Kentucky Teen Drivers Spend Time With Simulator

If you’re a teen driver in Kentucky and get a special invitation from Fayette County attorney Larry Roberts, you can drive his car. Or at least, you can drive his simulator.

About three months ago, Roberts’ office bought an Ultra Interactive Driving Simulator for his county’s traffic diversion program, in which some drivers with certain kinds of traffic tickets can get those tickets expunged from their driving records by spending about an hour watching educational videos, listening to a police-provided lecture on safe driving, and completing four hours of community service. In addition, those participants who are between the ages of sixteen and eighteen are required to spend some time in the simulator.

Last week, during a diversion session in which five teenagers took turns on the simulator with guidance from Officer Jeff Jacobs of the Lexington police, Roberts explained, “This is primarily set up for kids. There are 300 different driving scenarios we can put somebody through on this.”

The simulator includes a driver’s seat complete with a seat belt and steering wheel, turn signals, brake and accelerator pedals, and a windshield made of three computer screens. Depending on what the driver is familiar with, either a manual or automatic transmission can be selected. Available scenarios include rainy and snowy weather (during which windshield wipers appear on-screen), heavy city traffic, and a dark country road with a deer arriving from nowhere.

As the driver moves through a scenario the simulator provides directions about things like speed and direction, and when a scenario ends – whether or not there’s an accident – the driver receives feedback about reaction times and other factors.

“When you put all of that together, it becomes more than a video game. It makes you pay attention to what’s going on,” Roberts said.

Insurance Brief: “Click It or Ticket” Working in Connecticut

Click It or Ticket | Source: Google Images

The Insurance Journal is reporting this morning that the “Click It or Ticket” safety belt enforcement campaign currently underway in Connecticut seems to be working.

According to Governor M. Jodi Rell, who made the announcement on Sunday, a new highway and traffic survey from the NHTSA found that 88 percent of drivers and passengers in that state use their seat belts. This represents a two percent increase from last year’s numbers and a marked increase from the 59 percent that was the result in Connecticut’s first such survey, which was conducted in 1995.

Insurance Verification Cameras: Just a Bad Idea

Earlier this month Governor Ed Rendell urged the Pennsylvania state legislature to approve a network of cameras to identify uninsured motorists, an extrapolation on the concept of red light cameras. The plan was not only intended to regulate the number of insured drivers in the state, but also to address a $470 million revenue gap. The major problem cited by critics was the development of a real-time insurance verification system dependent on accurate information from insurers themselves.

Events in Oklahoma this week would seem to validate the position of those critics as lawmakers were forced to put the skids on a similar plan to identify uninsured drivers and in the process raise $50 million for the state. They simply could not find a company that could provide the needed verification information for all fifty states. That and some technical difficulties about funds allocation put that state’s proposed camera system on ice, with supporters making the obligatory statements about “next year.”

Truth be told, lot of folks have lots of problems with this proposed use of “big brother” cameras. The American Civil Liberties Union doesn’t like the assault on privacy rights and consumer groups don’t like the fact that the cameras seem to be more about making money than policing public safety. Since both governors did cite the revenue potential of the systems, it’s out there on the table as fair game for debate.

There’s also the “aren’t we shooting ourselves in the foot” angle? How is fining people who can’t afford insurance going to improve their ability to get or to be able to pay for coverage? If the fine involves a revocation of their license, that will negatively effect their ability to earn a living. In this instance, we have to agree with Jim Baxter, president of the National Motorist Association. Plans like these are counterproductive — and a little blatantly obvious. The states are hurting for cash. Red light cameras bring in a mint of money. Why not insurance cameras? Because it will create more problems than it solves and real-time insurance data with the current level of record keeping just does not exist. Bottom line? Fail.

Texting in Louisiana Now a Primary Offense

Texting in Louisiana Now a Primary Offense

If you’re driving in Louisiana and just have to text your BFF about the hot Cajun you saw at the filling station, think again. Texting behind the wheel is now a primary offense in the state.

That means that a police officer can stop you for texting without any other reason to have a word with you. That’s right, you can be driving perfectly, observing the speed limit, doing everything you should be doing, but if you’re on your phone texting and the cop sees it, you can be pulled over.

At least in the short term, law enforcement in the state plans to focus on public awareness before taking out their ticket books. Blatant offenses, however, will be ticked immediately.

With the exception of emergency text messages, first offenders can be slapped with as much as a $200 fine, while subsequent offenses can climb to $500.

If you’re a minor (17 and under) and are even talking on a cell phone while driving, you can be stopped. That infraction is now a primary offense as well.

This kind of serious legal move against distracted driving will likely be played out on a state-by-state basis in the months to come as concerned citizens and activists (even Oprah) increasingly shine a light on the dangers of the behavior.

Like any other traffic citation, distracted driving offenses will go on your permanent driving record and will influence your insurance premiums. This is perhaps the number one behind-the-wheel risk in the public eye right now, even more so than driving under the influence.

If you are expecting an important message and your phone rings or chirps, just pull over. Waiting a few seconds or even having to call someone back is far preferable to causing an accident or, in the case of Louisiana, getting a ticket, paying a fine, and dealing with the insurance consequences of your actions.

General Star Launches Ambulance Insurance

When you’re being carted away in an ambulance, the last thing you’re likely to wonder is, “Is this thing insured,” but that’s okay, because there are several commercial auto insurers that offer ambulance coverage. The latest insurer to do so is General Star, which has launched a professional liability product for air and ground ambulances, on an occurrence basis. This product is an alternative to the more conventional claims-based coverage typically offered.

There are no new eligibility requirements for the new product. Licensed ground and air emergency and non-emergency ambulances, ambulette services, municipal ambulance services, and new ambulance operations all qualify.

The standard coverage features include companion general liability on either claims-made or occurrence bases, loading and unloading, sub-limited abuse/molestation and affirmative protection for punitive damages. Medical directors receive automatic coverage for administrative functions. Other available options include defense outside the limit and patient care coverage for medical directors or other employed physicians.

This program is available on a non-admitted basis across the country, offered by General Star Indemnity Company or General Star National Insurance Company, both of which are rated Superior (A++) by A. M. Best Company, and carry the AA+ Insurance Financial Strength Rating from Standard & Poor’s Corporation.

YouTube Tuesday: Summer Heat

We all know that one of the cardinal rules of auto safety is never to leave a child or pet alone in a car on a hot day. We also know – at least intellectually – that the extreme heat of a car in summer can lead to suffocation. But how hot do car interiors really get?

This video, from the Boise, ID, police department, and YouTube illustrates the reality of summer heat and locked cars:

U.S. House of Representatives to Pursue Auto Safety Overhaul After August Recess

When Congress returns from its August recess, the Insurance Journal reports, the House of Representatives will be attempting to overhaul auto safety laws.

House Energy and Commerce Committee chair Representative Harry Waxman told the press that he is hopeful that in the aftermath of Toyota’s recall of more than 8.5 million vehicles, the House will consider upgrading auto safety laws across the country. The legislation to be considered would include increased penalties against carmakers, as well as requiring them to meet new safety standards. As well, the U.S. government would be empowered to demand recalls for safety issues.

Not surprisingly, the portions of the proposed bill that would increase fines and assign fees to new vehicles have come under heavy opposition by automakers and industry-related business groups, while safety organizations are urging that the legislation be passed, and that it is necessary to solve problems exposed by the Toyota incidents.

House Republicans, on the other hand, have asked to be supplied with more information on the ongoing Toyota investigation.

Last week, the Wall Street Journal, referring to anonymous sources, reported that after analyzing dozens of Toyota data recorders from vehicles involved in crashes blamed on unintended acceleration, government investigators found that brakes had not been engaged, and throttles had been open. This suggests that driver error is to blame; specifically it points to drivers stepping on the gas pedal instead of the brakes.

There is a group of House Republicans who want to know whether or not the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has event recorder data showing which cases were caused by mechanical error, and which were the result of drivers making mistakes.

Toyota maintains that while misplaced floormats or stacked mats and sticky pedals were involved in some cases of unintended acceleration, the culprit in most cases where the brake pedal was depressed was actually driver error.

Huntsville, AL joins the Anti-Text Society

Despite the fact that as a whole the state of Alabama has NOT followed what many other states are doing, and making it illegal to text while driving throughout the state, individual cities are passing laws banning texting while behind the wheel. Today, Huntsville announced that it is following the trend toward cracking down on distracted drivers.

Effective September 20, 2010, the city of Huntsville will become the sixth Alabama city to have an enforced ordinance making it illegal to send text messages or send email while driving within the city limits. Also prohibited while behind the wheel in Huntsville: watching videos, programming a sat-nav device, or browsing through music files.

The ban isn’t limited just to cell phones, but extends to smartphones, netbooks and laptops, electronic tablets, and e-readers, as well as GPS devices. NOT included in the ban are radios (including voice, mobile, commercial and two-way devices).

Huntsville joins Gadsden, Birmingham, Vestavia Hills, Jacksonville and Roanoke in imposing a texting ban.

92% of Illinois Drivers using Seat Belts

If it’s true that safe driving habits like the regular use of seat belts keeps insurance premiums low, than motorists in Illinois are in a good position right now. Why? Because according to the Illinois Department of Transportation, more than 92 percent of the drivers in that state are using safety belts.

Gary Hannig, Transportation Secretary for the State of Illinois, says that for the first six months of 2010, there have been fewer-than-average traffic-related deaths, with the total number of fatalities being 361, down 16.8 percent from the 434 fatalities logged in during the same period in 2009.

Mr Hannig estimates that 92.6 percent of Illinois drivers and front-seat passengers are remembering to buckle up, whenever they’re in a vehicle. This number represents a 16% increase in the use of seat belts since 2003, when the average was 76.4 percent.

Illinois driving laws changed in 2004, making it allowable for police officers to stop motorists for the sole offense of not wearing a safety belt. Before then, as in most other parts of the United States, there had to be another reason to stop a car, and lack of a seat belt merely increased the fine.

The total number of traffic-related deaths in Illinois last year was 928, which is the lowest number since 1921, when 887 people died in car accidents, the Illinois Department of Transportation says.

Driving? Forget the Flip-flops

Photo Credit: lifeinstyle.typepad.com | Click to enlarge

As temperatures reach their mid-summer heights and humidity increases, UK Insurer Swinton wants to remind us of an important summer driving tip: wear appropriate shoes.

The warning comes on the heels (no pun intended) of a poll from the British insurer, which reveals that one in five drivers in the UK have admitted to a temporary loss of vehicular control due to inappropriate footwear, such as flip-flops.

Why are flip-flops so dangerous? The design of such shoes makes it easy for them to both slip off of pedals or get caught beneath them, and the lack of a heel makes it more likely for your foot to slip when you’re changing gears. But don’t just kick off your shoes – barefoot driving is also dangerous, because without the cushion of a sole, you won’t have as much braking force.

In an online poll of 1,200 Swinton customers, the insurer also learned that 51% of the women who responded confessed to sometimes driving while wearing stilettos.

Swinton’s Insurance Development Manager, Steve Chelton, told the press, “Ensuring you have full control of your vehicle is vital. Wearing inappropriate footwear can dramatically affect this and in some cases cause accidents. Sensible footwear should be worn at all times behind the wheel and motorists should consider keeping a spare pair of shoes – appropriate for driving – in their boot.”

Swinton is offering the following footwear advice, which is applicable on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean:

– The sole of the shoe should not be too soft and no thicker than 10cm [about 4 inches].
– The shoe should have good grips to avoid the foot slipping off the pedal
– The shoe should be light weight
– The shoe should not restrict movement of the ankle
– The shoe should be thin [narrow], to avoid accidentally step on two pedals at once