According to a new US study* occupants may be safer in a hybrid vehicle than in a conventional gas-powered model. Statistically, the study found that injuries sustained from a collision were 25% lower  for occupants of hybrids. According to the study, this is “good news for green-minded drivers who don’t want to trade safety for  more...

The reforms to vehicle insurance in this province put in place by the provincial government have run for a full year (starting September 1, 2010). And except for the very small percentage of policyholders who have initiated changes to their basic policy, this means that every driver, passenger, and pedestrian now has less healthcare coverage  more...

Somehow it sounds crazy – and most people shake their heads when they hear about it. A criminal steals a car – maybe provoking a police chase – and sustains injuries in a subsequent collision.  And in Canada, that thief is entitled to the same medical portion of the accident and death benefits coverage* as  more...

A recent Canadian report* indicates alcohol-related vehicle crashes in Canada killed significantly more males than females.  Almost 80% of fatalities in such collisions were male; and almost 70% of those were drivers (as opposed to passengers or pedestrians.) Digging into the stats provides more support for the contention that while males generally may not represent  more...

A troubling trend resulting from vehicle accidents: a marked increase in the number of psychological injury claims. And the development is most pronounced in Ontario. Toronto Defence Lawyer Lee Samis: “my sense is that this increase in activity is largely related to changes in the Ontario automobile injury compensation models. Successive reforms have increased the  more...

Too often, pedestrians are unaware of the risks posed by adjacent traffic. And the risk is exacerbated for pedestrians who are using a cell phone or listening to music through ear-buds. The three brief videos below illustrate this risk. These videos are graphic, although no one is physically inj more...

The Ontario legislature is considering a private member’s bill, recently introduced to encourage the automobile insurance industry to give premium discounts to those using snow tires.  The bill – if passed – is non-binding. And it won’t have any tangible effect.  Here’s why: Ontario’s insurers – over 75 of them – are struggling to climb  more...

A recent study by Allstate Canada* ranks Ontario communities by the likelihood of drivers having a collision. Although causing a stir in the local media here in North Bay, as always when reviewing statistics context is critical.  All data was based on Allstate’s own claims records only, involving private passenger vehicles Allstate insured.  The majority  more...

Automobile accidents – even minor ones – are traumatic experiences. And all too often, those of us in the insurance business are confronted with significant human suffering and loss.  However, on occasion we encounter situations that although serious, could have been far, far worse. The pictures above and below tell that type of story. This  more...

It seems like a logical deterrent to drivers running red lights: install highly visible cameras to record the license plate numbers of those who do – and send them a traffic ticket. And yet the latest statistical information coming out of Manitoba suggests that accidents actually increased after the cameras were installed. The Winnipeg Sun  more...