Posted by Benji Riggins on February 4, 2011 under Interesting Info | 
Eight percent of fans who agreed to be tested after attending professional football and baseball games were too drunk to legally drive, a new study finds, and 40 percent had booze in their bodies.
The study has limitations: it does not disclose where the games took place, it excludes fans not old enough to legally drink and it was limited to those who agreed to participate.
But the findings do suggest that there’s a wider problem that could put plenty of people at risk after sporting events, said study lead author Darin Erickson, assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Minnesota. Drunken people, after all, get into car accidents and cause many other problems when they are let loose from a party or bar.
“It may not seem like a lot when you say 8 percent leaving a game were above the legal limit, when you look at a big stadium that has 5,000 attendees,” he said, but over time, “if you look at the hundreds to thousands of games, this is a lot of intoxicated individuals.”
The study appears online and in the April 2011 issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. The study authors wanted to know if it would be feasible to ask fans to take Breathalyzer tests and respond to surveys as they leave a stadium.
Researchers approached fans as they left 13 Major League Baseball games and three National Football League games in 2006. The researchers recruited 382 people to participate: 264 after baseball games and 118 after football games. Almost 60 percent of the participants were men and 55 percent were ages 21 to 35. Only 14 percent were 51 and older.
Forty percent of the participants had alcohol in their systems at concentrations ranging from 0.005 (a tiny amount) to a whopping 0.22. Eight percent were at 0.08 or higher. Those who had been tailgating before the game were much more likely to have been legally drunk, as were those under age 35.
It was not clear how many of those who had been drinking planned to drive home.
The numbers provide insight into how many people leave sporting events with booze on board, Erickson said. In turn, the data could help policymakers figure out how to limit the problem, he said.
Ruth Engs, a professor at Indiana University who has studied college drinking, questioned the motives of the study. “Although the article does not come out and advocate eliminating alcohol from games, reading between the lines this appears to be the researchers’ possible future agenda,” she said.
Engs supports “responsible drinking” and suggests lowering the drinking age can be a way to promote it more effectively. As for the idea of banning booze at sporting events, she said, “Most adults in the United States do drink responsibly. Preventing adults from drinking a beer with their brats and hotdogs before a football game is not likely to succeed.”
Erickson denied that the study has a political agenda. “I don’t think there’s anything here that inherently leads toward prohibition.”
Another researcher who has studied alcohol use questioned whether the study adds anything new to existing findings. “It corroborates other research demonstrating that tailgating is associated with heavier drinking. However, I don’t think that any more corroboration is needed,” said David Hanson, professor emeritus of sociology at the State University of New York at Potsdam.
Source: Health Behavior News Service, part of the Center for Advancing Health.
Posted by Benji Riggins on February 3, 2011 under Insurance News |
The North Carolina Department of Insurance (DOI) said 10 people were arrested and six others are being sought in connection with an alleged staged auto accident ring.
Brothers Howard Earl Whitfield Jr. and Douglas Whitfield were the alleged “ringleaders” of the fraudulent scam to stage auto accidents, the DOI said. Howard Earl Whitfield was apprehended and a warrant has been issued for his brother.
The Whitfield brothers allegedly conspired with family members and others to stage accidents and file insurance claims for accidents that never happened.
Universal Insurance, Farm Bureau Insurance of North Carolina, GMAC Insurance, Nationwide Insurance and GEICO paid out about $76,200 in claims related to the fraudulent claims from August 2009 to January 2010, the DOI said.
Twenty law enforcement officers are employed by the DOI to investigate claims of insurance fraud. The Criminal Investigations Division of the DOI closed more than 400 cases, which resulted in more than $21.1 million in restitution and recoveries to double the amount from the previous year.
The DOI said investigations resulted in 88 criminal convictions and 126 arrests.
January 27, 2011
By Chad Hemenway, PropertyCasualty360.com
Posted by Benji Riggins on January 31, 2011 under Insurance News |
Automakers must develop new approaches to reduce the number of people ejected in U.S. rollover crashes, which are blamed for 10,000 deaths annually over the past decade.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) expects manufactures to modify existing side curtain air bags to make them larger and deploy in all types of serious crashes, according to a regulation published on Thursday.
The ejection rule, which was years in the making, is the latest action by NHTSA to address rollovers since deadly crashes of Ford Motor Co. sport utility vehicles linked to defective Firestone tires in the 1990s spurred congressional scrutiny and massive recalls.
“Rollover crashes are the deadliest of all crash types and this is another important step in our efforts to reduce fatalities and serious injuries that result from them,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland.
Carrying out the mandate would cost manufactures roughly $31 per vehicle, or $400 million based on total annual U.S. sales of 13 million cars and trucks, which is what the auto industry forecasts for 2011.
Rollovers represent about a third of all crash deaths and were blamed for an average of 10,000 fatalities per year over the past decade, according to government statistics. About half of those killed in rollovers are ejected and most are ejected through side windows.
Strickland said the new rule would prevent, on average, 373 deaths and 476 serious injuries annually.
Industry has two years to begin phasing in changes, which must be standard by 2017.
The agency previously adopted tougher crash tests and mandates for electronic stability systems to help keep vehicles on the road.
Since the Firestone tire problem, manufacturers have redesigned many mid-size and smaller SUVs, including the Explorer, to lower their center of gravity. They are now called crossovers.
Regulators addressing ejection were also influenced by stubbornly high fatal crash statistics and studies showing that drivers and their passengers have a much better chance of surviving a crash if they are not thrown from their vehicle.
By John Crawley | January 18, 2011
(Editing by Steve Orlofsky)
Tags: accident, auto ins, auto safety, car ins, car safety, crashes, insurance, insurance agency, insurance agent, Safety, vehicle ins
Posted by Benji Riggins on January 26, 2011 under Insurance News |
The age group with the highest accident rate over all other groups is 16-year-olds. The leading cause of death for US teenagers is car accidents, which account for more than one in three deaths in this age group. Statistically, they are the most expensive to insure and as such, their premiums for automobile insurance are the highest. Here are tips on how to keep costs down for young drivers while keeping them safer.
There are regulations that drop premiums and keep drivers safer. Some state requirements include certified driver’s education courses for young drivers to get a license by 16 years old. If these are not completed they will need to wait until they are 18 years old. These classes help teens learn good driving habits and can reduce their automobile insurance rates by up to 15 percent. These certified classes are not required in all areas but they can be taken on a voluntary basis to get low-cost automobile insurance.
Most automobile insurance companies offer discounts up to 10 or 20 percent for students who maintain a minimal GPA, often called a good student discount. Teens can also gain cheaper rates by maintaining a clean driving record. Speeding tickets, accidents and other violations greatly increase premiums. By avoiding these, some companies will offer consistently lower rates each year the teen has remained free of traffic violations and accidents.
In addition to educating young drivers, there are also laws in various states that are intended to keep teens safe when behind the wheel. Besides the mandatory certified driver’s education classes, there are laws limiting time driving at night, graduated licenses, and a specific minimal amount of time driving with adult supervision. Parents and guardians can also give their young drivers rules to keep them safe. Studies have shown that accidents that involve young drivers are often caused by distracted driving. Examples of these rules while driving can include not using cell phones or not listening to music. They can also include a curfew to keep teens off roads during the high-risk times of weekend evenings and nights.
Tags: auto ins, auto safety, automobile ins, car ins, car safety, driver safety, insurance, insurance agency, insurance agent, teen driver, vehicle ins
Posted by Benji Riggins on January 24, 2011 under Interesting Info |
It’s illegal to text while driving in most U.S. states yet a new study finds such bans do not reduce car accidents and may actually increase insurance claims.
Researchers at the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) found no reductions in crashes after laws that ban texting by all drivers take effect. In fact, such bans are associated with a slight increase in the frequency of insurance claims filed under collision coverage for damage to vehicles in crashes.
The findings are based on comparisons of claims in four states before and after texting bans, compared with patterns of claims in nearby states.
The new texting ban findings are consistent with those of a previous HLDI study, which found that banning hand-held phone use while driving does not cut crashes. HLDI is an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
HLDI researchers calculated rates of collision claims for vehicles up to nine years old during the months immediately before and after driver texting was banned in California (January 2009), Louisiana (July 2008), Minnesota (August 2008), and Washington (January 2008). Comparable data were collected in nearby states where texting laws weren’t substantially changed during the time span of the study. This controlled for possible changes in collision claim rates unrelated to the bans — changes in the number of miles driven due to the economy, seasonal changes in driving patterns, etc.
Young motorists are more likely than older people to text while driving. In all four of HDLI’s study states, crashes increased among drivers younger than 25 after the all-driver bans took effect. In California, Louisiana, and Washington, the increases for young drivers were greater than for drivers 25 and older. The largest crash increase of all (12 percent) following enactment of a texting ban was among young drivers in California.
An IIIHS study that relied on driver phone records found a four-fold increase in the risk of injury crashes associated with phoning. A study in Canada found a four-fold increase in the risk of crashes involving property damage. The crash risk associated with texting hasn’t been quantified as precisely, but it may be comparable, if not greater, than the risk associated with phoning.
“Texting bans haven’t reduced crashes at all. In a perverse twist, crashes increased in three of the four states we studied after bans were enacted. It’s an indication that texting bans might even increase the risk of texting for drivers who continue to do so despite the laws,” said Adrian Lund, president of both HLDI and the IIHS.
However, the National Safety Council said the report does not provide definitive evidence that all cell phone or texting bans do not and will not ever work. “Texting laws that are not effectively enforced could not be expected to have much safety benefit,” the NSC said.
IIHS and the NSC have both reported that the combination of risk and exposure of cell phone use contributes to about 25 percent of crashes. No other form of distraction contributes to that many crashes. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration reports driver distractions lead to nearly 4,500 deaths in 2009, while acknowledging the incomplete nature of police reporting could make the actual number of fatalities even greater than reported.
HLDI’s new findings about texting, together with the organization’s previous finding that hand-held phone bans didn’t reduce crashes, “call into question the way policymakers are trying to address the problem of distracted driving crashes,” Lund said. “They’re focusing on a single manifestation of distracted driving and banning it. This ignores the endless sources of distraction and relies on banning one source or another to solve the whole problem.”
Month-to-month fluctuations in the rates of collision claims in HLDI’s four study states with texting bans for all drivers didn’t change much from before to after the bans were enacted. Nor did the patterns differ much from those in nearby states that didn’t ban texting for all drivers during the study period. To the extent that the crash patterns did change in the study states, they went up, not down, after the bans took effect. Increases varied from 1 percent more crashes in Washington to about 9 percent more in Minnesota (the result in Washington isn’t statistically significant).
“The point of texting bans is to reduce crashes, and by this essential measure the laws are ineffective,” HLDI’s Lund said. He cautioned that “finding no reduction in crashes, or even a small increase, doesn’t mean it’s safe to text and drive, though. There’s a crash risk associated with doing this. It’s just that bans aren’t reducing this crash risk.”
NSC emphasized the HLDI study has limitations, and was performed in states at a time when consistent, uniform and effective enforcement was not in place.
“The validity of comparisons made between states relies on the assumption that texting bans are the only difference between the states,” NSC said. “Although texting bans included in the study did not decrease crash frequency, we do not know the reasons for this. IIHS and HLDI seem to suggest that texting laws might even be responsible for an increase in crashes in some states. That suggestion is speculative because there is no evidence that texting laws caused the increases.”
Furthermore, NSC said recent enforcement projects in Syracuse, N.Y., and Hartford, Conn., had measurable impact in reducing texting behind the wheel. “We are hopeful the increased attention to the issue will move more state and local law enforcement agencies to develop best practices to enforce these laws,” the Council said.
Lund admitted that noncompliance is a likely reason texting bans aren’t reducing crashes. Survey results indicate that many drivers, especially younger ones, shrug off these bans. Among 18- to 24-year-olds, the group most likely to text, 45 percent reported doing so anyway in states that bar all drivers from texting. This is just shy of the 48 percent of drivers who reported texting in states without bans. Many respondents who knew it was illegal to text said they didn’t think police were strongly enforcing the bans.
“But this doesn’t explain why crashes increased after texting bans,” Lund pointed out. “If drivers were disregarding the bans, then the crash patterns should have remained steady. So clearly drivers did respond to the bans somehow, and what they might have been doing was moving their phones down and out of sight when they texted, in recognition that what they were doing was illegal. This could exacerbate the risk of texting by taking drivers’ eyes further from the road and for a longer time.”
Using a driving simulator, researchers at the University of Glasgow found a sharp decrease in crash likelihood when participants switched from head-down to head-up displays. This suggests that it might be more hazardous for a driver to text from a device that’s hidden from view on the lap or vehicle seat.
Texting in general is on the increase. Wireless phone subscriptions numbered 286 million as of December 2009, up 47 percent from 194 million in June 2005. Text messaging is increasing, too. It went up by about 60 percent in 1 year alone, from 1 trillion messages in 2008 to 1.6 trillion in 2009.
The District of Columbia was the first U.S. jurisdiction to ban all motorists from texting. This was in 2004, and since then 30 states have followed suit. Nearly half of these bans have been enacted in 2010.
To download the full HLDI report, visit www.iihs.org/news/2010/hldi_news_092810.pdf.
Read more: http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2010/12/17/115745.htm#ixzz18OheBP00
Posted by Benji Riggins on January 19, 2011 under Insurance News |
Questionable property/casualty insurance claims rose 12 percent in the third quarter over last year, according to the latest reports from insurance companies.
Through the third quarter of 2010, the National Insurance Crime Bureau received 70,295 referrals for questionable claims from its member insurance companies compared to 62,929 received in the same period of 2009—a 12 percent increase.
Questionable claims rose 14 percent for the first half of the year, according to NICB.
Questionable claims are those claims that NICB member insurance companies refer to NICB for closer review and investigation based on one or more indicators of possible fraud. A single claim may contain up to seven referral reasons. The report examines six referral reason categories of claims—property, casualty, commercial, workers’ compensation, vehicle and miscellaneous.
Vehicle QC analysis disclosed that there were more than1,700 more referrals for suspected auto glass fraud in the third quarter of 2010—an increase of 511 percent—when compared to the third quarter of 2009. Referrals for inflated towing and storage bills this quarter were also up by more than 200—a 103 percent rise—compared to the same quarter in 2009.
“Criminals who commit insurance fraud believe in equal opportunity — they will commit fraud anytime and anyplace they choose,” said NICB President and CEO Joe Wehrle. “Auto glass fraud and towing-related scams are occurring across the nation, but criminals also look for the path of least resistance, so increasingly they are choosing states like Florida and New York where ‘no-fault’ insurance provides a fertile environment for auto-related personal injury protection scams.”
The NICB is supported by more than 1,000 property and casualty insurance companies and self-insured organizations.
Source: NICB
Read more: http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2010/12/16/115671.htm#ixzz18IyGA1xE
Tags: auto ins, car ins, home ins, homeowners ins, house ins, ins claims, insurance, insurance agency, insurance agent, insurance claims, suspicious claim
Posted by Benji Riggins on January 17, 2011 under Interesting Info |
Barbara Morris died in a house fire set by an insurance arsonist. Bob Harper bought a fake health policy after urgently needing a pacemaker. A homeless man received a pittance after being rammed by a motorist who bought bogus auto coverage from a self-styled “Christian” insurer.
These trusting consumers are some of the victims of insurance schemers who were dishonored with induction into the Insurance Fraud Hall of Shame by the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud. The No-Class of 2010 represents the year’s most-brazen, vicious, strange or plain klutzy insurance con artists.
These Caliphs of Crime and Barons of Bleak were convicted or had other legal closure in 2010. The Hall of Shame calls public attention to insurance fraud by putting a human face on an $80-billion crime that many consider a victimless prank.
Flames of greed:
Dogged by crushing debt, Jeffrey Alnutt burned down his apartment building for a $277,000 insurance payout. Second-floor tenant Barbara Morris died when she raced back into the flaming Johnstown, N.Y.-area building to rescue her cat. Showing no remorse, Alnutt received 25 years to life in prison.
Devilish ‘Christian’ insurer:
Puget’s Sound Agricultural Society sold bogus auto coverage while claiming to be a “Christian” organization. The California outfit refused to pay many valid claims. A homeless bicycler received only $6,000 despite serious injuries after being rammed by a Puget’s Sound insured. A severely hurt motorist won $20 million in another case. But the insurer merely sent the motorist a bogus document “authorizing” the U.S. government to pay up. James Kalfsbeek received 10 years.
Sick health plan:
Preying on people who were desperate for affordable health coverage, American Trade Association sold fake insurance to at least 12,000 trusting consumers. His heart failing, Bob Harper needed a pacemaker but found his coverage useless. Bart Posey’s bogus insurer was one of the largest fake health plans in America before being shut down by the Tennessee insurance department.
Deadly drug con:
Nearly 70 patients died from ingesting painkillers dolled out by Dr. Stephen Schneider. His Wichita, Kans.-area clinic was a haven for addicts seeking easy access to prescription narcotics. Schneider billed insurers for many of the illegal drugs. One addict’s decomposing body was discovered in his apartment after overdosing on Schneider-supplied drugs. Schneider received 30 years.
Child murdered:
Joel Zellmer drowned his three-year-old stepdaughter in his swimming pool for $200,000 in life-insurance money. The Seattle-area man lied that little Ashley must’ve slipped into the pool. But Zellmer was strangely unemotional when her body was discovered. He also had a history of harming children of other women he’d married or dated. Zellmer received 50 years.
Broken promises:
Francis Fredette broke his back when he fell from the roof of a convenience store he was burglarizing. But the Clarendon, Vt. man blamed the injury on his innocent landlords. Fredette lied that he’d fallen on their front steps. He fraudulently shook down an insurer for $550,000. The landlords lost their life savings to pay him another $150,000. Fredette received 46 months.
Non-working comp:
Wanting a paid vacation from his UPS job, Pierre Lamont Taylor had his buddy shoot him in the leg to steal workers comp money. The Washington, D.C.-area man lied that he was shot in an armed holdup while on the job. Sporting a fresh bullet hole, Taylor was paid $250,000 for his injuries and supposed emotional trauma. But the Maryland Insurance Administration played a lead role in cracking the case, and Taylor received five years (suspended).
By James Quiggle
January 12, 2011
Quiggle is director of communications for the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud in Washington, D.C.
Read more: http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2011/01/12/180173.htm#ixzz1AqttX8pG
Posted by Benji Riggins on January 14, 2011 under Interesting Info |
Automakers recalled about 20 million vehicles in 2010, led by high-profile recalls by Toyota that prompted new scrutiny of the auto industry’s safety record.
The number of recalls this year was the largest in the United States since 2004, according to an analysis of federal data by The Associated Press. The auto industry set a record with 30.8 million recalled vehicles that year.
Toyota Motor Corp. recalled about 7.1 million vehicles in 2010 to fix faulty gas pedals, floor mats that could trap accelerators, defective braking and stalling engines. The safety woes by the world’s No. 1 automaker brought more attention to auto safety from government regulators and the public, which filed more than 64,000 complaints with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly double the number in a typical year.
Safety recalls can cost car companies tens of millions of dollars or more and have become more common since 2000, when Congress passed legislation to spot safety defects more quickly in the aftermath of the massive Firestone tire recalls. In 2010, lawmakers held several hearings on the Toyota recalls but sweeping legislation to increase penalties against car companies, require automakers to meet new safety standards and empower the government to demand a recall stalled in Congress.
Toyota was fined $48.8 million by the government for its handling of three recalls dating back to 2004. Toyota has vowed to take a more proactive approach to safety, creating engineering teams that can quickly examine cars that are the subject of consumer complaints while giving its U.S. offices a more direct role in safety related decisions.
Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons said the company has “committed to be more responsive to our customers and federal agencies” and its recalled vehicles are getting fixed at a faster rate than the industry average of 72 percent recall completion after 18 months.
Among other automakers, General Motors Co. recalled about 4 million vehicles in 2010 while Japanese rivals Honda and Nissan both recalled more than 2 million cars and trucks. Chrysler recalled about 1.5 million vehicles and Ford called back more than 500,000 vehicles. The recall data was preliminary and the government was expected to release final numbers next year.
“More and more recalls are being voluntarily initiated by automakers and we think that’s a good sign,” Transportation Department spokeswoman Olivia Alair said Wednesday. “Safety is NHTSA’s first priority and improved cooperation from automakers will help resolve safety issues more quickly and comprehensively.”
Wade Newton, a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which represents a dozen car companies, including GM, Toyota and Ford, said automakers “are doing a better job of identifying and pinpointing safety-related issues and taking faster action.” He said safety advances in new vehicles helped traffic deaths decline last year to its lowest levels since 1950.
By Ken Thomas
December 31, 2010
Read more: http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2010/12/31/116063.htm#ixzz19yvDUa51
Posted by Benji Riggins on January 12, 2011 under Interesting Info |
Hyundai and Volkswagen top the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s list of the safest cars for the 2011 model year.
South Korean automakers Hyundai Motor Corp. and Kia Motor Corp., and German automaker Volkswagen along with its Audi brand each received nine awards. Ford Motor Corp., General Motors Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp. came in second with eight awards each.
To earn a top safety pick award, vehicles must earn top scores in front and side crash tests, whiplash deterrence tests and rollover tests. In addition, the vehicles must be sold with an electronic stability control option.
Hyundai received recognition for its Genesis sedan, Sonata midsize car, and Santa Fe and Tucson sport utility vehicles. Kia won for its Optima midsize car, Forte and Soul small cars, and the Sorento and Sportage SUVs. Volkswagen’s Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Golf and GTI small care, and Touareg and Tiguan SUVs received awards. Audi was recognized for its A3 and A4 sedans and the Q5 SUV.
Posted by Benji Riggins on January 6, 2011 under Insurance News |
North Carolina insurers are looking to raise rates from 7 percent to 25 percent, or an average 20.9 percent statewide, for 2011 on dwelling fire and extended coverage policies.
If approved the higher rates would affect about 570,000 policyholders, with those in coastal territories seeing the biggest increases.
Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin, who must approve any increases, said that the insurance department received the dwelling fire and extended coverage rate filing from the North Carolina Rate Bureau. The bureau represents the property insurance companies writing business in the state.
Goodwin has scheduled a public comment session for Jan. 24 on the rate proposal. The department will also accept written comments until Jan. 31.
Dwelling fire policies offer fewer options that standard homeowners policies and are sold to properties that do not qualify for a standard policy. Dwelling fire policies are offered to non-owner occupied residences including rental properties, investment properties and other properties that are not occupied full-time by the property owner. A dwelling fire policy does not typically include liability coverage; extended coverages generally include coverage for damage to the physical dwelling due to wind, hail, fire, smoke, riot, civil commotion, and aircraft and vehicle damage.
Read more: http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2011/01/05/116148.htm#ixzz1AC3iNXGs
