Cell Phone Ban While Driving: Mixed Opinions

The National Safety Council says drivers

on the phone see only 50 percent

of the traffic information around them.

NewsObserver
By: Bruce Siceloff
12/27/2011

Sure, it would be hard to push through the legislature. It would be harder still to enforce on the highway.

But Lewis Lokitz of Cary is cheering a push by the National Transportation Safety Board for a sweeping, 50-state ban on phoning at the wheel.

"It may be unpopular, but it is the right, moral, and life-saving thing to do,"Lokitz said by email, responding to a recent Road Worrier column. "I don't understand how anyone could object. Especially if you have children."

He could be thinking of Erin Lindsay-Calkins and her 5-year-old son, Nicholas. Witnesses said Erin appeared to be holding a phone to her ear on Dec. 22, 2009, when she crashed through the flashing barrier gate at a railroad crossing in Orange County. She drove into the path of a fast-moving train. Both were killed. Nicholas' baby sister, Aven, survived.

Safety researchers cite other grim examples of phone-impaired drivers who behave as if they've been struck blind. They run red lights and blunder into disasters they should have seen coming, without even tapping their brakes. The National Safety Council says drivers on the phone see only 50 percent of the traffic information around them.

After a multitasking real-estate agent rear-ended Mike Stanford a few years ago, both drivers stopped their cars. Stanford walked back to speak to her, but she was still on the phone.

"She was holding her finger up and saying, 'Just a minute, just a minute,' " said Stanford, who lives in Charlotte. "She was completing her call." Continue Reading

Property/Casualty Insurance Industry Earnings DROP 70.5%

Business Insurance
Mark Hoffman
12/27/2011

U.S. property/casualty insurers' aftertax net income dropped 70.5% to $7.98 billion during the first nine months of this year compared with a year earlier, according to a survey released Monday by the Insurance Services Office Inc. and the Property Casualty Insurers Assn. of America. Inc.

The survey found that P/C insurers' net underwriting losses grew to $34.91 billion during the first nine months of 2011 from $6.30 billion during the same period of 2010.

The industry's combined ratio deteriorated to 109.9% from 101.2% a year earlier.

Catastrophe Losses Triple

“The deterioration in underwriting results is largely attributable to a spike in net losses and loss adjustment expenses—LLAE—from catastrophes,” the ISO and PCI said in a statement. “ISO estimates that insurers’ net LLAE from catastrophes rose to $33.2 billion” in the first nine months 2011 from $10.8 billion in the first nine months 2010. “These amounts exclude LLAE that emerged after insurers closed their books for each period, but do include late-emerging LLAE from events in prior periods.”

The survey found that net investment gains partially offset the underwriting results, with investments rising 5.4% to $41.97 billion during the first nine months of this year.

Policyholders’ surplus dropped 1.6% to $538.63 billion as of Sept. 30 vs. $547.19 billion at the end of 2010.
 
Net written premiums grew 3.1% to $334.53 billion during the first nine months of the year.
Property/casualty insurers’ third-quarter net income fell 68.7% to $3.22 billion, according to the survey. Net written premiums rose 4.1% to $115.74 billion.

823 Minnesota DWI Arrests in 11 Days

Albert Lea Tribune
12/23/11

ST. PAUL — Midway through a month-long statewide DWI enforcement campaign, preliminary reports from 191 law enforcement agencies indicate 823 DWI arrests were made Dec. 1–11. Nearly 400 agencies are conducting increased patrols through New Year’s Eve. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety is coordinating the campaign that includes approximately 8,500 extra hours of DWI patrols.

Multiple agencies made arrests where the driver registered a blood alcohol concentration of 0.30 or higher (the legal limit is 0.08), including Dakota, Goodhue, Martin, Olmsted and south St. Louis counties’ sheriff’s offices; State Patrol St. Cloud district; and Bloomington, Robbinsdale and St. Cloud police departments.

In Minnesota during the month of December, 2008–2010, alcohol-related crashes accounted for 34 traffic deaths. During this same period, 8,503 motorists were arrested for DWI.
Consequences for a DWI include loss of license for up to a year, up to $20,000 in legal costs and heightened insurance rates and possible jail time.

On average, there were 170 alcohol-related traffic deaths in each of the last five years in Minnesota — accounting for one-third of all state’s total road deaths annually. These crashes and fatalities have been declining in recent years, and DPS officials say enhanced DWI enforcement campaigns have been a major factor in Minnesota’s continuing trend of lower alcohol-related traffic deaths.

There were 131 alcohol-related traffic deaths in 2010 in the state, the fewest on record and down 21 percent from five years ago. Still, during 2006–2010, 791 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes — reflecting impaired driving as a factor annually in one-third of the state’s road fatalities.

Each year, 30,000 motorists are arrested for DWI; one in seven Minnesota drivers has a DWI on record.

A DWI offense can result in loss of license for up to a year, thousands in costs and possible jail time. Stronger DWI sanctions are also now in effect for all repeat DWI offenders, as well as for motorists arrested for a first-time DWI with a 0.16 and above alcohol-concentration level. Under these sanctions, offenders must use ignition interlock for at least one year or face at least a year without driving privileges. Continue reading

Hang Up and Drive (Editorial)

Distracted drivers are a menace, and they're not getting the message. But we don't need a broader law; we need more enforcement of laws already on the books.
Chicago Tribune
Editorials
12/23/2011

The National Transportation Safety Board wants all 50 states to ban cellphone use by drivers. No texting, no tweeting, no talking — not even on a hands-free phone.

It's a standard that goes beyond anything on the books in any state. The board has no authority to impose it. The data on accidents involving cellphones is inconclusive, the government is not our nanny, and eating a chili dog while driving is dangerous, too.

A nationwide ban will not happen.

That doesn't mean the NTSB isn't onto something. If you're not frightened by what's going on around you during your daily commute, you're not paying attention. Drivers are texting while flying down the expressways, sending emails in stop-and-go traffic on Lake Shore Drive, carrying on animated conversations while changing lanes with one hand on the phone and the other holding a Starbucks.

All of that is already illegal in Chicago and beyond. Have you noticed fewer people doing it? Neither have we.

A second agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, says distracted driving was a factor in more than 3,000 fatal accidents in 2010. It doesn't say how many involved texting, how many involved talking on the phone or how many involved reaching behind the seat to retrieve the toddler's fallen pacifier.

But one of those accidents provided the NTSB with a horrific anecdote to support last week's call for a comprehensive ban. A 19-year-old driver sent or received 11 texts in the 11 minutes before his pickup truck plowed into a tractor trailer near Gray Summit, Mo. The chain-reaction collision also involved two school buses. The teen driver and a student on one of the buses died, and 38 others were injured.

But a nationwide ban wouldn't have prevented that tragedy. Missouri already prohibits drivers under 21 from texting while driving. Thirty-five states prohibit texting by all drivers; 30 ban cellphone use by novice drivers; and 10 have outlawed the use of even hands-free phones. Hundreds of local governments have their own laws covering behind-the-wheel cellphone use. And we would argue that all of those prohibitions (and a lot more) are covered under broader distracted driving laws in force in most states, including Illinois. (Think about that, you in the gray car, with the eye makeup implements in both hands, gazing at yourself in the rearview mirror, while drifting lane to lane on Columbus Drive, in Grant Park.)

Still, a traffic safety commission survey found that 1 in 10 drivers — and half of those ages 21 to 24 — said they'd texted or emailed while behind the wheel. At any given moment, 1 in 100 drivers is texting, tweeting, emailing or web-surfing, a rate that's up 50 percent over the previous year. Most of them said they don't think it's dangerous.

While states have been busy passing laws to limit distractions, Americans have been acquiring all sorts of new gadgets that promote multitasking in the car. GPS systems; MP3 players; smartphones that enable users to play games, pay bills, order dinner or watch a movie while barreling down the Eisenhower. But the distractions aren't all high-tech. The worst local example we can think of involved a driver who struck and killed a motorcyclist while painting her nails.

Distracted drivers are a menace, and they're not getting the message. But we don't need a broader law; we need more enforcement of laws already on the books.

What if police pounced on behind-the-wheel texting with the same zeal applied to parking meter violations? What if those hated red-light cameras could bust you for talking on your handheld phone? If the risk of killing yourself or others isn't deterrent enough, maybe a ticket or three will get your attention.

It's time we all started taking these dangers seriously. Keep your hands (thumbs and all) on the wheel.

NTSB Wants to Ban Cell Phone Use While Driving

In 2009, nearly 5,500 fatalities and 500,000 injuries resulted from crashes involving a distracted driver, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The Washington Post
By: Michael Bolden
12/13/2011

The National Transportation Safety Board recommended a nationwide ban on driver use of personal electronic devices Tuesday, following its investigation into a deadly accident last year in Missouri.

NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman discussed the recommendations during a press conference after a meeting on that accident.

Take this poll: “Do you use your cell phone while driving?”

“According to [the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration], more than 3,000 people lost their lives last year in distraction-related accidents,”she said. “It is time for all of us to stand up for safety by turning off electronic devices when driving.”

While the NTSB investigates transportation and pipeline accidents and makes recommendations on safety rules and regulations, it has no power to implement them.

The NTSB’s recommendations urge all 50 states and the District ”to ban the nonemergency use of portable electronic devices (other than those designed to support the driving task).” According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, 35 states, including Maryland and Virginia, and the District ban texting while driving.

The NTSB has been investigating a deadly crash in Gray Summit, Missouri last year. A 19-year-old pickup driver sent 11 texts in the 11 minutes before before the accident, according to the NTSB, including one “right before impact.” The accident killed two people and injured 38. Continue Reading

The Last Text: AT&T Don't Text While Driving...A Moving Documentary

Watch AT&T's new 10-minute documentary titled "The Last Text," featuring stories of real individuals whose lives have been adversely affected by texting behind the wheel.

AT&T created this documentary as part of its "It Can Wait" campaign because we want consumers be safe while using our technology. We are grateful and humbled by the bravery of the people who agreed to be on camera for the documentary. We would have no story to tell without them. Don't text while driving documentary

2010 Highway Deaths fell to 32,885 however Pedestrian Deaths Rose

Before getting all yippee about the reduction in traffic deaths, 32,885 is the equivalent of the entire population of Brainerd, MN and Stillwater, MN. Pedestrians remained a target in 2010 with 4,280 reported deaths and 70,000 injured.

NHTSA 21-11
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Contact: Karen Aldana
Tel: 202-366-9550

WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced updated 2010 fatality and injury data showing that highway deaths fell to 32,885 for the year, the lowest level since 1949. The record-breaking decline in traffic fatalities occurred even as American drivers traveled nearly 46 billion more miles during the year, an increase of 1.6 percent over the 2009 level.

"While we have more work to do to continue to protect American motorists, these numbers show we're making historic progress when it comes to improving safety on our nation's roadways," said Secretary LaHood. "Thanks to the tireless work of our safety agencies and partner organizations over the past few decades, to save lives and reduce injuries, we're saving lives, reducing injuries, and building the foundation for what we hope will be even greater success in the future."

The updated information released by the Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today indicates 2010 also saw the lowest fatality rate ever recorded, with 1.10 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in 2010, down from 1.15 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in 2009. Other key statistics include:

• Fatalities declined in most categories in 2010, including for occupants of passenger cars and light trucks (including SUVs, minivans and pickups).
• Deaths in crashes involving drunk drivers dropped 4.9 percent in 2010, taking 10,228 lives compared to 10,759 in 2009.
• Fatalities rose among pedestrians, motorcycle riders, and large truck occupants.

New Measures of Fatalities Related to Distracted Driving

NHTSA also unveiled a new measure of fatalities related to distracted driving today, called "distraction-affected crashes." Introduced for 2010 as part of a broader effort by the agency to refine its data collection to get better information about the role of distraction in crashes, the new measure is designed to focus more narrowly on crashes in which a driver was most likely to have been distracted. While NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) previously recorded a broad range of potential distractions, such as careless driving and cell phone present in the vehicle, the new measure focuses on distractions that are most likely to affect crash involvement, such as distraction by dialing a cellular phone or texting and distraction by an outside person/event. New data released today by NHTSA using its refined methodology show an estimated 3,092 fatalities in distraction-affected crashes in 2010.

The NHTSA effort to refine distraction data is similar to a step taken with alcohol information in FARS data for 2006. Prior to 2006, FARS reported "alcohol-related crashes," which was defined as crashes in which a driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist had a blood alcohol level of .01 or higher. In an effort to focus on crashes in which alcohol was most likely to be a causative factor, NHTSA introduced the new measure, "alcohol-impaired driving crashes," with a more narrow definition including only those crashes in which a driver or motorcycle rider had a blood alcohol level of .08 or above, the legal limit in every state.

"Even as we celebrate the incredible gains we're making in reducing traffic fatalities, we recognize our responsibility to improve our understanding of the dangers that continue to threaten drivers and passengers," said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. "That's why, under the leadership of Secretary LaHood, NHTSA is working to refine the way we collect data on distracted driving and laying the groundwork for additional research to capture real-world information on this risky behavior."

While the explicit change in methodology means the new measure cannot be compared to the 5,474 "distraction-related" fatalities reported in 2009, other NHTSA data offer some indication that driver distraction continues to be a significant problem. The agency's nationwide observational survey of drivers in traffic remains unchanged between 2009 and 2010, with 5 percent of drivers seen talking on handheld phones. In addition, given ongoing challenges in capturing the scope of the problem — including individuals' reluctance to admit behavior, lack of witnesses, and in some cases the death of the driver — NHTSA believes the actual number of crashes that involve distracted driving could be higher.

National Attitude Survey on Distracted Driving

A new national NHTSA survey offers additional insights into how drivers behave when it comes to texting and cell phone use while behind the wheel and their perceptions of the safety risks of distracted driving. Survey respondents indicated they answer calls on most trips; they acknowledge few driving situations when they would not use the phone or text; and yet they feel unsafe when riding in vehicles in which the driver is texting and they support bans on texting and cell phone use. These findings provide further evidence that distracted driving is a complex problem that is both hard to measure and difficult to address given conflicting public attitudes and behaviors. View the new telephone distraction survey

"The findings from our new attitude survey help us understand why some people continue to make bad decisions about driving distracted—but what's clear from all of the information we have is that driver distraction continues to be a major problem," said Administrator Strickland. "We need to maintain our focus on this issue through education, laws, enforcement, and vehicle design to help keep drivers' attention on the road."

Among the findings, more than three-quarters of drivers report that they are willing to answer calls on all, most, or some trips. Drivers also report that they rarely consider traffic situations when deciding when to use their phone. View the new electronic device survey

While most drivers said they are willing to answer a call and many will send a text while driving, almost all of these same drivers reported that they would feel very unsafe as a passenger if their driver was sending or receiving text messages. Over one-third report that they would feel very unsafe if their driver was using a handheld phone. Link to Report

Commercial Insurance Rates On the Rise/Time To Dust Off the Risk Management Manual

No, the sky is not falling however the largest players in the commercial insurance marketplace are leaving the "soft market party." Increases in commercial insurance rates are no longer an image on the horizon.



To reduce the impact from a firming premium marketplace, I strongly urge the following:

1. Review your driver hiring criteria (age, minimum # of years commercial driving experience, moving violation criteria) and does it require tweaking?
2. Profile your current drivers (age, years experience, # of moving violations and # of preventable accidents). Would you confidently submit this profile to underwriting?
3. Secure a copy of your claims history for your current policy period and 3 prior policy periods, request a status on all open/reserved claims and the plan to close claim. It will prove beneficial to also recap details relevant to all larger claims. This is a proactive step when pursuing quotes from the marketplace.
4. Profile your claims over a 4 year policy period (look for patterns by accident type, calculate physical damage claims with a couple of higher deductible levels, how many prior accidents involved drivers currently employed and what steps have been taken to reduce reoccurrence).
5. Review your accident review policies/procedures and if you do not currently have an accident review program...implement one prior to your next insurance renewal.
6. Position your company for maximum control of your insurance and risk management program. No, the sky is not falling however if you have never experienced a genuinely hard insurance market...it can be ugly.

MarketWatch
By: Erik Holm
12/6/20-12

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Travelers Cos. Chief Executive Jay Fishman said his company had increased prices for business insurance clients by 5.2% in October and 5.8% in November, the largest rates increases in several years.

The data from Travelers are the latest evidence the market for commercial insurance is hardening after years of declining prices. That's good news for property-casualty insurers and their shareholders, but will translate into increased costs for the businesses that buy the coverage.

Travelers has often painted a rosier picture on prices than others in the insurance industry, and the latest data are no exception. But the company triggered a rally in property-casualty stocks in October when it reported it had managed to increase prices in the third quarter, and the new figures disclosed by Fishman Tuesday show the trend had continued.

"Our principal tactic right now is to drive rate," Fishman said at a Goldman Sachs financial services conference Tuesday. "This is at the very least [a case of] so-good-so-far, but actually it's beginning to feel even better than that. There is a sense of optimism building around this, and a notion that we can continue to drive this strategy successfully."

There have been other indications of an industrywide price turn in recent days. MarketScout, a Dallas-based insurance exchange, said its data show commercial insurance rates up 1% in November, the first time its market barometer has shown an increase in nearly seven years. Insurance broker Marsh Inc. said Friday that commercial property-insurance prices had increased 1.7% so far in the fourth quarter.

Pricing data released by insurers or by the brokers that arrange the coverage offer a glimpse into what is otherwise an opaque market. The details of individual commercial insurance contracts aren't disclosed by the parties involved, and the buyers, sellers and middlemen are the only ones who know the exact prices of specific policies.

The price increases are coming at a time when insurers have struggled to earn worthwhile returns on their investment portfolios. In years past, insurers could count on their investments to make up some of the difference if they underpriced a policy, but ultralow interest rates mean the margin for error is shrinking.

Previously, Travelers had said it increased business-insurance prices by 2.3% in August and saw a 4.2% price hike in September on returning customers. At the time, executives said the increases were the most aggressive the company had been able to push through since it reached its current form through a merger of Travelers and St. Paul in 2004. Continue Reading

It's Not A One Insurance Company Rate Increase

Insurancenewsnet.com

12/7/11

In addition to Travelers, W. R. Berkley Corp. has increased rates for the past three consecutive quarters. William R. Berkley, chairman and chief executive officer of W. R. Berkley Corp., said smart insurance companies should be making strong moves to position themselves as the market continues to show signs of hardening.

During his Dec. 6 remarks in New York, Berkley said he predicted at the outset of 2011 there would be a price increase of between 5% and 8% this year, and he said he continues to think those numbers will hold up. "But we're really just in the beginning of that happening," Berkley said. "And along with price hardening, terms and conditions are changing which lets the business you write become more profitable."

Berkley has been one of the most outspoken industry professionals saying the long-awaited turn in the property/casualty market has arrived. In October, Berkley said his company posted a 14% increase in third-quarter net premiums written; Berkley said it was the third quarter in a row of increasing rates (Best's News Service, Oct. 27, 2011).

The Wall Street Journal Reports AIG/Chartis Rate Increases

Speaking at a Goldman Sachs financial-services conference in New York on Wednesday, the head of AIG's property-casualty unit, Chartis, said his company has been aggressively raising rates in the U.S. this year, giving rivals the cover they need to do the same.

Graduated Driver Licensing Laws Could Save 2,000 Lives Per Year

Rome Newswire

By: Josh McGee

12/7/2012

The Allstate Foundation License to Save Report, developed in conjunction with the National Safety Council, shows that if Georgia implemented comprehensive graduated driver licensing (GDL) laws, an estimated 41 lives and $300 million could be saved. Nationally, if all states implemented comprehensive graduated GDL laws, an estimated 2,000 lives and $13.6 billion could be saved per year.

The report findings are timely, as Congress readies to consider reauthorization of highway and infrastructure spending – legislation that historically has included bold public health and safety measures.

Novice teenage drivers are the most likely drivers on the road to have car accidents. In fact, 16-year-old drivers have crash rates two times greater than 18-to-19-year-old drivers and four times that of older drivers.

GDL helps new drivers gain experience under supervised and less risky conditions. The most comprehensive GDL laws include nighttime driving restrictions, passenger limits, cell phone and texting bans, mandatory behind-the-wheel driving time, minimum entry age for learner’s permit (16), and age 18 before full licensure. In some states that have enacted strong GDL laws, the incidence of teenage driving related deaths have dropped by as much as 40 percent.

More than 81,000 people were killed in crashes involving drivers ages 15 to 20 in the decade from 2000 to 2009, making teen driving crashes the leading cause of teen deaths nationwide.

In addition to the lives lost, the total cost to the nation of crashes involving teen drivers in 2009 was estimated at $38.3 billion. These costs include wage and productivity losses, medical expenses, administrative expenses for public and private insurance, police and legal costs, motor vehicle damage, employers’ uninsured costs and fire losses. These costs were paid by employers, state and local governments and by citizens through taxes, fees and insurance premiums.

“Over the last 20 years, graduated driver licensing laws have saved an estimated 15,000 lives. These laws can save thousands of American lives and save billions of dollars for consumers, businesses and state and local governments,” said Janet Froetscher, president and CEO of the National Safety Council. ”Our elected officials do not have many opportunities during their careers to take action that will save thousands of lives and billions of dollars in one legislative action. This is one of those times.”

To review the complete report and related content, visit www.allstatenewsroom.com.

GDL laws are minimum standards that can help keep teens safer on the road; however, the more that parents are involved in their teen’s driving experience, the more likely they will be a safer driver and passenger. To help educate parents and teens about the safety measures that keep drivers protected, The Allstate Foundation created a new free Parent-Teen Driving Agreement.  The agreement can help parents and their teens make safer decisions when they get behind the wheel and when they ride as passengers with their friends. Continue Reading

Markel Announces Agreement to Acquire THOMCO

Markel Press Release
12/7/2011

Markel Corporation and Thompson Insurance Enterprises (dba THOMCO) announced today that they have entered into a definitive agreeement for Markel to acquire THOMCO. THOMCO will continue to operate as a separate business unit. The operating unit will be part of Markel Specialty.

THOMCO expects to underwrite in excess of $170,000,000 in gross written premium in 2011. Completion of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to occur in the first quarter of 2012.