“Drivers are always responsible for ensuring their vehicles are properly equipped for road conditions, just like making sure your wipers and headlamps are working well on dark and rainy nights,” an ICBC release says.

“Driving without winter tires will not void your insurance in the event of a claim or mean that you are automatically at-fault for a crash. However, if you get in a crash where winter tires could have helped it may be a deciding factor in determining whether or how much you are at-fault.”

The B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure can also designate that winter tires are required on certain roads and highways – usually in northern B.C. and the Southern Interior.

“If you are driving on these roads without winter tires, police can ticket you and make you turn back,” ICBC says.

PS.  For past articles relating to insurance, safety, and loss prevention, please scroll through the “read our blog – Guthrie News & Views” section in our website noted below.

 Sincerely,                   

The Insurance Advisors @ Guthrie Insurance Brokers Ltd

Toronto- (416) 487-5200  – 1-888-310-SAVE (7283)

www.GuthrieInsurance.com   -   info@GuthrieInsurance.com

E & O E

“As of July 2010, the last year for which statistics are available, there were nearly 2.5 million unpaid POA fines totalling close to $1 billion, owed largely to Ontario municipalities,” a backgrounder to the white paper says. “Of the $1 billion in outstanding POA fines, approximately one-third relate to Compulsory Automobile Insurance Act convictions, another third to Highway Traffic Act convictions, and another third to other convictions (including violations of the Liquor Licence Act, Occupational Health and Safety Act, and Trespass to Property Act).”

The backgrounder shows the unpaid fines related to breaches of the Compulsory Automobile Insurance Act total $354.3 million.

The association white paper contains a number of recommendations, including discounts for early payment and more severe penalties for those who do not pay (including license suspensions or car impoundment), making it more convenient for people to pay fines and improving the capability of municipalities to collect the fines.

PS.  For past articles relating to insurance, safety, and loss prevention, please scroll through the “read our blog – Guthrie News & Views” section in our website noted below.

 Sincerely,                   

The Insurance Advisors @ Guthrie Insurance Brokers Ltd

Toronto- (416) 487-5200  – 1-888-310-SAVE (7283)

www.GuthrieInsurance.com   -   info@GuthrieInsurance.com

 E & O E

IIHS cited a study conducted by its affiliate, the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI). In the study, HLDI estimated the odds that a crash would result in injuries if people were riding in a hybrid versus the conventional model of the same vehicle. The analysis included more than 25 hybrid-conventional vehicle pairs, all 2003-11 models with at least one collision claim and at least one related injury claim filed under personal injury protection or medical payment coverage in 2002-10.

Although hybrids share the same footprint and structure as their conventional counterparts, they outweigh them because of the added heft of battery packs and other components used in dual-power systems. At about 3,600 pounds, a hybrid Honda Accord midsize sedan, for example, can weigh as much as 480 pounds more than a conventional Accord. A hybrid Toyota Highlander, a midsize SUV, weighs about 4,500 pounds, compared with about 4,170 pounds for the conventional Highlander.
“Weight is a big factor,” says Matt Moore, HLDI vice president and author of the report. “Hybrids on average are 10% heavier than their standard counterparts. This extra mass gives them an advantage in crashes that their conventional twins don’t have.”

PS.  For past articles relating to insurance, safety, and loss prevention, please scroll through the “read our blog – Guthrie News & Views” section in our website noted below.

 Sincerely,                   

The Insurance Advisors @ Guthrie Insurance Brokers Ltd

Toronto- (416) 487-5200  – 1-888-310-SAVE (7283)

www.GuthrieInsurance.com   -   info@GuthrieInsurance.com

E & O E

Slippery roads, whiteout conditions and other weather-related factors contributed to more than $37.1-million auto collision claim payments made by the insurer during the winter of 2010, an Aviva Canada release says.

The collision claim rate by insured drivers during the rest of the seasons sits at 3.1% and increases to 4.7% during the winter months, the release adds.

Alberta sees the largest (66%) increase in winter auto claim frequency versus the rest of the year. New Brunswick is next at 60%, followed by Nova Scotia at 53% and Ontario and Quebec at 44% each. Newfoundland and Labrador have the smallest increase at 37%. Prince Edward Island tends to see an increase of 41%.

“Canadians are traditionally very experienced winter drivers, but the first snowfall of the year can be extremely challenging, even for the most capable motorist,” said Mauro Convertini, vice president of national auto claims at Aviva Canada. “It sounds very simple, but the biggest key to prevention is to slow down as icy road conditions result in vehicle sliding and skidding.”

PS.  For past articles relating to insurance, safety, and loss prevention, please scroll through the “read our blog – Guthrie News & Views” section in our website noted below.

 Sincerely,                   

The Insurance Advisors @ Guthrie Insurance Brokers Ltd

Toronto- (416) 487-5200  – 1-888-310-SAVE (7283)

www.GuthrieInsurance.com   -   info@GuthrieInsurance.com

E & O E

“Our poll clearly indicates many motorists have no qualms with eating or drinking behind the wheel,” says Kanetix.ca’s marketplace director Janine White. “However, when drivers take their eyes off the road, even for a second, there can be serious consequences.”

In a Leger Marketing survey released by Kanetix.ca, Canadians admitted to one of 13 risky driving behaviours listed in the survey.

The survey was conducted with Leger Marketing’s online panel, LegerWeb, from Oct. 24-26.  The sample size was 1,344 Canadian drivers 18 years of age and older.

Overall, eight out of 10 Canadian motorists admitted to engaging in at least one risky driving habit listed in the poll.  Specific numbers are as follows:

• Consuming food or beverages while driving: 39%
• Speeding: 36%
• Talking/texting on my cell while driving: 18%
• Following too closely: 16%
• Road rage: 11%
• Failing to signal: 10%
• Weaving in and out of traffic: 7%
• Applying makeup while driving: 3%
• Parking illegally: 3%
• Parking in handicap spaces: 2%
• Driving in the carpool lane: 1%

Men in particular confessed to having a heavy foot on the gas pedal, with 41% of male respondents admitting to speeding. Ontarians may be the top speeders in the country, with 42% of the province’s drivers disclosing that they disobey the posted limit.

“Drivers should be mindful that most insurance companies will charge a 15% premium surcharge for only one ticket,” Kanetix noted.

The Ontario Provincial Police has reported following too closely as the leading cause of collisions.

PS.  For past articles relating to insurance, safety, and loss prevention, please scroll through the “read our blog – Guthrie News & Views” section in our website noted below.

 Sincerely,                   

The Insurance Advisors @ Guthrie Insurance Brokers Ltd

Toronto- (416) 487-5200  – 1-888-310-SAVE (7283)

www.GuthrieInsurance.com   -   info@GuthrieInsurance.com

E & O E

Foryy-five per cent of 5,076 Canadians polled reported feeling less safe when they get behind the wheel than they did five years ago. Another 43% said they feel neither more nor less safe, while only 9% reported feeling safer.

The poll points to driver behaviour as a major contributor to this finding.  Seventy per cent said they believe Canadians don’t drive as safely as they used to.

The poll also asked Canadians to rank their biggest road safety concerns. For the second year in a row, texting while driving came first (83%).

This concern was followed by, in order: people driving after drinking alcohol (82%), driving aggressively (63%), talking on cell phones (62%), driving when they’re too sleepy (58%) and driving well over the speed limit (52%).

PS.  For past articles relating to insurance, safety, and loss prevention, please scroll through the “read our blog – Guthrie News & Views” section in our website noted below.

 Sincerely,                   

The Insurance Advisors @ Guthrie Insurance Brokers Ltd

Toronto- (416) 487-5200  – 1-888-310-SAVE (7283)

www.GuthrieInsurance.com   -   info@GuthrieInsurance.com

E & O E

The third annual Ontario Safe Driving Study examines Allstate Canada claims data and ranks drivers in Ontario communities by the frequency of collisions per 100 cars.

It found that drivers in Mississauga, Pickering, Ajax, Maple, Bolton, Markham, Toronto, Thornhill and Brampton, ranked 37 through 45, respectively, out of the ranked 45 communities.

Overall, the province saw a 7% improvement in frequency of car crashes during 2009-11 in comparison to 2007-09.
Brockville drivers had the lowest collision rate inOntario (2.48 per 100 cars).

 PS.  For past articles relating to insurance, safety, and loss prevention, please scroll through the “read our blog – Guthrie News & Views” section in our website noted below.

 Sincerely,                                                       The Insurance Advisors @ Guthrie Insurance Brokers Ltd

Toronto – (416) 487-5200  – 1-888-310-SAVE (7283)

www.GuthrieInsurance.com   -   info@GuthrieInsurance.com

 E & O E

According to the poll of 2,008 randomly selected Canadian adults, more 55+ drivers knew that:

• If your vehicle breaks down you should run the motor for shorter periods of time instead of leaving it running if stranded (87% versus 66% of younger Canadians).
• Keeping your gas tank at least half-full will add weight and traction to your vehicle (69% versus 49% of younger Canadians).
• If your vehicle skids out of control on a slippery surface, you should steer in the same direction of the skid (57% versus 45% of younger Canadians).
• Using cruise control in winter can be dangerous (70% versus 64% of younger Canadians).

One quarter of Canadians polled admitted they feel anxious, scared or even panicked when they’re driving in winter.  Thirty-six per said they only drive when they need to when the thermostat drops.

Attitudes toward winter driving often differ between genders.  The poll revealed women are more likely than men to avoid driving in the winter (44% versus 29% of men) and to admit they feel anxious (26% versus 10% of men) when driving during snowy months.

However, both men and women say they feel more alert (49% and 54%, respectively) when driving in winter compared to the rest of the year.

The public opinion poll investigated a variety of drinking and driving behaviours and attitudes among youth, including riding with a drunk driver.

Of the young drivers polled, 86% said they “strongly agreed or agreed” to not being able to drive safely after consuming alcohol.
This compares to 77% of drivers older than 25 who said they would not be able to drive safely after drinking.

“The self-reported attitude towards drinking and driving appears to be reinforced by their actions,” a TIRF release says. “Only 12% of 16- to 24-year-olds surveyed admitting to driving in the last 30 days after drinking any amount of alcohol.

“This information is encouraging to researchers, as youth are generally at a higher risk of being in a collision, even when sober, than older drivers.”

In addition to being less likely to drive after drinking, young drivers are also more likely to use alternatives to driving after drinking than their older counterparts, TIRF reported.

Young drivers outranked older drivers in using alternatives such as taking a taxi (42% vs. 18%), taking public transit (40% vs. 14%), staying over at a friend’s (34% vs. 14%) or asking someone else to drive (67% vs. 48%).

Roughly 290,000 companies were victims of at least one instance of workplace fraud last year, the survey found.
Of those companies surveyed, 59% do not undertake periodic assessments of the risks of fraud and 74% believe their exposure to occupational fraud is low.

The survey suggests the vast majority (80%) of respondents were not prepared to respond to occupational fraud.

The most common type of workplace fraud cited by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is misappropriation of inventory or assets, followed by misappropriation of cash.  Of those companies that experienced the types of fraud listed above, at least one-fifth confirmed that the fraud occurred four or more times in the last fiscal year, the CGAAC survey reported.

More than 80% of the SMEs reported losses of up to $5,000.  While the monetary losses may not seem large, the CGAAC cautioned that workplace fraud can cause significant long-term damage for organizations.

“Sixty-one per cent of victimized companies say that fraud negatively affects employee morale,” the survey says. “Business relationships, company reputation, company valuation and public and client trust are also adversely affected.”