What’s New: In Brief (July 05, 2007)

Canadian champion speed demon Paul Tracy has teamed up with the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) to deliver the message that 220 km-h speeds are suitable for a racetrack, not public roads.
If you want to prove yourself behind the wheel, save it for the racetrack, Tracy said in an IBC release.
Tracy has joined the Ontario Safety League (OSL) , IBC and the Ontario Association of Police Chiefs in an effort to curb extreme driving.
Extreme driving is high risk behaviour behind the wheel including driving at high speeds, not paying attention to weather conditions, distracted or driving while fatigued, or driving under the influence.
Drivers have to be made aware of the fact that within seconds, this type of driving can lead to a lifetime of misery, Brian Patterson, OSL president, said in a release. There have been several tragic examples of this recently and its time we demand that all drivers take responsibility for their behaviour.

Researchers at Swiss Re are predicting a stagnation in premium growth in the non-life insurance sector during 2007.
In 2006 emerging markets saw an 11% growth, while the industrialized world only grew by 0.6%, the study goes on to say.
In the industrialized world however, downward pressure on premium rates, particularly in non-catastrophe lines of business, was the salient feature of the market and could not be offset by higher demand, the sigma study said.