What’s New: In Brief (March 11, 2008)

Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) is doubling the number of its locations offering full licensing services, including written and road tests, vision screening and commercial vehicle registration.
It is also constructing four new buildings, in addition to upgrading its existing buildings up to international environmental standards.
The expansion will take two years and is intended to reflect growth patterns in the province. Over the past six years, for example, the number of claims appearing in Winnipeg’s five claims centres has increased from 110,000 in 2001 to 140,000 in 2007.
MPI currently has 17 existing claims centres throughout the province.
The corporation said it would be building two new, full-service centres to service Winnipeg’s growing population in its south and northeast communities.

Transport Canada has released video footage that demonstrates the benefits of electronic stability control (ESC) on dry, snow-covered and wet pavement.
ESC helps drivers avoid loss of control that could lead to a collision, a Transport Canada release notes.
“International research has consistently proven that ESC is effective in reducing the number of serious crashes,” Transport Canada reports. “ESC helps drivers maintain control when swerving or braking to avoid an obstacle and in cornering when road conditions are slippery.
“While able to prevent many types of collisions, ESC is especially effective in reducing single vehicle crashes.”
The video is available at http://ram.canadacast.ca/asxgen/transport/ESC_english.wmv.