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ONTARIO AUTO INSURANCE IS CHANGING

taken from IBAO Newsletter, January 19, 2016

Standard policies are just that – standard. They don’t include benefits like dependant care, which reimburses additional expenses to care for your dependants. While auto insurance products are becoming more affordable for consumers, gaps might exist depending on your lifestyle. The good news is there’s opportunity to fill those gaps by increasing coverage or adding options to cover specific areas of your life. Purchasing appropriate coverage is an investment in your family, your children, your parents… ultimately it’s an investment in your lifestyle. What could be more important?

 

 

 

IBC LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO COMBAT DISTRACTED DRIVING 

taken from Thompson's World Insurance News, January 25, 2016

IBC launches campaign to combat distracted driving THE INSURANCE Bureau of Canada has launched a new video campaign to encourage Canadians to put down their phones while driving. Dubbed ‘#likelife,’ the campaign features a short video that highlights the perils of distracted driving and ends with the message: your life is worth more than a ‘like.’ “Unfortunately, we continue to see an increasing number of drivers engaging on social media,” said Sally Turney, the bureau’s VP of communications. “Whether checking their Twitter feed, scrolling through their Facebook timeline or looking at their friend’s posts on Instagram, we urge drivers to put the phone down.” She noted there are a number of other distractions that are dangerous such as eating, fiddling with your GPS or radio and reaching for a fallen object. “Allowing your attention to wander can have fatal results.” The IBC says that the likelihood of a crash increases 23 times when a driver texts while driving. The use of cellphones or hand-held devices while driving is banned in all provinces in Canada the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. Penalties range from a hefty fine to demerit points. “Using a cellphone behind the wheel has become one of the most serious road safety issues in Canada today, and the insurance industry is on the frontlines working to implement measures that will keep our roads safe,” the IBC noted. “The industry has long been a leader on road safety, advocating for legislative changes such as graduated licensing and stronger penalties for drinking and driving.” 

 

MOBILE APP READS TEXT MESSAGES FOR DRIVERS

taken from Thompson World Insurance News, January 4, 2016

A NEW MOBILE app now available in Canada allows drivers to have texts and emails read out loud to enhance safety while operating a vehicle. MessageLoud, from a company in New York city, is also available in the U.S., U.K and South Africa through the App Store, Google Play or www.messageloud.com. It is free for the first 30 days, then US$1.99 a month or US$19.99 a year. It is now available on Android devices and will be offered for iPhone and other users soon. “Other apps were defunct or not successful and we did extensive quality testing, research and demographic studies that were anonymous which revealed completely truthful results,” company spokesperson Jennifer Schenberg told Thompson’s. “It showed that the problem is wide-ranging among commuters who are professionals, parents, and teenagers who want to remain connected to their phone while driving.” She said that fatalities due to distracted driving because of mobile device usage are reaching epidemic proportions and plague societies. “Statistics show that there are more accidents due to distracted driving than because of impaired driving,” Ms. Schenberg said. “People are not turning off their phones — there is still a desire to keep in touch and this app was perfected to react to that.” Users sign in to the MessageLoud app with an email address. The feature is Bluetooth compatible and has a customizable autoresponder for incoming texts. Contacts can be personalized to allow or ignore and messages can be tailored to have read out loud or not. MessageLoud notes that texting while driving is now the leading cause of death for teens in the U.S. “Yet, at any given hour across America, about 660,000 drivers are using smartphones while driving. “Despite the fact that 45 states have made texting and emailing while driving illegal, it’s clear people are actively using their phones.” The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that driving a vehicle while texting is six times more dangerous than driving while intoxicated.