Insurers now treating distracted driving as ‘major’ conviction
November 27, 2020 by Greg MeckbachIn keeping with actions previously taken by Canada’s auto insurers, Northbridge General Insurance Company will start treating driving while using a hand-held communication device as a major conviction for the purpose of setting insurance rates in Nova Scotia. The change…
Preventing distracted driving is a top priority for brokers
October 1, 2019 by Greg MeckbachBrokers are focused on preventing distracted driving, which is near the top of the agenda for the Insurance Brokers Association of Canada (IBAC). Kent Rowe, IBAC’s new president, told Canadian Underwriter that distracted driving is part of a nascent federal…
What the latest distracted driving numbers from Desjardins mean
September 24, 2019 by Greg MeckbachDespite increased penalties for distracted driving, poll results released Tuesday by Canada’s second-largest auto insurer indicate even more motorists are engaging in this risky behaviour. More than half (53%) of respondents to a survey admit to having driven distracted by…
You know why the market is hardening – but do your clients?
August 26, 2019 by Adam MalikThanks to premium increases, a byproduct of a hardening insurance cycle, insurance professionals are facing an uphill battle in the eye of public opinion. That’s why Justin Thouin, co-founder and CEO at LowestRates.ca, wants to change how the general public…
How Travelers advises clients to mitigate auto risk
August 23, 2019 by Greg MeckbachDo your commercial clients have a strict policy of not calling employees while they are driving? Many drivers who are distracted are actually workers who are travelling on behalf of their employers during the day, Ontario Provincial Police Sergeant Gord…
Is the entertainment tech in vehicles cancelling out the safety tech?
August 14, 2019 by Adam MalikBrokers looking to give their customers any positive news on rates potentially coming down shouldn’t get their hopes up. That’s because industry experts believe there’s little indication that we’ll see fewer collisions on roads despite all the safety technology found…
Insurer reveals distracted driving punishment statistics
March 5, 2019 by Greg MeckbachSaskatchewan police impounded 87 vehicles because the driver was distracted, the province’s auto insurer announced. It is illegal in Saskatchewan to hold, view or manipulate an electronic communication device while driving. There is an immediate roadside vehicle impoundment if the…
How this insurer detects distracted drivers
January 11, 2019 by Greg MeckbachCanada’s largest property and casualty insurer is checking to see whether some of its auto insurance clients are using their phone while driving. If your auto client is insured by Intact under its My Driving Discount program, Intact can detect…
Insurer reacts to new distracted driving penalties
January 7, 2019 by Greg MeckbachThe new licence suspensions and $500 minimum fines for distracted driving should remind Ontario motorists not to text and drive, a spokesperson for CAA South Central Ontario predicts. “We hope this is going to serve as a deterrent,” CAA SCO…
This province to see stiffer penalties for distracted driving
October 17, 2018 The Canadian PressWINNIPEG – Manitoba drivers who use a hand-held cellphone behind the wheel will face stiffer penalties as of Nov. 1. Fines will jump to $672 from $203, and the number of demerit points will increase to five from two. Drivers…
How Millenials are helping stop distracted driving
October 7, 2018 by Jason ContantMillenials – the ever-connected, technologically savvy age group – are actually most likely to ask a driver to stop using their mobile device if they are a passenger, a new Travelers Canada survey has found. Distracted driving has been cited…
Novel concept of ‘impaired by distraction’ quashed by Supreme Court of Canada
July 4, 2018 by Greg MeckbachDriving while engrossed in a heated conversation may be a form of distraction, but is not a form of impairment, the Supreme Court of Canada suggested in a divided ruling released Friday. In May 2013, a toddler died after an…