him?
It is important that driving behaviour is always contextualised in relation to the road network, and specifically, the time of driving and the location of the car (which itself allows the insurer to understand exactly what hazards (roundabouts, junctions, bends etc) the driver is negotiating, and with what level of competence. Only by the utilisation of GPS data and cross referencing to the map can this be done effectively.
Conclusion
With the advent of insurance telematics the possibilities have rapidly opened up to allow car insurers to treat each of their drivers as the individual that they are, rather than merely as averaged pools.
However, early adopters of the technology are frantically trying to minimise the amount of data that has to be collected to make an accurate assessment of the actual risk presented by using 30 second data logging. This will never lead to true understanding of individual driver behaviour.
If car insurance companies do wish to drill down into the data to such a level that they understand the risk presented by each individual driver; they must pull together a number of capabilities.
These include behavioural data as derived by a minimum of one second logging, geographical data as determined by GPS data, and psychological expertise to assess why drivers behave in the manner that they do on the road.
Until all of these criteria have been brought together and analysed as a complete picture, we don’t believe car insurance companies will be able to understand the risk presented by individual drivers.
* As reported on BBC News, “Insurance and pension costs hit by ECJ gender ruling,” 1st March 2011- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12606610
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Towers Watson To Expand DriveAbilitySM Program
http://www.thestreet.com/story/11302142/1/towers-watson-to-expand-driveabilitysm-program.html
With an increasing number of automobile insurers implementing usage-based insurance (UBI) products that analyze data from in-car devices (telematics), global professional services company Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW) has made several senior appointments to lead the wider rollout of its DriveAbility SM program.
DriveAbility provides strategic, logistic and analytical support to enable insurers to create products that are priced according to monitored driver behaviors and help policyholders improve driving habits. To date, the company has mainly focused on the U.S., where it has created a hosted data service for a pool of participating U.S. insurers. This has resulted in the analysis of millions of individual journeys so far.
The international DriveAbility program will be led by Geoff Werner, a Towers Watson director. Other Towers Watson UBI veterans leading the team are Robin Harbage, sales and marketing; Eric Shishko, operations and product; and Tony Lovick, analytics.
Rory O’Brien, global head of Towers Watson’s Risk Consulting and Software business, said the intention is to help companies adapt to a completely different business model for car insurance.
“Our experience, not only in the U.S. but also in Europe, means we can help insurers avoid the potholes on the way to developing attractive and profitable UBI products,” said O’Brien. “We add significant value in the sophistication of the analytics we help clients apply to the massive volumes of data that are typically generated. In addition, we help clients navigate unfamiliar regulatory and technological issues to tailor a complicated product to each company’s particular brand.”
The level of interest in UBI in the U.S. is reflected in the fact that every state except Hawaii now has at least one product available to vehicle owners. Several products have also been launched in the Canada, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Africa and the U.K.
“In our opinion, the products that already exist have only scratched the surface of the potential of this market,” said O’Brien. “With the pressures on profitability that car insurers in many parts of the world face, the ability to harness telematic capability could lead to a revolution in the way that automobile insurance is offered.”
With an increasing number of automobile insurers implementing usage-based insurance (UBI) products that analyze data from in-car devices (telematics), global professional services company Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW) has made several senior appointments to lead the wider rollout of its DriveAbility SM program.
DriveAbility provides strategic, logistic and analytical support to enable insurers to create products that are priced according to monitored driver behaviors and help policyholders improve driving habits. To date, the company has mainly focused on the U.S., where it has created a hosted data service for a pool of participating U.S. insurers. This has resulted in the analysis of millions of individual journeys so far.
The international DriveAbility program will be led by Geoff Werner, a Towers Watson director. Other Towers Watson UBI veterans leading the team are Robin Harbage, sales and marketing; Eric Shishko, operations and product; and Tony Lovick, analytics.
Rory O’Brien, global head of Towers Watson’s Risk Consulting and Software business, said the intention is to help companies adapt to a completely different business model for car insurance.
“Our experience, not only in the U.S. but also in Europe, means we can help insurers avoid the potholes on the way to developing attractive and profitable UBI products,” said O’Brien. “We add significant value in the sophistication of the analytics we help clients apply to the massive volumes of data that are typically generated. In addition, we help clients navigate unfamiliar regulatory and technological issues to tailor a complicated product to each company’s particular brand.”
The level of interest in UBI in the U.S. is reflected in the fact that every state except Hawaii now has at least one product available to vehicle owners. Several products have also been launched in the Canada, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Africa and the U.K.
“In our opinion, the products that already exist have only scratched the surface of the potential of this market,” said O’Brien. “With the pressures on profitability that car insurers in many parts of the world face, the ability to harness telematic capability could lead to a revolution in the way that automobile insurance is offered.”
USA Progressive CEO: Snapshot Results ‘Appealing’
NU Online News Service, Nov. 8, 3:03 p.m. EST
Progressive’s chief executive says the company doesn’t have a lot of data, but it knows it has something “very appealing” in its Snapshot product.
During a conference call to discuss third-quarter earnings, Chief Executive Officer Glenn Renwick told analysts the take-up rate for the Snapshot product is “very good” and the “overall retention is up meaningfully,” exceeding the auto insurer’s estimates.
Using a small device that drivers plug into a car's diagnostic system, Snapshot tracks driver mileage, time of day and hard braking practices. After 6 months, the driver returns the device to Progressive to see if the data earns the driver discounts.
Many have received discounts, Renwick reported.
In an increasingly rate-positive insurance environment, Renwick said the product could have more importance as a tool to allow consumers to “control their own rate level.”
The insurer distributes its insurance products directly and through agents, who are competing with each other to come up with the best pitch for Snapshot, Renwick said.
Agency sales of Snapshot have lagged direct sales but Renwick said he hopes the product becomes a good thing for agents.
“I suspect it’ll just take some time in the marketplace,” he said. “As it plays out, agents should be more willing to get on board.”
The company’s advertising has been effective in communicating the product to customers, and it is hoped that once there is a wider acceptance, Snapshot will be easier for agents to sell to consumers.
Agency business grew 2 percent during the third quarter this year compared to last year. Direct business grew 5 percent.
Third-quarter net income fell more than 40 percent to $150.7 million compared to $261.1 million a year ago during the same quarter.
Progressive reported a net realized loss on securities investments of $52.6 million during the third quarter.
The company incurred about $63 million in third-quarter catastrophe losses, including about $20 million from Hurricane Irene.
Net premiums written and policies-in-force grew 4 percent and 5 percent, respectively, compared to the third quarter in 2010.
Progressive’s chief executive says the company doesn’t have a lot of data, but it knows it has something “very appealing” in its Snapshot product.
During a conference call to discuss third-quarter earnings, Chief Executive Officer Glenn Renwick told analysts the take-up rate for the Snapshot product is “very good” and the “overall retention is up meaningfully,” exceeding the auto insurer’s estimates.
Using a small device that drivers plug into a car's diagnostic system, Snapshot tracks driver mileage, time of day and hard braking practices. After 6 months, the driver returns the device to Progressive to see if the data earns the driver discounts.
Many have received discounts, Renwick reported.
In an increasingly rate-positive insurance environment, Renwick said the product could have more importance as a tool to allow consumers to “control their own rate level.”
The insurer distributes its insurance products directly and through agents, who are competing with each other to come up with the best pitch for Snapshot, Renwick said.
Agency sales of Snapshot have lagged direct sales but Renwick said he hopes the product becomes a good thing for agents.
“I suspect it’ll just take some time in the marketplace,” he said. “As it plays out, agents should be more willing to get on board.”
The company’s advertising has been effective in communicating the product to customers, and it is hoped that once there is a wider acceptance, Snapshot will be easier for agents to sell to consumers.
Agency business grew 2 percent during the third quarter this year compared to last year. Direct business grew 5 percent.
Third-quarter net income fell more than 40 percent to $150.7 million compared to $261.1 million a year ago during the same quarter.
Progressive reported a net realized loss on securities investments of $52.6 million during the third quarter.
The company incurred about $63 million in third-quarter catastrophe losses, including about $20 million from Hurricane Irene.
Net premiums written and policies-in-force grew 4 percent and 5 percent, respectively, compared to the third quarter in 2010.
nsw State Government puts Western Sydney P-plate drivers put on notice
http://express.whereilive.com.au/news/story/state-government-puts-western-sydney-p-plate-drivers-put-on-notice/
YOUNG drivers take note: you’re officially on notice.
The state government is conducting a road safety trial targeting the behaviour of Western Sydney p-platers. Roads Minister Duncan Gay said young Western Sydney drivers were over-represented in NSW accident statistics.
They had accounted for 28 fatal crashes and thousands of injuries in the past two years, he added.
TELL US: Will this program change driver behaviour? Comment below
The P-Plate Drivers Project, a joint initiative of the RTA, the Transport Accident Commission, the NRMA, and other bodies, will recruit P-platers to take part in a series of “behaviour change-oriented driver education” aimed at changing those figures.
Drivers will be put through an eight-hour course that looks at risk awareness, risk factors and safety. They will then go on the road for a two-hour practical driving session.
rather than simply teaching them how to drive. Following the course work they are then put on the road for a two hour practical driving session.
“A key performance indicator for the project is to see whether a minimum 10 per cent reduction in crashes can be achieved,” Mr Gay said.
The young drivers will also have to undertake a self-assessment to gauge their own driving behaviour.
DRIVER EDUCATION
WHO: P-platers will be recruited to join a trial project to change driver behaviour
HOW: An eight-hour course focusing on risk awareness and road safety followed by a two-hour driving session
YOUNG drivers take note: you’re officially on notice.
The state government is conducting a road safety trial targeting the behaviour of Western Sydney p-platers. Roads Minister Duncan Gay said young Western Sydney drivers were over-represented in NSW accident statistics.
They had accounted for 28 fatal crashes and thousands of injuries in the past two years, he added.
TELL US: Will this program change driver behaviour? Comment below
The P-Plate Drivers Project, a joint initiative of the RTA, the Transport Accident Commission, the NRMA, and other bodies, will recruit P-platers to take part in a series of “behaviour change-oriented driver education” aimed at changing those figures.
Drivers will be put through an eight-hour course that looks at risk awareness, risk factors and safety. They will then go on the road for a two-hour practical driving session.
rather than simply teaching them how to drive. Following the course work they are then put on the road for a two hour practical driving session.
“A key performance indicator for the project is to see whether a minimum 10 per cent reduction in crashes can be achieved,” Mr Gay said.
The young drivers will also have to undertake a self-assessment to gauge their own driving behaviour.
DRIVER EDUCATION
WHO: P-platers will be recruited to join a trial project to change driver behaviour
HOW: An eight-hour course focusing on risk awareness and road safety followed by a two-hour driving session
NSW govt denies secret cameras November 6, 2011
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/nsw-govt-denies-secret-cameras-20111106-1n1px.html
NSW govt denies secret cameras
November 6, 2011
AAP
NSW Roads Minister Duncan Gay has rejected claims the government acted secretly when it installed speed cameras across the state.
Thirty-two speed cameras were secretly switched on to catch out thousands of drivers, raising $1.2 million in revenue for the state government, News Limited reported on Sunday.
The opposition on Sunday called on Mr Gay to come clean on the installation of the cameras, saying the government had been caught out saying one thing and doing another.
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"What is the point of removing 38 cameras and then secretly planting 32 back in? Motorists are entitled to feel completely betrayed and confused," opposition roads spokesman Robert Furolo said.
"This makes an absolute mockery of the government's promise to be transparent with drivers."
Last July, the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) was ordered to immediately shut down 38 of the state's 141 speed cameras after Auditor-General Peter Achterstraat released a report saying they had no road safety benefit.
However, Mr Gay said the News Limited report was "totally incorrect", insisting the government had been "open and transparent" on the issue of safety and speed cameras.
"We said when the safety cameras were being installed, during the audit of speed cameras, that they would remain in warning phase for speeding offences and nothing has changed," Mr Gay said.
"We were open and up front when we said the cameras would still detect red-light offences or anyone speeding more than 45 kilometres over the limit."
NSW govt denies secret cameras
November 6, 2011
AAP
NSW Roads Minister Duncan Gay has rejected claims the government acted secretly when it installed speed cameras across the state.
Thirty-two speed cameras were secretly switched on to catch out thousands of drivers, raising $1.2 million in revenue for the state government, News Limited reported on Sunday.
The opposition on Sunday called on Mr Gay to come clean on the installation of the cameras, saying the government had been caught out saying one thing and doing another.
Advertisement: Story continues below
"What is the point of removing 38 cameras and then secretly planting 32 back in? Motorists are entitled to feel completely betrayed and confused," opposition roads spokesman Robert Furolo said.
"This makes an absolute mockery of the government's promise to be transparent with drivers."
Last July, the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) was ordered to immediately shut down 38 of the state's 141 speed cameras after Auditor-General Peter Achterstraat released a report saying they had no road safety benefit.
However, Mr Gay said the News Limited report was "totally incorrect", insisting the government had been "open and transparent" on the issue of safety and speed cameras.
"We said when the safety cameras were being installed, during the audit of speed cameras, that they would remain in warning phase for speeding offences and nothing has changed," Mr Gay said.
"We were open and up front when we said the cameras would still detect red-light offences or anyone speeding more than 45 kilometres over the limit."
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
7 News - SpeedAlerting slows 90% of driver show RTA trial
Mark furguson: a trial of new technology has proven effective in putting the brakes on speeding drivers today the government reveal results of the GPS speedalert trial that encouraged 90% of drivers taking part to slowdown
John wall: participants where private drivers they were not government driver, every day Mums and dads and young people
No more speeding tickets -SpeedAlert-Live the free app that protects your driving license from the risks of unintentional speeding. www.speedalertlive.com
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watch the video
Transcript
Mark furguson: a trial of new technology has proven effective in putting the brakes on speeding drivers today the government reveal results of the GPS speedalert trial that encouraged 90% of drivers taking part to slowdown.
John wall: participants where private drivers they were not government driver, every day Mums and dads and young people.
No more speeding tickets -SpeedAlert-Live the free app that protects your driving license from the risks of unintentional speeding. www.speedalertlive.com
Found this Blog interesting? Please consider sharing.
Ten News reports that NSW Liberals take firm stand on SpeedAlerting
Watch Video
Transcript
Matt Doran Ten News: NSW Authorities unveil anti-speeding technology which could drastically slash New South Wales road toll.
Matt Doran Ten News: a GPS system that recognises every New South Wales Road and its speed limit
David Borger NSW Roads Minister: people actually given that information that they are speeding in real-time, this is the largest trial in the world that we know of using this technology.
Matt Doran: 100 NSW drivers where tested over sox months, roughly 9 in 10 reduced their speed. Developers say the system could save around 35 live each year, the NSW opposition (liberals) want it made mandatory
Andrew Stoner Shadow NSW Roads Minister: this is not policy, its simply the announcement of the results of the trial.
Matt Doran: a smartphone application is also underdevelopment
Matt Doran: Mat Doran Ten News:
No more speeding tickets -SpeedAlert-Live the free app that protects your driving license from the risks of unintentional speeding. www.speedalertlive.com
Found this Blog interesting? Please consider sharing.
9 News -SpeedAlerting could save 35 Lives a year says RTA
Transcript
Sarah Harris: Cameras like these are very well signed, you would have to
be pretty dumb to get caught, still plenty of drivers do
Peter Overton: And sarah this comes as the government announces the results of the trial of an anti-speeding device.
Sarah Harris: yes that right Peter the trial lasted six months and
involved 100 drivers testing this new GPS speed warning system that
makes a beeping sound when the driver exceeds the speed limit. This
trial found the gadget could save 35 lives and avoid 1500 injuries
every year if it was installed in evey car across New south wales, but
the transport minister says that won't happen it is not being made
compulsory.
Peter Overton: Sarah thank you
No
more speeding tickets -SpeedAlert-Live the free app that protects your
driving license from the risks of unintentional speeding. www.speedalertlive.com
Found this Blog interesting? Please consider sharing.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Telstra unveils work spy deal for bosses with Navman Wireless satellite tracking Read more: http://www.news.com.au/business/your-business/more-employ
http://www.news.com.au/business/your-business/more-employers-to-spy-on-workers/story-fn9evb64-1226176377949
TELSTRA is offering business owners the chance to spy on their workers on the road for less than $40 a month.
The telco giant has partnered with GPS service provider Navman Wireless to offer a small tracking device to install in company vehicles which will connect with the Next G wireless network.
The device lets bosses see locations, times, speed, and any unauthorised vehicle usage transmitted live for $38.50 a month on a 36-month contract or paid upfront.
While demand for this type of technology has increased over the past year, this is the first time Telstra has offered a deal allowing its corporate customers to bundle "fleet management" along with the rest of their bill.
A spokesperson for the ACTU said that although some technologies which allow the employer to better monitor employee whereabouts and performance can be acceptable it depends on what their overall purpose is.
“Unions support certain reasonable uses of such technologies, for instance to promote employee safety," the spokesperson said.
"However, unions oppose the use of such technologies where a major purpose is to spy on employees for disciplinary purposes, or intensify work.”
While this kind of technology has been used before in the transport sector, there is an increasing demand for it in the services industry.
Navman Wireless Asia Pacific Vice President Ian Daniel said growth had doubled year on year, but the overall purpose of these devices was not to spy on employees, but to increase productivity and efficiency for companies.
“At the end of the day you’re not tracking the employee but tracking an asset,” Mr Daniel said. “It allows companies to track efficiency through things such as billable hours on site, service delivery and monitoring that conditions such as speeding are adhered to."
He said how employees feel about the privacy issue would depend on how each individual company broached the subject with its employees.
Read more: http://www.news.com.au/business/your-business/more-employers-to-spy-on-workers/story-fn9evb64-1226176377949#ixzz1cJS5ipwn
TELSTRA is offering business owners the chance to spy on their workers on the road for less than $40 a month.
The telco giant has partnered with GPS service provider Navman Wireless to offer a small tracking device to install in company vehicles which will connect with the Next G wireless network.
The device lets bosses see locations, times, speed, and any unauthorised vehicle usage transmitted live for $38.50 a month on a 36-month contract or paid upfront.
While demand for this type of technology has increased over the past year, this is the first time Telstra has offered a deal allowing its corporate customers to bundle "fleet management" along with the rest of their bill.
A spokesperson for the ACTU said that although some technologies which allow the employer to better monitor employee whereabouts and performance can be acceptable it depends on what their overall purpose is.
“Unions support certain reasonable uses of such technologies, for instance to promote employee safety," the spokesperson said.
"However, unions oppose the use of such technologies where a major purpose is to spy on employees for disciplinary purposes, or intensify work.”
While this kind of technology has been used before in the transport sector, there is an increasing demand for it in the services industry.
Navman Wireless Asia Pacific Vice President Ian Daniel said growth had doubled year on year, but the overall purpose of these devices was not to spy on employees, but to increase productivity and efficiency for companies.
“At the end of the day you’re not tracking the employee but tracking an asset,” Mr Daniel said. “It allows companies to track efficiency through things such as billable hours on site, service delivery and monitoring that conditions such as speeding are adhered to."
He said how employees feel about the privacy issue would depend on how each individual company broached the subject with its employees.
Read more: http://www.news.com.au/business/your-business/more-employers-to-spy-on-workers/story-fn9evb64-1226176377949#ixzz1cJS5ipwn
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Roads Minister launches P-plate safety trial at UWS Quakers Hill campus
http://blacktown-advocate.whereilive.com.au/news/story/roads-minister-launches-p-plate-safety-trial-at-uws-quakers-hill-campus/
A State Government road safety trial is aiming to reduce road deaths among young drivers.
On Tuesday, Roads Minister Duncan Gay launched The P Drivers Project at the UWS Quakers Hill campus because he said 28 deaths over the past three years in the western Sydney region was frightening.
“Sadly the western Sydney region has the highest amount of P-plate driver crashes and fatalities in NSW, which is why we are holding this important event here,” Mr Gay said.
“It is the largest research project of its type carried out anywhere in the world.”
The project will be trialled in Victoria and NSW.
Road Transport Authority director Peter Wells also spoke at the launch and said the trial would be beneficial as it focused on awareness of road risks, the importance of decision making and developing safe driving behaviour. The $10 million project was a joint initiative for public and private sector organisations.
A State Government road safety trial is aiming to reduce road deaths among young drivers.
On Tuesday, Roads Minister Duncan Gay launched The P Drivers Project at the UWS Quakers Hill campus because he said 28 deaths over the past three years in the western Sydney region was frightening.
“Sadly the western Sydney region has the highest amount of P-plate driver crashes and fatalities in NSW, which is why we are holding this important event here,” Mr Gay said.
“It is the largest research project of its type carried out anywhere in the world.”
The project will be trialled in Victoria and NSW.
Road Transport Authority director Peter Wells also spoke at the launch and said the trial would be beneficial as it focused on awareness of road risks, the importance of decision making and developing safe driving behaviour. The $10 million project was a joint initiative for public and private sector organisations.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
P Drivers Project in Victoria, NSW to offer incentives for additional driver training
http://www.caradvice.com.au/142194/p-drivers-project-in-victoria-nsw-to-offer-incentives-for-additional-driver-training/
P-plate drivers in Victoria and New South Wales will be rewarded with movie tickets and bowling passes for taking part in a new, multi-million-dollar road safety program.
The P Drivers Project aims to enlist more than 26,000 drivers aged between 17 and 22 to take part in what is intended to be ‘one of the largest and most complex scientific research studies undertaken in the area of driver education in the world’.
The $10 million project has been jointly funded by the state and federal governments and the local car industry. It aims to involve around 25,000 Victoria P-platers – one in two in the state – as well as 1600 young drivers from parts of NSW including Western Sydney and areas around Tamworth, Dubbo and Lismore.
Participating P-platers will be involved in the program for three months. They will complete an online assessment that tests their ability to assess risk and gives them an opportunity to critique their own driving habits and ability.
P-platers will also attend two discussion sessions with their peers where they will watch road trauma videos and talk about ways to combat bad driving.
P-plate drivers in Victoria and New South Wales will be rewarded with movie tickets and bowling passes for taking part in a new, multi-million-dollar road safety program.
The P Drivers Project aims to enlist more than 26,000 drivers aged between 17 and 22 to take part in what is intended to be ‘one of the largest and most complex scientific research studies undertaken in the area of driver education in the world’.
The $10 million project has been jointly funded by the state and federal governments and the local car industry. It aims to involve around 25,000 Victoria P-platers – one in two in the state – as well as 1600 young drivers from parts of NSW including Western Sydney and areas around Tamworth, Dubbo and Lismore.
Participating P-platers will be involved in the program for three months. They will complete an online assessment that tests their ability to assess risk and gives them an opportunity to critique their own driving habits and ability.
P-platers will also attend two discussion sessions with their peers where they will watch road trauma videos and talk about ways to combat bad driving.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
GreenRoad™ and Customers Recognized for Safety Excellence,
GreenRoad™ and Customers Recognized for Safety Excellence, Cleantech Leadership and Eco-Driving
For Third Year, GreenRoad Named to 2011 Global Cleantech 100; List Recognizes the Top Private Companies in Clean Technology Industry
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Redwood City, Calif. (PRWEB) October 18, 2011
GreenRoad, the leader in driving performance and safety management, today announced that for the third year in a row it has been named to the prestigious Global Cleantech 100, a list of the top private-companies in clean technology. The list is produced by Cleantech Group, a leading research firm focused on global cleantech innovation, and in collaboration with the UK’s Guardian newspaper. GreenRoad is one of eight businesses to be recognized in the transportation section of this authoritative guide. GreenRoad was selected for its use of technology to improve the sustainability of fleets and reduce vehicle emissions.
GreenRoad also announced that its UK customer Iron Mountain won the Private Sector Fleet (250-500 vehicles) of the Year Award at the 2011 GreenFleet awards on October 13th. Another customer, FirstGroup, was a finalist for the Private Sector Fleet of the Year (over 500 vehicles) while GreenRoad was commended in the IT Innovation category.
In addition, GreenRoad announced that its customer, Alfred “Al” Lacombe, Dupré Logistics director of safety and training, was awarded the highest safety recognition honor in the U.S., the 2011 American Trucking Association (ATA) National Safety Director of the Year Award. Lacombe was recognized for building a “culture of safety” at Dupré where over 800 professional drivers traveled nearly 40 million miles in 2010.
“We want to extend our heartiest congratulations to Al and Dupré for wining this coveted recognition by the ATA, and to First Group and Iron Mountain for their excellence in fleet management,” said Jim Heeger, chief executive at GreenRoad. “These awards demonstrate the value of creating a safety culture through the innovative use of technology, data analysis and online reporting. Driver performance and safety can be continuously improved through the use of these new, data-driven management techniques.”
Additional recent recognition for GreenRoad and its customers included the following:
-- GreenRoad UK customer, Iron Mountain, was recently named a finalist in the 2011 Fleet Van Awards. These awards honor the most outstanding fleet and van operations across the UK. Winners will be announced in December.
-- GreenRoad customer, FirstGroup, is a finalist for the UK Bus Awards’ environmental category. The winners will be announced November 29th.
-- Also for the third year in a row, GreenRoad won the Risk Management Award in the 2011 BusinessCar Techie Awards, sponsored by UK publication BusinessCar.
-- GreenRoad also recently won the 2011 Brake Fleet Safety Award for Excellence awarded by the Fleet Safety Forum, UK.
-- And, in May 2011, GreenRoad was awarded the Safety Award in the 2011 Van Fleet World Honours program.
“These awards reinforce our commitment to transforming driving culture and delivering the best drivers on the road,” continued Heeger.
More about the 2011 Global Cleantech 100
The Global Cleantech 100 list is unique because it highlights the promise of private clean technology companies from all around the world, focusing on those companies which are most likely to make the most significant market impact over the next 5-10 years. The list is derived from Cleantech Group’s own data and research combined with the weighted qualitative judgments of hundreds of nominations and the viewpoints of a global panel of 70 cleantech experts. The judges evaluated over 4,200 nominations of independent, for-profit cleantech companies. Nominated firms were scored on three key criteria: their innovation, their market’s size and growth, and the company’s ability and resources to execute its technology.
“We are proud of how quickly the Global Cleantech 100 list has gained recognition as a leading resource in the cleantech sector,” said Sheeraz Haji, Cleantech Group CEO. “Stakeholders including members of the corporate community, investors, and regulators now watch the Global Cleantech 100 list closely to gauge which sectors look most promising and which companies are poised for growth.”
The complete list of 100 companies is being revealed today at the Global Cleantech 100 Summit & Gala in Washington, D.C. http://events.cleantech.com/global100/. Global Cleantech 100 companies will be featured at this event as well as at the Guardian’s Cleantech Summit in London on 22 November 2011 (http://www.guardian.co.uk/cleantech-summit).
About GreenRoad
GreenRoad is the leader in driving performance and safety management for fleets and other organizations. The unique GreenRoad Driver Improvement Loop™ is technology-based, personalized driver self-improvement that immediately transforms driving culture and delivers the best drivers on the road. Proven across 70,000 drivers worldwide, representing innovative fleets from all industry segments, GreenRoad dramatically reduces crashes and fuel consumption so customers realize positive ROI within months. The company is headquartered in Redwood City, California with offices throughout the U.S., the U.K., and Israel. For more information, visit http://www.greenroad.com.
For Third Year, GreenRoad Named to 2011 Global Cleantech 100; List Recognizes the Top Private Companies in Clean Technology Industry
ShareThis Email PDF Print
Redwood City, Calif. (PRWEB) October 18, 2011
GreenRoad, the leader in driving performance and safety management, today announced that for the third year in a row it has been named to the prestigious Global Cleantech 100, a list of the top private-companies in clean technology. The list is produced by Cleantech Group, a leading research firm focused on global cleantech innovation, and in collaboration with the UK’s Guardian newspaper. GreenRoad is one of eight businesses to be recognized in the transportation section of this authoritative guide. GreenRoad was selected for its use of technology to improve the sustainability of fleets and reduce vehicle emissions.
GreenRoad also announced that its UK customer Iron Mountain won the Private Sector Fleet (250-500 vehicles) of the Year Award at the 2011 GreenFleet awards on October 13th. Another customer, FirstGroup, was a finalist for the Private Sector Fleet of the Year (over 500 vehicles) while GreenRoad was commended in the IT Innovation category.
In addition, GreenRoad announced that its customer, Alfred “Al” Lacombe, Dupré Logistics director of safety and training, was awarded the highest safety recognition honor in the U.S., the 2011 American Trucking Association (ATA) National Safety Director of the Year Award. Lacombe was recognized for building a “culture of safety” at Dupré where over 800 professional drivers traveled nearly 40 million miles in 2010.
“We want to extend our heartiest congratulations to Al and Dupré for wining this coveted recognition by the ATA, and to First Group and Iron Mountain for their excellence in fleet management,” said Jim Heeger, chief executive at GreenRoad. “These awards demonstrate the value of creating a safety culture through the innovative use of technology, data analysis and online reporting. Driver performance and safety can be continuously improved through the use of these new, data-driven management techniques.”
Additional recent recognition for GreenRoad and its customers included the following:
-- GreenRoad UK customer, Iron Mountain, was recently named a finalist in the 2011 Fleet Van Awards. These awards honor the most outstanding fleet and van operations across the UK. Winners will be announced in December.
-- GreenRoad customer, FirstGroup, is a finalist for the UK Bus Awards’ environmental category. The winners will be announced November 29th.
-- Also for the third year in a row, GreenRoad won the Risk Management Award in the 2011 BusinessCar Techie Awards, sponsored by UK publication BusinessCar.
-- GreenRoad also recently won the 2011 Brake Fleet Safety Award for Excellence awarded by the Fleet Safety Forum, UK.
-- And, in May 2011, GreenRoad was awarded the Safety Award in the 2011 Van Fleet World Honours program.
“These awards reinforce our commitment to transforming driving culture and delivering the best drivers on the road,” continued Heeger.
More about the 2011 Global Cleantech 100
The Global Cleantech 100 list is unique because it highlights the promise of private clean technology companies from all around the world, focusing on those companies which are most likely to make the most significant market impact over the next 5-10 years. The list is derived from Cleantech Group’s own data and research combined with the weighted qualitative judgments of hundreds of nominations and the viewpoints of a global panel of 70 cleantech experts. The judges evaluated over 4,200 nominations of independent, for-profit cleantech companies. Nominated firms were scored on three key criteria: their innovation, their market’s size and growth, and the company’s ability and resources to execute its technology.
“We are proud of how quickly the Global Cleantech 100 list has gained recognition as a leading resource in the cleantech sector,” said Sheeraz Haji, Cleantech Group CEO. “Stakeholders including members of the corporate community, investors, and regulators now watch the Global Cleantech 100 list closely to gauge which sectors look most promising and which companies are poised for growth.”
The complete list of 100 companies is being revealed today at the Global Cleantech 100 Summit & Gala in Washington, D.C. http://events.cleantech.com/global100/. Global Cleantech 100 companies will be featured at this event as well as at the Guardian’s Cleantech Summit in London on 22 November 2011 (http://www.guardian.co.uk/cleantech-summit).
About GreenRoad
GreenRoad is the leader in driving performance and safety management for fleets and other organizations. The unique GreenRoad Driver Improvement Loop™ is technology-based, personalized driver self-improvement that immediately transforms driving culture and delivers the best drivers on the road. Proven across 70,000 drivers worldwide, representing innovative fleets from all industry segments, GreenRoad dramatically reduces crashes and fuel consumption so customers realize positive ROI within months. The company is headquartered in Redwood City, California with offices throughout the U.S., the U.K., and Israel. For more information, visit http://www.greenroad.com.
NSW Speed zone split fairest in country, says report
http://smh.drive.com.au/roads-and-traffic/speed-zone-split-fairest-in-country-says-report-20111016-1lrkl.html
Speed zone split fairest in country, says report
THE NSW government should retain 70km/h and 90km/h speed zones and there is no justification motorists have a more confusing speed system than other states, a report reveals.
A report for Transport NSW by consultancy group ARRB has concluded ''70km/h and 90km/h speed limits should be retained as viable speed limit options for use on the NSW road network''.
But, despite the findings of his own report, the Roads Minister, Duncan Gay, confirmed last week that a review of NSW speed zoning guidelines had determined that 70km/h and 90km/h zones would be ''restricted''.
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''Motorists have complained there are too many confusing speed signs and we have listened to their concerns,'' he said. ''We want to ensure motorists can focus on the road when driving instead of constantly looking at changing speed signs."
The report, obtained by the Pedestrian Council of Australia under freedom of information laws, also shows NSW motorists are forced to change speed less frequently than their counterparts in the rest of the country and New Zealand.
In NSW, the minimum length that an 80km/h zone can be is two kilometres but in other states it is 800 metres, and 100km/h zones in NSW must be three kilometres but elsewhere they can be two kilometres.
The Pedestrian Council's chairman, Harold Scruby, said there was clear justification for keeping the two speed zones.
''Here we are calling for getting rid of 70km/h and 90km/h and having fewer speed changes and yet NSW has by far the most liberal length of minimum speed zones,'' Mr Scruby said.
''In every other jurisdiction, they comply with the Australian standard and yet in NSW, the minimum length is sometimes two or almost three times more than the rest of the country.''
The report, which included consultation with NSW Police, Motor Accidents Authority, NRMA, Department of Health and leading road safety experts, outlined environmental reasons for not increasing speed limits.
''In the Netherlands, there was a saving of 40 million litres of fuel when the mean speed on the motorways was reduced from 111km/h to 104km/h,'' the report says.
''Similarly, in New Zealand in 1996 there was an increase in fuel consumption by 10 per cent when the speed limit was increased from 100km/h to 110km/h on motorways.''
It also warned there was clear evidence to show adopting higher speed limits would result in ''more crashes and higher severity outcomes for a given road environment''.
''Where that road environment is not suited to higher speed limits, it is reasonable to expect that the occurrence and severity will likely be higher again. Equally … for many roads lower speed limit alternatives of 60km/h and 80km/h may not be appropriate … to the motoring community.''
A spokeswoman for the minister said: ''Factors taken into account when reviewing speed limits include road layout, the number and type of vehicles using the road, development around the road and crash history. The new guidelines balance this information and the need for more consistent speed limits.''
Speed zone split fairest in country, says report
THE NSW government should retain 70km/h and 90km/h speed zones and there is no justification motorists have a more confusing speed system than other states, a report reveals.
A report for Transport NSW by consultancy group ARRB has concluded ''70km/h and 90km/h speed limits should be retained as viable speed limit options for use on the NSW road network''.
But, despite the findings of his own report, the Roads Minister, Duncan Gay, confirmed last week that a review of NSW speed zoning guidelines had determined that 70km/h and 90km/h zones would be ''restricted''.
Advertisement: Story continues below
''Motorists have complained there are too many confusing speed signs and we have listened to their concerns,'' he said. ''We want to ensure motorists can focus on the road when driving instead of constantly looking at changing speed signs."
The report, obtained by the Pedestrian Council of Australia under freedom of information laws, also shows NSW motorists are forced to change speed less frequently than their counterparts in the rest of the country and New Zealand.
In NSW, the minimum length that an 80km/h zone can be is two kilometres but in other states it is 800 metres, and 100km/h zones in NSW must be three kilometres but elsewhere they can be two kilometres.
The Pedestrian Council's chairman, Harold Scruby, said there was clear justification for keeping the two speed zones.
''Here we are calling for getting rid of 70km/h and 90km/h and having fewer speed changes and yet NSW has by far the most liberal length of minimum speed zones,'' Mr Scruby said.
''In every other jurisdiction, they comply with the Australian standard and yet in NSW, the minimum length is sometimes two or almost three times more than the rest of the country.''
The report, which included consultation with NSW Police, Motor Accidents Authority, NRMA, Department of Health and leading road safety experts, outlined environmental reasons for not increasing speed limits.
''In the Netherlands, there was a saving of 40 million litres of fuel when the mean speed on the motorways was reduced from 111km/h to 104km/h,'' the report says.
''Similarly, in New Zealand in 1996 there was an increase in fuel consumption by 10 per cent when the speed limit was increased from 100km/h to 110km/h on motorways.''
It also warned there was clear evidence to show adopting higher speed limits would result in ''more crashes and higher severity outcomes for a given road environment''.
''Where that road environment is not suited to higher speed limits, it is reasonable to expect that the occurrence and severity will likely be higher again. Equally … for many roads lower speed limit alternatives of 60km/h and 80km/h may not be appropriate … to the motoring community.''
A spokeswoman for the minister said: ''Factors taken into account when reviewing speed limits include road layout, the number and type of vehicles using the road, development around the road and crash history. The new guidelines balance this information and the need for more consistent speed limits.''
RTA boss dumped ...new Roads and Maritime Services boss will be Peter Duncan,
RTA boss Michael Bushby has been sensationally dumped, in one of the first major scalps of the new state government.
Roads Minister Duncan Gay has just announced the new Roads and Maritime Services boss will be Peter Duncan, currently Deputy Director General of the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet.
Mr Bushby, who applied to keep his position, will step down on 27 October, Mr Gay said.
The new Roads and Maritime Services will start operating on November 1 this year.
Mr Bushby was publicly humiliated when he was stood aside for a number of months by former Premier Kristina Keneally for his management of an 8 hour traffic jam on the F3 freeway last April. He was later cleared after an inquiry and returned to his post.
“Mr Duncan brings with him a wealth of knowledge and senior experience in NSW Government roles,” Mr Gay said.
Related Coverage
Speed fines close to the limit The Daily Telegraph, 1 day ago
RTA steers clear of carnage The Daily Telegraph, 8 days ago
Multi speed zones will be banned across NSW The Daily Telegraph, 6 Oct 2011
Plates boss on corruption charges The Daily Telegraph, 5 Sep 2011
Changing the speed limits The Daily Telegraph, 22 Aug 2011
“Mr Duncan has held a range of senior positions in the NSW Government, including previous roles as the Director General of the Department of Services, Technology and Administration, Chief Executive of Forests NSW and Deputy Director General of the Department of Primary Industries.” he said.
He also spent the early part of his career in road design for the Department of Main Roads and Roads and Traffic Authority.
”Roads and Maritime Services will operate under a service delivery contract to the new integrated transport authority, Transport for NSW,” Mr Gay said.
Roads Minister Duncan Gay has just announced the new Roads and Maritime Services boss will be Peter Duncan, currently Deputy Director General of the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet.
Mr Bushby, who applied to keep his position, will step down on 27 October, Mr Gay said.
The new Roads and Maritime Services will start operating on November 1 this year.
Mr Bushby was publicly humiliated when he was stood aside for a number of months by former Premier Kristina Keneally for his management of an 8 hour traffic jam on the F3 freeway last April. He was later cleared after an inquiry and returned to his post.
“Mr Duncan brings with him a wealth of knowledge and senior experience in NSW Government roles,” Mr Gay said.
Related Coverage
Speed fines close to the limit The Daily Telegraph, 1 day ago
RTA steers clear of carnage The Daily Telegraph, 8 days ago
Multi speed zones will be banned across NSW The Daily Telegraph, 6 Oct 2011
Plates boss on corruption charges The Daily Telegraph, 5 Sep 2011
Changing the speed limits The Daily Telegraph, 22 Aug 2011
“Mr Duncan has held a range of senior positions in the NSW Government, including previous roles as the Director General of the Department of Services, Technology and Administration, Chief Executive of Forests NSW and Deputy Director General of the Department of Primary Industries.” he said.
He also spent the early part of his career in road design for the Department of Main Roads and Roads and Traffic Authority.
”Roads and Maritime Services will operate under a service delivery contract to the new integrated transport authority, Transport for NSW,” Mr Gay said.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
More NSW drivers fined for speeding below 10km/h over the limit
http://www.caradvice.com.au/141919/more-nsw-drivers-fined-for-speeding-below-10kmh-over-the-limit/
According to the latest statistics, more NSW drivers are being fined for travelling less than 10km/h over the speed limit than in the past, which could prove NSW Police and the RTA now have near-zero tolerance for fast drivers.
In the year between August 2010 and August 2011, 13,129 drivers were fined for speeding, providing the government with $2.02 million in revenue. Of those fined, 7341 (or 56 per cent) were booked for speeding in the 0-10km/h-over-the-limit bracket. It’s unknown just how much revenue those fines generated. These figures are a significant mark-up on the previously recorded 13 per cent.
The perception has been floating around for years that police had to provide a 10 per cent tolerance for possible inaccuracies in both motor vehicle speedometers and the police speed detection equipment. This latest data could prove that there is now no tolerance after all.
A recent News Limited report including an official RTA mobile speed camera contract states there is a tolerance however, a figure of which must remain undisclosed. The contract said,
“Enforcement threshold speed is the speed of vehicles at which RTA initiate prosecution after exercising their common law discretion by allowing a margin or tolerance above the posted speed limit.
“Any enforcement thresholds to be applied on mobile speed camera systems shall be in accordance with RTA and must be approved before implementation. Threshold information shall not be written in correspondence, emailed or transferred without written permission of the RTA.”
The RTA is now preparing a report into the effectiveness of mobile speed cameras which have been operational since July 2010.
What do you think of the latest statistics? Is catching offenders that were travelling 0-10km/h over the limit really going to save lives? Feel free to give us your thoughts below.
According to the latest statistics, more NSW drivers are being fined for travelling less than 10km/h over the speed limit than in the past, which could prove NSW Police and the RTA now have near-zero tolerance for fast drivers.
In the year between August 2010 and August 2011, 13,129 drivers were fined for speeding, providing the government with $2.02 million in revenue. Of those fined, 7341 (or 56 per cent) were booked for speeding in the 0-10km/h-over-the-limit bracket. It’s unknown just how much revenue those fines generated. These figures are a significant mark-up on the previously recorded 13 per cent.
The perception has been floating around for years that police had to provide a 10 per cent tolerance for possible inaccuracies in both motor vehicle speedometers and the police speed detection equipment. This latest data could prove that there is now no tolerance after all.
A recent News Limited report including an official RTA mobile speed camera contract states there is a tolerance however, a figure of which must remain undisclosed. The contract said,
“Enforcement threshold speed is the speed of vehicles at which RTA initiate prosecution after exercising their common law discretion by allowing a margin or tolerance above the posted speed limit.
“Any enforcement thresholds to be applied on mobile speed camera systems shall be in accordance with RTA and must be approved before implementation. Threshold information shall not be written in correspondence, emailed or transferred without written permission of the RTA.”
The RTA is now preparing a report into the effectiveness of mobile speed cameras which have been operational since July 2010.
What do you think of the latest statistics? Is catching offenders that were travelling 0-10km/h over the limit really going to save lives? Feel free to give us your thoughts below.
Monday, October 17, 2011
UK Why banning fees will put up your car insurance
Why banning fees will put up your car insurance
Read more: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-2049518/Why-banning-fees-car-insurance.html#ixzz1aztmlM4k
Henry Engelhardt has become used to running a stock market darling. Such is the success of the Admiral insurance group – which also owns the Elephant and Diamond brands and price comparison site confused.com – that it is planning to increase its almost exclusively Welsh workforce from 4,200 to 7,000 in the next five years.
But in recent weeks the Chicago-born chief executive has had to contend with a serious setback. Last month the Government said it would press ahead with a ban on controversial injury referral fees, which Admiral says accounts for more than five per cent of overall profits.
Before the announcement, Engelhardt, 53, said he would not follow rival Axa in ending referral fees – where lawyers pay companies that pass on claims work to them and which are blamed for increasing the cost of car insurance.
At the time he told Financial Mail: ‘If the Government wants to tackle this they need to cap for injuries such as whiplash at say £750 and £150 to lawyers. At the moment victims can get £2,000. If referral fees are banned, the result would be car insurance would go up. I hope someone is intelligent enough to say why we are we paying big referral fees.’
Sporting chance: Admiral, led by Henry Engelhardt, sponsors the Welsh rugby team
Engelhardt now says that if a ban is implemented, lawyers will tout even harder for fees, a practice that has developed over the past decade as Legal Aid has been withdrawn.
In August Engelhardt made the boldest statement about the company’s future when he and chairman Alastair Lyons bought £540,000 of Admiral shares when the price dropped after analysts worried about growth prospects and a rising tide of claims.
Admiral’s shares may have slipped to 1277p when the pair bought their tranche, but they have since fallen further to close at 1263p on Friday, including a seven per cent fall in two days following the announcement on referral fees.
Engelhardt says that despite August’s interim pre-tax profits rising 27 per cent to £160.6million, with half-year sales passing £1billion for the first time, the market was wrongly judging the group only on its rapid growth in the past few years.
A robust relationship with industry analysts continues. Last weekend Admiral was busy defending itself against Oriel Securities’ Marcus Barnard, who said the company was employing two sets of accounts in order to inflate its value by overestimating the cost of future insurance cases.
More...
Bidders face a shock £530m hurdle in the race for EMI
SpongeBob and Dora help Blackpool to bounce back
Engelhardt says the difficulty is trying to predict the size of new claims in coming years. ‘It’s a bit like trying to say what the weather is going to be like in the last week of November,’ he says.
Engelhardt started work as a runner in the bearpit of Chicago’s Mercantile Exchange before saving up to study for an MBA after following his childhood sweetheart back to France. They have since married, live near Cardiff, and have four children.
A job at car insurer Churchill, now owned by Royal Bank of Scotland, followed a response to an anonymous advert calling for a sales and marketing specialist. Success at Churchill resulted in Lloyd’s of London agent Hayter Brockbank seeking him out to launch Admiral.
As the economy has become tougher, Engelhardt has detected a rise in insurance claim fraud. ‘There’s a greater number of accidents being manufactured,’ he says. ‘In 2000 to 2004 we saw far more vehicles being stolen, which we’re not seeing this time round. Either they’re better protected or they’re not worth as much.’
Another problem is how to offer reasonably priced insurance to teenage drivers, who are often all tarred as ‘boy racers’.
‘Black box telematics’ schemes in which GPS systems track drivers’ time of driving, speed and braking, could mean that not all teenagers will be hit with expensive policies aimed at the most reckless drivers in the age range.
Engelhardt scored 98.8 per cent in his test, he is pleased to announce. ‘It’s not far into the future when they’ll be in every new car,’ he says.
Admiral, online provider Elephant and Diamond, aimed at women drivers, performed well during the year, delivering profits of £168.2million in the UK. Engelhardt says an EC ruling that female-focused insurance is discriminatory is unlikely to affect the company until late 2012.
He thinks that the implications of the legislation are not going to be popular. ‘It’s not going to mean lower rates for young men – it’s more likely to mean higher rates for young women,’ he says.
A greater headache for Engelhardt is the future of confused.com, the comparison site that posted interim profits down 6.8 per cent to £8.2million as competitors such as comparethemarket.com and moneysupermarket.com have increased spending on adverts.
Nevertheless, Engelhardt is upbeat, saying its revenues are already better than the second half of last year. ‘We’ve made a lot of changes to the website, making it much quicker,’ he says.
Despite Wales crashing out of the Rugby World Cup yesterday – Admiral sponsors the team – the future for the group looks bright, despite a £3.2million loss on overseas business for the half year.
Engelhardt says the continued growth of Admiral is unlikely to be stalled by the recession, as people will always need to insure their vehicles.
That’s good news for the Welsh economy as the group will continue to expand its Cardiff, Swansea and Newport sites and is building a vast new building in the capital.
Read more: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-2049518/Why-banning-fees-car-insurance.html#ixzz1aztvWwqz
Read more: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-2049518/Why-banning-fees-car-insurance.html#ixzz1aztmlM4k
Henry Engelhardt has become used to running a stock market darling. Such is the success of the Admiral insurance group – which also owns the Elephant and Diamond brands and price comparison site confused.com – that it is planning to increase its almost exclusively Welsh workforce from 4,200 to 7,000 in the next five years.
But in recent weeks the Chicago-born chief executive has had to contend with a serious setback. Last month the Government said it would press ahead with a ban on controversial injury referral fees, which Admiral says accounts for more than five per cent of overall profits.
Before the announcement, Engelhardt, 53, said he would not follow rival Axa in ending referral fees – where lawyers pay companies that pass on claims work to them and which are blamed for increasing the cost of car insurance.
At the time he told Financial Mail: ‘If the Government wants to tackle this they need to cap for injuries such as whiplash at say £750 and £150 to lawyers. At the moment victims can get £2,000. If referral fees are banned, the result would be car insurance would go up. I hope someone is intelligent enough to say why we are we paying big referral fees.’
Sporting chance: Admiral, led by Henry Engelhardt, sponsors the Welsh rugby team
Engelhardt now says that if a ban is implemented, lawyers will tout even harder for fees, a practice that has developed over the past decade as Legal Aid has been withdrawn.
In August Engelhardt made the boldest statement about the company’s future when he and chairman Alastair Lyons bought £540,000 of Admiral shares when the price dropped after analysts worried about growth prospects and a rising tide of claims.
Admiral’s shares may have slipped to 1277p when the pair bought their tranche, but they have since fallen further to close at 1263p on Friday, including a seven per cent fall in two days following the announcement on referral fees.
Engelhardt says that despite August’s interim pre-tax profits rising 27 per cent to £160.6million, with half-year sales passing £1billion for the first time, the market was wrongly judging the group only on its rapid growth in the past few years.
A robust relationship with industry analysts continues. Last weekend Admiral was busy defending itself against Oriel Securities’ Marcus Barnard, who said the company was employing two sets of accounts in order to inflate its value by overestimating the cost of future insurance cases.
More...
Bidders face a shock £530m hurdle in the race for EMI
SpongeBob and Dora help Blackpool to bounce back
Engelhardt says the difficulty is trying to predict the size of new claims in coming years. ‘It’s a bit like trying to say what the weather is going to be like in the last week of November,’ he says.
Engelhardt started work as a runner in the bearpit of Chicago’s Mercantile Exchange before saving up to study for an MBA after following his childhood sweetheart back to France. They have since married, live near Cardiff, and have four children.
A job at car insurer Churchill, now owned by Royal Bank of Scotland, followed a response to an anonymous advert calling for a sales and marketing specialist. Success at Churchill resulted in Lloyd’s of London agent Hayter Brockbank seeking him out to launch Admiral.
As the economy has become tougher, Engelhardt has detected a rise in insurance claim fraud. ‘There’s a greater number of accidents being manufactured,’ he says. ‘In 2000 to 2004 we saw far more vehicles being stolen, which we’re not seeing this time round. Either they’re better protected or they’re not worth as much.’
Another problem is how to offer reasonably priced insurance to teenage drivers, who are often all tarred as ‘boy racers’.
‘Black box telematics’ schemes in which GPS systems track drivers’ time of driving, speed and braking, could mean that not all teenagers will be hit with expensive policies aimed at the most reckless drivers in the age range.
Engelhardt scored 98.8 per cent in his test, he is pleased to announce. ‘It’s not far into the future when they’ll be in every new car,’ he says.
Admiral, online provider Elephant and Diamond, aimed at women drivers, performed well during the year, delivering profits of £168.2million in the UK. Engelhardt says an EC ruling that female-focused insurance is discriminatory is unlikely to affect the company until late 2012.
He thinks that the implications of the legislation are not going to be popular. ‘It’s not going to mean lower rates for young men – it’s more likely to mean higher rates for young women,’ he says.
A greater headache for Engelhardt is the future of confused.com, the comparison site that posted interim profits down 6.8 per cent to £8.2million as competitors such as comparethemarket.com and moneysupermarket.com have increased spending on adverts.
Nevertheless, Engelhardt is upbeat, saying its revenues are already better than the second half of last year. ‘We’ve made a lot of changes to the website, making it much quicker,’ he says.
Despite Wales crashing out of the Rugby World Cup yesterday – Admiral sponsors the team – the future for the group looks bright, despite a £3.2million loss on overseas business for the half year.
Engelhardt says the continued growth of Admiral is unlikely to be stalled by the recession, as people will always need to insure their vehicles.
That’s good news for the Welsh economy as the group will continue to expand its Cardiff, Swansea and Newport sites and is building a vast new building in the capital.
Read more: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-2049518/Why-banning-fees-car-insurance.html#ixzz1aztvWwqz
USA More and more drivers are ratted out to police and insurance adjusters – by their own cars
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2011/10/black-box-job-your-car-as-a-hostile-witness/
More and more drivers are ratted out to police and insurance adjusters – by their own cars. “Event data recorders that function much like the “black boxes” on airplanes, and which are now installed on virtually all new vehicles, can give investigators incriminating details about your driving behavior in the final seconds before a crash,” writes The Tennessean. The paper quotes Gary Biller, executive director of the National Motorists Association:
“It’s in the cars, it can’t be turned off, and the information is available to anyone with a court order. Our members ask whether these devices can be disabled, but they can’t, because they are integral to the computer systems that control modern cars.”
A Nashville company, VCE Inc., is in the business of making the boxes talk. Says VCE Vice President Todd Hutchison:
“We have been involved from the start and were among the first ones to begin downloading the data from these recorders for the accident reconstructions we do for attorneys and insurance companies. We typically get permission from the owner of the vehicle, but that’s not necessarily who owned it at the time of the accident. If the insurance company has bought the salvaged vehicle, they can give us permission.”
On some cars, connecting a cable is no longer necessary. Beginning with the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, GM will be able to access the information from the recorders wirelessly through the OnStar system included on most of the automaker’s vehicles, The Tennessean writes.
Biller has heard of remote readers that could access the data just by coming close to a vehicle.
It doesn’t need an accident to make the data change your life. Buddy Oakes, a Columbia-based insurance claims adjuster says that some insurance companies are using the data to help rate customers’ driving habits to determine how much their premiums should be.
General Motors safety spokeswoman Sharon Basel says:
“We have them in all of our vehicles, and have had since the mid-’90s. It’s not a continuous recording; it’s only during an event. And we can’t access the data without the consent of the vehicle owner or lessee.”
Help is near – from the government: Beginning with the 2011 model year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requires that automakers tell in the vehicle owner’s manual whether a recorder is installed and where it is located.
More and more drivers are ratted out to police and insurance adjusters – by their own cars. “Event data recorders that function much like the “black boxes” on airplanes, and which are now installed on virtually all new vehicles, can give investigators incriminating details about your driving behavior in the final seconds before a crash,” writes The Tennessean. The paper quotes Gary Biller, executive director of the National Motorists Association:
“It’s in the cars, it can’t be turned off, and the information is available to anyone with a court order. Our members ask whether these devices can be disabled, but they can’t, because they are integral to the computer systems that control modern cars.”
A Nashville company, VCE Inc., is in the business of making the boxes talk. Says VCE Vice President Todd Hutchison:
“We have been involved from the start and were among the first ones to begin downloading the data from these recorders for the accident reconstructions we do for attorneys and insurance companies. We typically get permission from the owner of the vehicle, but that’s not necessarily who owned it at the time of the accident. If the insurance company has bought the salvaged vehicle, they can give us permission.”
On some cars, connecting a cable is no longer necessary. Beginning with the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, GM will be able to access the information from the recorders wirelessly through the OnStar system included on most of the automaker’s vehicles, The Tennessean writes.
Biller has heard of remote readers that could access the data just by coming close to a vehicle.
It doesn’t need an accident to make the data change your life. Buddy Oakes, a Columbia-based insurance claims adjuster says that some insurance companies are using the data to help rate customers’ driving habits to determine how much their premiums should be.
General Motors safety spokeswoman Sharon Basel says:
“We have them in all of our vehicles, and have had since the mid-’90s. It’s not a continuous recording; it’s only during an event. And we can’t access the data without the consent of the vehicle owner or lessee.”
Help is near – from the government: Beginning with the 2011 model year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requires that automakers tell in the vehicle owner’s manual whether a recorder is installed and where it is located.
UK Black Box Car Insurance Offers Savings During Tough Economic Times
http://www.comparethebox.com/blog/black-box-car-insurance-offers-savings-during-tough-economic-times/
Black Box Car Insurance Offers Savings During Tough Economic Times
During tough economic times, any rise in costs of monthly items can strain a family budget. It is especially true of our car expenses. There are other costs to operating a vehicle than just the cost of car insurance. There are routine maintenance costs and petrol costs. There are also costs involved to keep the car clean. A rise in any of these costs can cause a ripple effect in the way we run our everyday errands; the way we organize our lives. Car insurance has been increasing in cost for more than twelve months now, reaching an average cost of 843 pounds per year. That is just an average. Some young drivers are paying more than 2,500 pounds per year, simply to operate a car. Car insurance like Black box is helpful in controlling the cost of car insurance due to its unique ability to offer rewards to a driver who is thrifty.
Black box car insurance is a gps enabled car insurance which is unique in two ways. First, the gps ability means that if your car is ever stolen, recovery will be much quicker than normal for the authorities. Second, Black box is able to reward drivers who use good judgment and drive with safety on their minds.
A small device is mounted within the insured car and records habits like: speeding, cornering, braking and the time of day or night the car is driven.
Once it is determined that safe driving habits have been used, a discount is applied to future monthly premium costs. The opposite takes place in the event unsafe practices have been used to operate the car. Additions are made to future monthly premiums or policies are cancelled altogether.
Black box car insurance is available online and is only growing in popularity.
Black Box Car Insurance Offers Savings During Tough Economic Times
During tough economic times, any rise in costs of monthly items can strain a family budget. It is especially true of our car expenses. There are other costs to operating a vehicle than just the cost of car insurance. There are routine maintenance costs and petrol costs. There are also costs involved to keep the car clean. A rise in any of these costs can cause a ripple effect in the way we run our everyday errands; the way we organize our lives. Car insurance has been increasing in cost for more than twelve months now, reaching an average cost of 843 pounds per year. That is just an average. Some young drivers are paying more than 2,500 pounds per year, simply to operate a car. Car insurance like Black box is helpful in controlling the cost of car insurance due to its unique ability to offer rewards to a driver who is thrifty.
Black box car insurance is a gps enabled car insurance which is unique in two ways. First, the gps ability means that if your car is ever stolen, recovery will be much quicker than normal for the authorities. Second, Black box is able to reward drivers who use good judgment and drive with safety on their minds.
A small device is mounted within the insured car and records habits like: speeding, cornering, braking and the time of day or night the car is driven.
Once it is determined that safe driving habits have been used, a discount is applied to future monthly premium costs. The opposite takes place in the event unsafe practices have been used to operate the car. Additions are made to future monthly premiums or policies are cancelled altogether.
Black box car insurance is available online and is only growing in popularity.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
RTA to release iPhone app aimed at reducing road deaths
http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/403856/rta_release_iphone_app_aimed_reducing_road_deaths/?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=taxonomyfeed
RTA to release iPhone app aimed at reducing road deaths
Trials indicate it has the potential to reduce fatalities by 8 per cent a year
A new iPhone app being tested by the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) could potentially reduce state road fatalities by 8 per cent a year.
“The impetus [for the app] was out of a very successful trial in the Illawarra region that was implemented in 2010 where we installed 106 private vehicles with an Industry Standard Architecture dedicated device,” RTA principal safety analyst, John Wall, told Computerworld Australia.
“This was very similar to a personal navigation device that warned people when they travelled over the speed limits.”
After the trial group racked up more than 1.9 million kilometres in travel, Wall said it became clear that the app, which employs GPS and warns drivers when they are exceeding the speed limit, has the potential to save many lives.
“If everyone behaved the same as they did in the trial, we’d reduce road fatalities by around 8 per cent,” he said.
“We’d save around 35 lives per year... if everyone was driving with this device on the road in NSW.”
Development of the app is set to be completed by June 2012, with Wall saying there are plans to develop an Android version.
“Our result was about a dedicated device installed in the vehicle, and in thinking about it, the goal is to get technology in as many vehicles as we can,” he said.
“I don’t think we’ll go any further than Android and iPhone at this stage unless something [other operating system] comes out of the blue.”
RTA to release iPhone app aimed at reducing road deaths
Trials indicate it has the potential to reduce fatalities by 8 per cent a year
A new iPhone app being tested by the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) could potentially reduce state road fatalities by 8 per cent a year.
“The impetus [for the app] was out of a very successful trial in the Illawarra region that was implemented in 2010 where we installed 106 private vehicles with an Industry Standard Architecture dedicated device,” RTA principal safety analyst, John Wall, told Computerworld Australia.
“This was very similar to a personal navigation device that warned people when they travelled over the speed limits.”
After the trial group racked up more than 1.9 million kilometres in travel, Wall said it became clear that the app, which employs GPS and warns drivers when they are exceeding the speed limit, has the potential to save many lives.
“If everyone behaved the same as they did in the trial, we’d reduce road fatalities by around 8 per cent,” he said.
“We’d save around 35 lives per year... if everyone was driving with this device on the road in NSW.”
Development of the app is set to be completed by June 2012, with Wall saying there are plans to develop an Android version.
“Our result was about a dedicated device installed in the vehicle, and in thinking about it, the goal is to get technology in as many vehicles as we can,” he said.
“I don’t think we’ll go any further than Android and iPhone at this stage unless something [other operating system] comes out of the blue.”
Ford's MyKey system
http://autos.aol.com/article/teen-tracking-devices/
Teen Tracking Devices Make Them Better Drivers
There are in-car gadgets, smartphone apps, and even automaker software to help monitor young drivers
Many parents feel squeamish about tracking their teen drivers with technology. It seems invasive, intrusive, and like you don't trust them.
But a study by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety shows that teens whom know they're being tracked behave better behind the wheel.
And given that the first year of driving really should be considered more of a training period than a full-blown, no-restrictions free pass to drive, parents should consider using whatever tools they have at their discretion.
While handing over the car keys can turn any well functioning parent into a stressed-out mess, these devices are another tool to help the learning process continue even after your teen is driving on his or her own. Experts are not fond of using the devices on the sly. Why? Because the research shows that a teen will practice better driving habits if they know they are being watched. And they won't feel betrayed if they are suddenly surprised to learn you've been tracking them with a GPS.
Here are a just a few to consider:
Comes with the car
Ford's MyKey:
The primary purpose of Ford's MyKey system is to act like an advanced seat-belt reminder. It also does a bunch of other things. But if it only serves the purpose of forcing to teens buckle up, it's creator will consider it a victory.
Andy Sarkisian, manager of Ford's Safety Planning and Strategy, came up with the idea after one of his teen daughters survived two serious car crashes – including one rollover crash – because she was belted in.
How does it work? The system blocks out the radio until the front passengers have all clicked in. It also limits how loud a radio can play, maxing out at 60% of full volume, which is plenty loud.
MyKey also can be set to max out the top speed at 80 mph, and to set alerts when the driver goes above 45 mph, 55 mph, and 65 mph.
It comes basic on all Ford models. One key can be programmed with the technology, and the other master key can turn it off.
Hyundai
Later this year, the 2012 Hyundai Sonata will come with BlueLink, a telematics system that can be used to help parents monitor teen drivers. The "GeoFence" will alert owners when a car has been driven outside of a predetermined area, which will help if you want your teen to stay close to home. And it will you allow to set speed limits and curfews on the car.
The system will come standard on all 2012 Hyundai Sonata sedans, which means it will be available to everyone.
Spy gadgets to add on
There are a couple of ways you can track teen drivers without them knowing. Or you can track them and let them know you're watching, which may actually offer better results because your teen will practice their best driving behaviors knowing someone is watching over their shoulder.
One such technology is the MotoSafety Teen Driving Coach. The device is about the size of an iPod Nano, except thicker. It plugs into the on-board diagnostics (OBD II) port in the car, which is located somewhere three to five feet from the driver. It can be hard to find, so you may need a technician at the retailer or your garage to help you.
For $150 for the device and a $20 monthly subscription fee, the device uses GPS to track where your teen has gone. It gives your child a monthly grade, displaying the number of speeding, harsh braking and rapid acceleration incidents that contributed to a low grade. And it shows how the score has changed over time.
Youth Driving Safe offers a set of similar devices, varying in sizes, for a $298 initial cost and a $17.99 a month subscription. The $99 CarChip Pro also tracks teen drivers, but it doesn't come with a GPS option, so you won't know where you child has gone.
If you don't want to go through the hassle of finding the OBD port, you can pay a little extra to get wireless devices. The Spark Nano 2.0 Real-Time tracker goes for between $199 and $299, and then a whopping $209 to $399 in service costs, depending on the plan you chose. But it can be hidden in the glove-box, and performs the same way as other GPS tracking devices.
There are plenty of other devices available, but each plan differs. Some claim to offer continuous tracking, but only record the car's location and speed every few minutes.
Smart phone apps
There are plenty of smart phone apps that promise to block text messaging and cellphone calls for your teen driver, or even for yourself.
AOL Autos tested out the StateFarm Driver Feedback app for the iPhone. The free program records your speed, acceleration, braking and location, and at the end of the ride gives the driver a score. It also provides feedback on problem areas – the first time through, it said we had a tendency to take turns too quickly. Using that feedback, we slowed down and got a better score the second time around.
Apps are helpful in the teaching process, because sometimes teens take criticism better from outside sources than from their parents. Sad but true. Seeing their driving performance criticized on an app may go down easier than from a parent. Setting up the StateFarm Driver Feedback app to record a drive is useful, but be aware that the program needs to run continuously throughout the drive, and it drains cellphone battery. Thus, you'll want to keep the phone plugged in while it is working.
When searching for driver-monitoring apps, be aware that many apps offered are merely driving logs. Those are useful to help your teen record their training hours behind the wheel, but don't actually do anything on their own.
Other apps to consider include ones that block texting while driving. Many of those also need to be physically turned on before driving, and can drain the phone's battery quickly using GPS technology to determine if someone is in a car. But T-Mobile's DriveSmart detects when a phone is quickly switching between cell-towers, and activates then.
Bottom line: Thanks to today's technology, parents don't have to be completely ignorant of how their teens drive when they are not around. And forcing your teen to practice good driving skills even when you're not present will make them better drivers in the long run.
Teen Tracking Devices Make Them Better Drivers
There are in-car gadgets, smartphone apps, and even automaker software to help monitor young drivers
Many parents feel squeamish about tracking their teen drivers with technology. It seems invasive, intrusive, and like you don't trust them.
But a study by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety shows that teens whom know they're being tracked behave better behind the wheel.
And given that the first year of driving really should be considered more of a training period than a full-blown, no-restrictions free pass to drive, parents should consider using whatever tools they have at their discretion.
While handing over the car keys can turn any well functioning parent into a stressed-out mess, these devices are another tool to help the learning process continue even after your teen is driving on his or her own. Experts are not fond of using the devices on the sly. Why? Because the research shows that a teen will practice better driving habits if they know they are being watched. And they won't feel betrayed if they are suddenly surprised to learn you've been tracking them with a GPS.
Here are a just a few to consider:
Comes with the car
Ford's MyKey:
The primary purpose of Ford's MyKey system is to act like an advanced seat-belt reminder. It also does a bunch of other things. But if it only serves the purpose of forcing to teens buckle up, it's creator will consider it a victory.
Andy Sarkisian, manager of Ford's Safety Planning and Strategy, came up with the idea after one of his teen daughters survived two serious car crashes – including one rollover crash – because she was belted in.
How does it work? The system blocks out the radio until the front passengers have all clicked in. It also limits how loud a radio can play, maxing out at 60% of full volume, which is plenty loud.
MyKey also can be set to max out the top speed at 80 mph, and to set alerts when the driver goes above 45 mph, 55 mph, and 65 mph.
It comes basic on all Ford models. One key can be programmed with the technology, and the other master key can turn it off.
Hyundai
Later this year, the 2012 Hyundai Sonata will come with BlueLink, a telematics system that can be used to help parents monitor teen drivers. The "GeoFence" will alert owners when a car has been driven outside of a predetermined area, which will help if you want your teen to stay close to home. And it will you allow to set speed limits and curfews on the car.
The system will come standard on all 2012 Hyundai Sonata sedans, which means it will be available to everyone.
Spy gadgets to add on
There are a couple of ways you can track teen drivers without them knowing. Or you can track them and let them know you're watching, which may actually offer better results because your teen will practice their best driving behaviors knowing someone is watching over their shoulder.
One such technology is the MotoSafety Teen Driving Coach. The device is about the size of an iPod Nano, except thicker. It plugs into the on-board diagnostics (OBD II) port in the car, which is located somewhere three to five feet from the driver. It can be hard to find, so you may need a technician at the retailer or your garage to help you.
For $150 for the device and a $20 monthly subscription fee, the device uses GPS to track where your teen has gone. It gives your child a monthly grade, displaying the number of speeding, harsh braking and rapid acceleration incidents that contributed to a low grade. And it shows how the score has changed over time.
Youth Driving Safe offers a set of similar devices, varying in sizes, for a $298 initial cost and a $17.99 a month subscription. The $99 CarChip Pro also tracks teen drivers, but it doesn't come with a GPS option, so you won't know where you child has gone.
If you don't want to go through the hassle of finding the OBD port, you can pay a little extra to get wireless devices. The Spark Nano 2.0 Real-Time tracker goes for between $199 and $299, and then a whopping $209 to $399 in service costs, depending on the plan you chose. But it can be hidden in the glove-box, and performs the same way as other GPS tracking devices.
There are plenty of other devices available, but each plan differs. Some claim to offer continuous tracking, but only record the car's location and speed every few minutes.
Smart phone apps
There are plenty of smart phone apps that promise to block text messaging and cellphone calls for your teen driver, or even for yourself.
AOL Autos tested out the StateFarm Driver Feedback app for the iPhone. The free program records your speed, acceleration, braking and location, and at the end of the ride gives the driver a score. It also provides feedback on problem areas – the first time through, it said we had a tendency to take turns too quickly. Using that feedback, we slowed down and got a better score the second time around.
Apps are helpful in the teaching process, because sometimes teens take criticism better from outside sources than from their parents. Sad but true. Seeing their driving performance criticized on an app may go down easier than from a parent. Setting up the StateFarm Driver Feedback app to record a drive is useful, but be aware that the program needs to run continuously throughout the drive, and it drains cellphone battery. Thus, you'll want to keep the phone plugged in while it is working.
When searching for driver-monitoring apps, be aware that many apps offered are merely driving logs. Those are useful to help your teen record their training hours behind the wheel, but don't actually do anything on their own.
Other apps to consider include ones that block texting while driving. Many of those also need to be physically turned on before driving, and can drain the phone's battery quickly using GPS technology to determine if someone is in a car. But T-Mobile's DriveSmart detects when a phone is quickly switching between cell-towers, and activates then.
Bottom line: Thanks to today's technology, parents don't have to be completely ignorant of how their teens drive when they are not around. And forcing your teen to practice good driving skills even when you're not present will make them better drivers in the long run.
New State Farm Commercial Puts Focus on Parents and Teen Drivers Spot Debuts Leading up to "National Teen Driver Safety Week"
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/10/06/3965775/new-state-farm-commercial-puts.html
New State Farm Commercial Puts Focus on Parents and Teen Drivers
Spot Debuts Leading up to "National Teen Driver Safety Week"
BLOOMINGTON, Ill., Oct. 6, 2011 -- /PRNewswire/ -- State Farm is unveiling a new commercial this week designed to put a powerful spotlight on teen drivers and their parents. The commercial spans the life of a young girl from toddler to teen driver. Country western recording artist Kenny Chesney's hit "There Goes My Life" serves as the backdrop for the piece.
State Farm is debuting the commercial leading up to the fifth annual National Teen Driver Safety Week, October 16 – 22, 2011. The week is dedicated to raising awareness about the tragedy of teen vehicle crashes, the leading cause of death for young people in the U.S., and is meant to spark communication among teenagers, parents, educators and civic leaders about the causes of and solutions to teen crashes. State Farm has invested more than $20 million dollars in research into teen driver safety with partners like The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia as well as other local safety and law enforcement groups.
At the end of the commercial, there is a callout for statefarm.com® where parents and teens can access helpful resources, such as the State Farm Steer Clear® Safe Driver Discount Program, giving families peace of mind during this "state of transition."
"Teen car crashes affect all who share our roads," said Laurette Stiles, Vice President – Strategic Resources at State Farm. "During National Teen Driver Safety Week and year-round we invite everyone to join the national conversation aimed at preventing unnecessary injuries and loss of life."
Research has shown that families need extra support to guide their teens safely through the first years of driving. This new commercial is intended to remind parents there are tools such as Steer Clear available to help their teen learn safer driving habits.
The principles followed in the Steer Clear program align with those of Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) laws. These laws have proven to be effective at reducing teen car crashes in part by lengthening the time in which teens must drive while supervised and requiring practice in diverse driving conditions.
The Steer Clear Program is available online and from a State Farm agent, and the Steer Clear mobile app is available for iPhone, iPod Touch and Android..
State Farm worked with the advertising agency DDB Chicago to develop the commercial spot, which begins a full rotation schedule this week. It can be viewed on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD0mAJnRnaE.
Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/10/06/3965775/new-state-farm-commercial-puts.html#ixzz1ac8loqCQ
Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/10/06/3965775/new-state-farm-commercial-puts.html#ixzz1ac8ggPYN
New State Farm Commercial Puts Focus on Parents and Teen Drivers
Spot Debuts Leading up to "National Teen Driver Safety Week"
BLOOMINGTON, Ill., Oct. 6, 2011 -- /PRNewswire/ -- State Farm is unveiling a new commercial this week designed to put a powerful spotlight on teen drivers and their parents. The commercial spans the life of a young girl from toddler to teen driver. Country western recording artist Kenny Chesney's hit "There Goes My Life" serves as the backdrop for the piece.
State Farm is debuting the commercial leading up to the fifth annual National Teen Driver Safety Week, October 16 – 22, 2011. The week is dedicated to raising awareness about the tragedy of teen vehicle crashes, the leading cause of death for young people in the U.S., and is meant to spark communication among teenagers, parents, educators and civic leaders about the causes of and solutions to teen crashes. State Farm has invested more than $20 million dollars in research into teen driver safety with partners like The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia as well as other local safety and law enforcement groups.
At the end of the commercial, there is a callout for statefarm.com® where parents and teens can access helpful resources, such as the State Farm Steer Clear® Safe Driver Discount Program, giving families peace of mind during this "state of transition."
"Teen car crashes affect all who share our roads," said Laurette Stiles, Vice President – Strategic Resources at State Farm. "During National Teen Driver Safety Week and year-round we invite everyone to join the national conversation aimed at preventing unnecessary injuries and loss of life."
Research has shown that families need extra support to guide their teens safely through the first years of driving. This new commercial is intended to remind parents there are tools such as Steer Clear available to help their teen learn safer driving habits.
The principles followed in the Steer Clear program align with those of Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) laws. These laws have proven to be effective at reducing teen car crashes in part by lengthening the time in which teens must drive while supervised and requiring practice in diverse driving conditions.
The Steer Clear Program is available online and from a State Farm agent, and the Steer Clear mobile app is available for iPhone, iPod Touch and Android..
State Farm worked with the advertising agency DDB Chicago to develop the commercial spot, which begins a full rotation schedule this week. It can be viewed on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD0mAJnRnaE.
Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/10/06/3965775/new-state-farm-commercial-puts.html#ixzz1ac8loqCQ
Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/10/06/3965775/new-state-farm-commercial-puts.html#ixzz1ac8ggPYN
http://www.ingenie.com/ new ubi player in uk
http://www.ingenie.com/
A parent's guide to ingenie car insurance
ingenie is taking a new approach to car insurance for drivers aged 17 to 25. We can offer young people, especially teenagers and new drivers, car insurance based on the way they drive – so those who drive better could be rewarded with lower premiums.
Key points:
Young drivers are ten times more likely to be involved in a crash compared to older drivers
ingenie is fresh thinking car insurance taking a new approach to road safety
Latest telematics technology records individual driving style
Groundbreaking approach to driver feedback via a mobile app with Twitter-style messages
Positive approach to encourage improved skill and precision without curfews or limitations
Treating each driver as an individual and not grouping all young drivers together like traditional insurance
Better driving rewarded every 3 months, not every 12 months
Technology that could detect a crash and trigger recovery or emergency assistance
In-built GPS technology can assist the Police to recover stolen cars
Building a community of better drivers, making insurance more affordable and creating safer roads for everyone
A fairer kind of car insurance
If you've started looking into car insurance for your son or daughter you'll already know that premiums are very high. That's because new and young drivers are far more likely to have a crash, so they're higher risk. But ingenie is a new kind of car insurance. We don't just look at the statistical risk. Instead we let each young driver take responsibility for the way they drive. We use the latest telematics technology to capture each driver's unique style and the better they drive, the less they could pay. Drive badly and their insurance could go up, but we do protect them with a ceiling price that is highlighted to you when you get your quote.
Improving driving skills
The device fitted in the driver's car does not restrict mileage or impose curfews. It relays information to us about speed, acceleration, braking, swerving and cornering – areas that demonstrate the driver's ability to control the car.
To help young drivers improve, we send useful feedback to the driver's mobile via the ingenie app. Fortnightly Twitter-style messages will help the driver hone their skill and precision on the road. The same information can be viewed at ingenie.com where they can also review their overall style, and in the future even compare their performance to their peers – all things that might help put your mind at rest as a parent.
Feedback from parents is that many would like to view this information, especially if their son or daughter has just passed their test and is driving on their own for the first time. Parents can access the driving feedback via the app or the website.
Safer roads for everyone
This approach means there's a real connection between the way a young person drives and the cost of their car insurance. Research among young people indicates this is a very meaningful way to reinforce the safe driving message. At ingenie we'd like to think that this fresh approach to insurance can really help make safe driving second nature for a new generation of road users.
Help in an emergency
In the event of a crash, it’s not always easy to think straight. That's why there is a step by step guide about what to do in the event of a crash on the ingenie mobile app. There is also a quick link to our call centre for customers requiring urgent assistance, accident recovery or the claims line.
For added peace of mind ingenie's technology could detect a crash and trigger recovery or emergency assistance.
Breakdown assistance
Adding Breakdown cover to ingenie driving insurance means that in the event of a breakdown anywhere in the UK and Europe, help would quickly be available.
Going the extra mile
ingenie has partnered with a2om®, a new approach to learning to drive. We sponsor the a2om® Learner Drive guide for Parents – a free handbook to help make informed choices about every aspect of learning to drive – from choosing an instructor to booking the test, passing and beyond.
Drive iQ PRO (developed by a2om®) is a new approach for learning how to drive, covering aspects that are not traditionally covered in driving lessons including hazard perception, distraction and peer pressure.
Click here to find out how ingenie is helping learner drivers to get on the road.
A parent's guide to ingenie car insurance
ingenie is taking a new approach to car insurance for drivers aged 17 to 25. We can offer young people, especially teenagers and new drivers, car insurance based on the way they drive – so those who drive better could be rewarded with lower premiums.
Key points:
Young drivers are ten times more likely to be involved in a crash compared to older drivers
ingenie is fresh thinking car insurance taking a new approach to road safety
Latest telematics technology records individual driving style
Groundbreaking approach to driver feedback via a mobile app with Twitter-style messages
Positive approach to encourage improved skill and precision without curfews or limitations
Treating each driver as an individual and not grouping all young drivers together like traditional insurance
Better driving rewarded every 3 months, not every 12 months
Technology that could detect a crash and trigger recovery or emergency assistance
In-built GPS technology can assist the Police to recover stolen cars
Building a community of better drivers, making insurance more affordable and creating safer roads for everyone
A fairer kind of car insurance
If you've started looking into car insurance for your son or daughter you'll already know that premiums are very high. That's because new and young drivers are far more likely to have a crash, so they're higher risk. But ingenie is a new kind of car insurance. We don't just look at the statistical risk. Instead we let each young driver take responsibility for the way they drive. We use the latest telematics technology to capture each driver's unique style and the better they drive, the less they could pay. Drive badly and their insurance could go up, but we do protect them with a ceiling price that is highlighted to you when you get your quote.
Improving driving skills
The device fitted in the driver's car does not restrict mileage or impose curfews. It relays information to us about speed, acceleration, braking, swerving and cornering – areas that demonstrate the driver's ability to control the car.
To help young drivers improve, we send useful feedback to the driver's mobile via the ingenie app. Fortnightly Twitter-style messages will help the driver hone their skill and precision on the road. The same information can be viewed at ingenie.com where they can also review their overall style, and in the future even compare their performance to their peers – all things that might help put your mind at rest as a parent.
Feedback from parents is that many would like to view this information, especially if their son or daughter has just passed their test and is driving on their own for the first time. Parents can access the driving feedback via the app or the website.
Safer roads for everyone
This approach means there's a real connection between the way a young person drives and the cost of their car insurance. Research among young people indicates this is a very meaningful way to reinforce the safe driving message. At ingenie we'd like to think that this fresh approach to insurance can really help make safe driving second nature for a new generation of road users.
Help in an emergency
In the event of a crash, it’s not always easy to think straight. That's why there is a step by step guide about what to do in the event of a crash on the ingenie mobile app. There is also a quick link to our call centre for customers requiring urgent assistance, accident recovery or the claims line.
For added peace of mind ingenie's technology could detect a crash and trigger recovery or emergency assistance.
Breakdown assistance
Adding Breakdown cover to ingenie driving insurance means that in the event of a breakdown anywhere in the UK and Europe, help would quickly be available.
Going the extra mile
ingenie has partnered with a2om®, a new approach to learning to drive. We sponsor the a2om® Learner Drive guide for Parents – a free handbook to help make informed choices about every aspect of learning to drive – from choosing an instructor to booking the test, passing and beyond.
Drive iQ PRO (developed by a2om®) is a new approach for learning how to drive, covering aspects that are not traditionally covered in driving lessons including hazard perception, distraction and peer pressure.
Click here to find out how ingenie is helping learner drivers to get on the road.
The gadget-based insurance scheme rewards careful drivers with lower premiums, and came about after Cambridge electronics boffins PlexTek hooked up wi
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/10/11/sensor_box_insurance/
Having your driving style assessed by a back-seat black box of tricks sounds galling – but if it can shave money off your insurance premium, a beancounting firm reckons you'll put up with it. Particularly if you're an 18-year-old pimple-faced lad.
The gadget-based insurance scheme rewards careful drivers with lower premiums, and came about after Cambridge electronics boffins PlexTek hooked up with start-up insurers Ingenie.
Each matchbox-sized data-slurper fitted to a car measures six things: speed, acceleration, braking, swerving, cornering and how much the motor is used. The data is sent to Plextek servers over a 3G connection provided by Orange.
Insurers Ingenie provide the financial half of the package: it's aimed at young drivers – 17 to 25 years old – and each driver's premium is recalculated every three months by assessing their ability from the latest data and considering more old-
school info, like the number of prangs a driver has racked up. Drivers are able to track how well they are driving through an iPhone app or a website, and get handy hints on how to accelerate and steer without putting a large hole in someone's front wall.
"We're a tech development company, developing products and tech platforms that companies can build businesses on," said PlexTek's head of sales Henk Koopmans, describing his firm's approach to partnering up with non-engineering outfits. "It's an unusual business model in that it means we can push our tech into other markets."
"The idea is that they want to create a real incentive to drive carefully, and that incentive is a reduced insurance premium. We had a complete system that lets you do just that," Koopmans added. "We provide the entire end-to-end tech, not just the box, and give Ingenie the raw data which it uses to provide a pattern of how someone's driving."
Ingenie claims that the information is protected, and that there will be no handing down penalties for particular moments of dodgy driving.
We asked Plextek how other forms of dangerous driving – such as driving under the speed limit in the wrong lane – could be detected, but the electronics makers reckon the insurers have all the information they need: "We provide the raw data, they build a profile that will use the raw data through things like web applications that let you look at your data."
Koopmans added: "Ingenie can build up a profile over a long period of time, which can be useful for the driver who can get feedback about how they drive and if the insurance approve your data they will reduce your premium every 90 days or whatever the period is. I've got two boys aged 17, I can't wait for it to come out."
A similar box of wireless instruments is being tested by healthcare firms, who want to use it with pensioners who want to carry on living in their own homes. In this case they're not measuring for acceleration or swerving but rather other sorts of movement – like doors being opened.
"In IT and the healthcare sector, many people are paying attention to how we can help older people stay healthy at home, and one thing that's really missing is a network," Koopmans explains. "You have applications to do things like measure blood sugar for diabetics, but these readings don't connect up to other things and for the health service that's what you really want to know.
"It's the sort of thing that ages ago we used to call friends and family – we want to encourage people to stick their head around the corner, the tech is there now so we can build in certain alarm points to the system like doors not being opened – certain trigger points that could send out a message to people in the community. We're in discussion with the government, looking at trials like creating a community where they can try this out."
Having your driving style assessed by a back-seat black box of tricks sounds galling – but if it can shave money off your insurance premium, a beancounting firm reckons you'll put up with it. Particularly if you're an 18-year-old pimple-faced lad.
The gadget-based insurance scheme rewards careful drivers with lower premiums, and came about after Cambridge electronics boffins PlexTek hooked up with start-up insurers Ingenie.
Each matchbox-sized data-slurper fitted to a car measures six things: speed, acceleration, braking, swerving, cornering and how much the motor is used. The data is sent to Plextek servers over a 3G connection provided by Orange.
Insurers Ingenie provide the financial half of the package: it's aimed at young drivers – 17 to 25 years old – and each driver's premium is recalculated every three months by assessing their ability from the latest data and considering more old-
school info, like the number of prangs a driver has racked up. Drivers are able to track how well they are driving through an iPhone app or a website, and get handy hints on how to accelerate and steer without putting a large hole in someone's front wall.
"We're a tech development company, developing products and tech platforms that companies can build businesses on," said PlexTek's head of sales Henk Koopmans, describing his firm's approach to partnering up with non-engineering outfits. "It's an unusual business model in that it means we can push our tech into other markets."
"The idea is that they want to create a real incentive to drive carefully, and that incentive is a reduced insurance premium. We had a complete system that lets you do just that," Koopmans added. "We provide the entire end-to-end tech, not just the box, and give Ingenie the raw data which it uses to provide a pattern of how someone's driving."
Ingenie claims that the information is protected, and that there will be no handing down penalties for particular moments of dodgy driving.
We asked Plextek how other forms of dangerous driving – such as driving under the speed limit in the wrong lane – could be detected, but the electronics makers reckon the insurers have all the information they need: "We provide the raw data, they build a profile that will use the raw data through things like web applications that let you look at your data."
Koopmans added: "Ingenie can build up a profile over a long period of time, which can be useful for the driver who can get feedback about how they drive and if the insurance approve your data they will reduce your premium every 90 days or whatever the period is. I've got two boys aged 17, I can't wait for it to come out."
A similar box of wireless instruments is being tested by healthcare firms, who want to use it with pensioners who want to carry on living in their own homes. In this case they're not measuring for acceleration or swerving but rather other sorts of movement – like doors being opened.
"In IT and the healthcare sector, many people are paying attention to how we can help older people stay healthy at home, and one thing that's really missing is a network," Koopmans explains. "You have applications to do things like measure blood sugar for diabetics, but these readings don't connect up to other things and for the health service that's what you really want to know.
"It's the sort of thing that ages ago we used to call friends and family – we want to encourage people to stick their head around the corner, the tech is there now so we can build in certain alarm points to the system like doors not being opened – certain trigger points that could send out a message to people in the community. We're in discussion with the government, looking at trials like creating a community where they can try this out."
UK High insurance pricing young drivers off the road
http://www.co-operative.coop/magazine/in-the-news/family-finance/high-insurance-pricing-young-drivers-off-the-road/?articleid=003796#Comment
Youngsters say they are being forced off the roads because of unaffordable insurance premiums.
A poll of 1,127 young drivers, conducted by Young Marmalade insurance company and the House of Commons Transport Committee, found that 96 per cent of people felt they were being priced off the roads.
In order to escape paying high premiums, many people go online to find money-saving tips for teens, while 21 per cent of young drivers said they had considered getting behind the wheel without insurance.
A report by the Press Association said 30 per cent had thought about providing false information about their circumstances in order to get a lower quote.
Data from the AA's Insurance Premium Index showed that in July the annual Shoparound premium – its index of the cheapest quotes – for a male aged 17 to 22 years old stood at £2,872. The premium for a female of the same age was £1,671.
Louise Ellman, chairman of the Commons' Transport Committee, said she was "extremely concerned" by the results of the poll and the cost of young driver insurance.
She said: "It is shocking that so many young drivers are considering breaking the law - by driving without insurance or changing the details they provide to insurers - in order to get a cheaper premium.
"It's revealing that most young drivers are also unaware that many insurers receive referral fees in order to deal with claims they make. This highlights why the committee called for referral fees to be made more transparent in its report on the cost of motor insurance earlier this year."
Youngsters say they are being forced off the roads because of unaffordable insurance premiums.
A poll of 1,127 young drivers, conducted by Young Marmalade insurance company and the House of Commons Transport Committee, found that 96 per cent of people felt they were being priced off the roads.
In order to escape paying high premiums, many people go online to find money-saving tips for teens, while 21 per cent of young drivers said they had considered getting behind the wheel without insurance.
A report by the Press Association said 30 per cent had thought about providing false information about their circumstances in order to get a lower quote.
Data from the AA's Insurance Premium Index showed that in July the annual Shoparound premium – its index of the cheapest quotes – for a male aged 17 to 22 years old stood at £2,872. The premium for a female of the same age was £1,671.
Louise Ellman, chairman of the Commons' Transport Committee, said she was "extremely concerned" by the results of the poll and the cost of young driver insurance.
She said: "It is shocking that so many young drivers are considering breaking the law - by driving without insurance or changing the details they provide to insurers - in order to get a cheaper premium.
"It's revealing that most young drivers are also unaware that many insurers receive referral fees in order to deal with claims they make. This highlights why the committee called for referral fees to be made more transparent in its report on the cost of motor insurance earlier this year."
USA Telematics Could Cause 'Seismic Shift' Among Vehicle Insurers
Telematics Could Cause 'Seismic Shift' Among Vehicle Insurers
http://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=284117
Copyright: (c) 2011 A.M. Best Company, Inc.
Source: A.M. Best Company, Inc.
Wordcount: 686
Devices that monitor drivers' behavior could transform the personal and commercial automobile insurance industries. Among business users, telematic devices are used for everything from driver coaching, improving operations and saving on fuel consumption.
But when the wholesale transformation will occur — hinging in part on widespread acceptance of telematics devices like OnStar, which comes installed in General Motors Co. vehicles, or Progressive Corp.'s Snapshot, which plugs into a designated port — remains to be seen.
"There's a seismic shift that going to occur at some point," said Tom Kavanaugh, director of the insurance practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, speaking about the use of telematics among personal auto insurers. "We don't know when the tipping point is."
Jim Noble, line of business director for motor fleet at Zurich Services Corp., said telematics is a "game changer when used properly," but is "not a magic bullet." More than just data gathering, the information has to be transmitted, stored, analyzed and acted on, he said.
As the devices become less expensive and more reliable, there is a "huge opportunity" for personal and commercial insurers to differentiate themselves, said Robin Harbage, a pioneer in the telematics industry, having spent two decades at Progressive and who now, as a director at consulting firm Towers Watson, is working with several insurers to help them implement telematics and usage-based insurance programs.
Insurers having a 60% market share in the personal auto market have implemented some version of usage-based insurance in at least one state, according to Towers Watson research, and even more are running or preparing pilot programs.
Usage-based insurance, also called UBI, programs have been implemented in all states, except Hawaii, and 18 states, including California, Texas, Illinois and Ohio, have at least four personal auto UBI programs, according to Towers Watson.
The telematics devices can be part of UBI, but the data they collect can be used for much more than underwriting and pricing. And UBI doesn't have to be particularly technologically savvy or dependent on a device. For instance, MileMeter in Texas offers pay-by-the-mile auto insurance, in bands of four thousand to six thousand miles every six months, with proof of mileage which can be based simply on a photograph of a vehicle's odometer at the start of the contract period and at renewal. The company doesn't use monitoring devices.
The Automobile Club, an affiliate of the American Automobile Association, Sequoia Insurance Co. and State Farm offer pay-as-you-drive insurance in California, based on actual miles driven, verified through various methods. These programs, like MileMeter, are designed for low-mileage drivers.
Among personal auto insurers, Progressive's Snapshot program, now available in 40 states, including Texas, New York, and Florida, has the largest geographical presence. Progressive says with Snapshot, a telematics device manufactured Xirgo Technologies Inc., good drivers can save up to 30% on their car insurance. GMAC Insurance's mileage discount program, offered to OnStar subscribers in 35 states, promises savings of up to 54% a year for people who drive less than 15,000 miles annually.
In contrast, State Farm's In-Drive device currently is only available in Illinois. The device monitors mileage, turning, speed and acceleration, braking and the time of day the vehicle is being driven, and State Farm markets the device saying some drivers can save up to 50% on their insurance. Allstate Corp.'s, DriveWise device is available only to drivers in Illinois, Ohio and Arizona. Allstate says "safe" drivers can save up to 30% with DriveWise.
In addition to California and Illinois, State Farm, the largest private-passenger auto writer in the United States based on direct premiums written according to BestLink, offers its Drive Safe & Save program in just three other states -- Colorado, Ohio and Texas. OnStar can be used to verify mileage in all of those states.
Harbage expects to see UBI rollout among personal auto insurers to increase.
"The number of insurers asking for this information is accelerating even more than I expected," Harbage said.
In addition to GM, auto makers that offer preinstalled monitoring devices include Toyota, Mercedes and Lexus.
To hear the entire interview with Kavanaugh, visit http://www3.ambest.com/ambv/displaycontent/MediaArchive.aspx?RC=192161.
http://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=284117
Copyright: (c) 2011 A.M. Best Company, Inc.
Source: A.M. Best Company, Inc.
Wordcount: 686
Devices that monitor drivers' behavior could transform the personal and commercial automobile insurance industries. Among business users, telematic devices are used for everything from driver coaching, improving operations and saving on fuel consumption.
But when the wholesale transformation will occur — hinging in part on widespread acceptance of telematics devices like OnStar, which comes installed in General Motors Co. vehicles, or Progressive Corp.'s Snapshot, which plugs into a designated port — remains to be seen.
"There's a seismic shift that going to occur at some point," said Tom Kavanaugh, director of the insurance practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, speaking about the use of telematics among personal auto insurers. "We don't know when the tipping point is."
Jim Noble, line of business director for motor fleet at Zurich Services Corp., said telematics is a "game changer when used properly," but is "not a magic bullet." More than just data gathering, the information has to be transmitted, stored, analyzed and acted on, he said.
As the devices become less expensive and more reliable, there is a "huge opportunity" for personal and commercial insurers to differentiate themselves, said Robin Harbage, a pioneer in the telematics industry, having spent two decades at Progressive and who now, as a director at consulting firm Towers Watson, is working with several insurers to help them implement telematics and usage-based insurance programs.
Insurers having a 60% market share in the personal auto market have implemented some version of usage-based insurance in at least one state, according to Towers Watson research, and even more are running or preparing pilot programs.
Usage-based insurance, also called UBI, programs have been implemented in all states, except Hawaii, and 18 states, including California, Texas, Illinois and Ohio, have at least four personal auto UBI programs, according to Towers Watson.
The telematics devices can be part of UBI, but the data they collect can be used for much more than underwriting and pricing. And UBI doesn't have to be particularly technologically savvy or dependent on a device. For instance, MileMeter in Texas offers pay-by-the-mile auto insurance, in bands of four thousand to six thousand miles every six months, with proof of mileage which can be based simply on a photograph of a vehicle's odometer at the start of the contract period and at renewal. The company doesn't use monitoring devices.
The Automobile Club, an affiliate of the American Automobile Association, Sequoia Insurance Co. and State Farm offer pay-as-you-drive insurance in California, based on actual miles driven, verified through various methods. These programs, like MileMeter, are designed for low-mileage drivers.
Among personal auto insurers, Progressive's Snapshot program, now available in 40 states, including Texas, New York, and Florida, has the largest geographical presence. Progressive says with Snapshot, a telematics device manufactured Xirgo Technologies Inc., good drivers can save up to 30% on their car insurance. GMAC Insurance's mileage discount program, offered to OnStar subscribers in 35 states, promises savings of up to 54% a year for people who drive less than 15,000 miles annually.
In contrast, State Farm's In-Drive device currently is only available in Illinois. The device monitors mileage, turning, speed and acceleration, braking and the time of day the vehicle is being driven, and State Farm markets the device saying some drivers can save up to 50% on their insurance. Allstate Corp.'s, DriveWise device is available only to drivers in Illinois, Ohio and Arizona. Allstate says "safe" drivers can save up to 30% with DriveWise.
In addition to California and Illinois, State Farm, the largest private-passenger auto writer in the United States based on direct premiums written according to BestLink, offers its Drive Safe & Save program in just three other states -- Colorado, Ohio and Texas. OnStar can be used to verify mileage in all of those states.
Harbage expects to see UBI rollout among personal auto insurers to increase.
"The number of insurers asking for this information is accelerating even more than I expected," Harbage said.
In addition to GM, auto makers that offer preinstalled monitoring devices include Toyota, Mercedes and Lexus.
To hear the entire interview with Kavanaugh, visit http://www3.ambest.com/ambv/displaycontent/MediaArchive.aspx?RC=192161.
USA Use of Telematics Lags Behind in Commercial Lines
http://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=283785
Usage-based insurance and telematics programs among commercial automobile insurers are lagging compared to personal auto writers, but in some industries, such as long-haul trucking, telematic devices are commonplace, used to improve safety and operational efficiency.
Telematics hasn't been a "focal point" for promoting business insurance, said Mark Lucca, second vice president, enterprise product, auto for Travelers Cos.
More personal lines carriers who are conducting usage-based insurance pilots or have launched a telematics product, said Tom Kavanaugh, director of the insurance practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. A smaller number of commercial carriers are conducting pilots or have actual products in market, "but I think what we're seeing ...is a greater uptake in terms of penetration within the marketplace."
Some 80% of long-haul truckers have implemented telematics, but not as many smaller fleet operators have, said Robin Harbage, who as a director at Towers Watson is working with several insurers to help them implement telematics and usage-based insurance programs.
Telematics offer insurers the opportunity to differentiate themselves by bundling services that are related to insurance — safety, reduced loss costs, fleet management, and roadside assistance, Harbage said.
A major challenge for commercial insurers is the standardization of information, said Donna Glenn, vice president, enterprise product, commercial auto, for Travelers, the largest commercial auto insurer in the United States based on premiums written, according to BestLink, which provides online access to A.M. Best's database of insurance information. Other challenges include the range of technologies and intellectual-property rights and patents, she said.
"We recognize the technology has the potential to change how we assess risk for our accounts," Glenn said. Travelers' commercial policyholders own the data collected by the telematic devices. Travelers surveys its policyholders to determine how they are using data to "better control their own risk," she said.
Liberty Mutual, the second-largest commercial auto insurer, markets its Onboard Advisor program to small- and medium-sized service businesses in 22 states. It bills Onboard Advisor as a safety program and loss-prevention service. Customers who sign up — with two thirds of their fleet covered and with a qualified device from a choice of vendors — initially get a 15% discount on their insurance.
"We need to reward safe driving," said Christopher Carver with Liberty Mutual Agency Corp. and the program manager of Onboard Advisor. He said his company encourages its policyholders to use monthly reports created through Onboard Advisor, because those policyholders who regularly access the data show continuous improvement. "We need to reward people in a way to encourage them to keep it up."
Telematics devices are used by policyholders as both a safety tool and a productivity tool, said Jim Noble, line of business director for motor fleet at Zurich Services Corp. Leading risk indicators are hard braking, hard cornering, acceleration and speed, and the data can be studied to identify patterns of at-risk behaviors that can be addressed and to create a "culture of safety," he said.
The programs from Liberty Mutual and Zurich use devices from different manufacturers. Liberty Mutual's telematics device providers include Geotab Inc., Teletrac Inc. and TeleNav Inc. Zurich has five providers, including GreenRoad Technologies Inc. Travelers doesn't specify what devices its clients should use. Glenn said there are many reputable vendors.
While costs for the devices, data transmission and data storage, are dropping, setting up a telematics program is "not cheap," Harbage said, adding that in order to have a success telematics offering, insurers need a commitment from senior management that this is a priority and a person dedicated to the program.
The companies with the largest market share in the commercial auto market last year were Travelers Group, with an 8.29% market share; Liberty Mutual Insurance Cos., with 6.75%; Progressive Insurance Group, with 6.29%; Zurich Financial Services NA Group, with 5.43%; and American International Group, with 4.16%, according to BestLink.
To hear the entire interview with Carver, visit http://www.ambest.com/media/media.asp?RC=192415.
(By Diana Rosenberg, senior associate editor, BestWeek)
Usage-based insurance and telematics programs among commercial automobile insurers are lagging compared to personal auto writers, but in some industries, such as long-haul trucking, telematic devices are commonplace, used to improve safety and operational efficiency.
Telematics hasn't been a "focal point" for promoting business insurance, said Mark Lucca, second vice president, enterprise product, auto for Travelers Cos.
More personal lines carriers who are conducting usage-based insurance pilots or have launched a telematics product, said Tom Kavanaugh, director of the insurance practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. A smaller number of commercial carriers are conducting pilots or have actual products in market, "but I think what we're seeing ...is a greater uptake in terms of penetration within the marketplace."
Some 80% of long-haul truckers have implemented telematics, but not as many smaller fleet operators have, said Robin Harbage, who as a director at Towers Watson is working with several insurers to help them implement telematics and usage-based insurance programs.
Telematics offer insurers the opportunity to differentiate themselves by bundling services that are related to insurance — safety, reduced loss costs, fleet management, and roadside assistance, Harbage said.
A major challenge for commercial insurers is the standardization of information, said Donna Glenn, vice president, enterprise product, commercial auto, for Travelers, the largest commercial auto insurer in the United States based on premiums written, according to BestLink, which provides online access to A.M. Best's database of insurance information. Other challenges include the range of technologies and intellectual-property rights and patents, she said.
"We recognize the technology has the potential to change how we assess risk for our accounts," Glenn said. Travelers' commercial policyholders own the data collected by the telematic devices. Travelers surveys its policyholders to determine how they are using data to "better control their own risk," she said.
Liberty Mutual, the second-largest commercial auto insurer, markets its Onboard Advisor program to small- and medium-sized service businesses in 22 states. It bills Onboard Advisor as a safety program and loss-prevention service. Customers who sign up — with two thirds of their fleet covered and with a qualified device from a choice of vendors — initially get a 15% discount on their insurance.
"We need to reward safe driving," said Christopher Carver with Liberty Mutual Agency Corp. and the program manager of Onboard Advisor. He said his company encourages its policyholders to use monthly reports created through Onboard Advisor, because those policyholders who regularly access the data show continuous improvement. "We need to reward people in a way to encourage them to keep it up."
Telematics devices are used by policyholders as both a safety tool and a productivity tool, said Jim Noble, line of business director for motor fleet at Zurich Services Corp. Leading risk indicators are hard braking, hard cornering, acceleration and speed, and the data can be studied to identify patterns of at-risk behaviors that can be addressed and to create a "culture of safety," he said.
The programs from Liberty Mutual and Zurich use devices from different manufacturers. Liberty Mutual's telematics device providers include Geotab Inc., Teletrac Inc. and TeleNav Inc. Zurich has five providers, including GreenRoad Technologies Inc. Travelers doesn't specify what devices its clients should use. Glenn said there are many reputable vendors.
While costs for the devices, data transmission and data storage, are dropping, setting up a telematics program is "not cheap," Harbage said, adding that in order to have a success telematics offering, insurers need a commitment from senior management that this is a priority and a person dedicated to the program.
The companies with the largest market share in the commercial auto market last year were Travelers Group, with an 8.29% market share; Liberty Mutual Insurance Cos., with 6.75%; Progressive Insurance Group, with 6.29%; Zurich Financial Services NA Group, with 5.43%; and American International Group, with 4.16%, according to BestLink.
To hear the entire interview with Carver, visit http://www.ambest.com/media/media.asp?RC=192415.
(By Diana Rosenberg, senior associate editor, BestWeek)
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