The thank you letter Jason received from the Michigan State Police for his work at the Michigan Traffic Safety Summit to help PREVENT accidents.

The big apple is going to take a big chunk more from high-risk drivers. Recent rate filings explain that more than 90,000 NYC drivers who have been determined to be high-risk drivers and therefore are enrolled in  the New York Automobile Insurance Plan (NYAIP) can anticipate an increase in their rates come this June.

The purpose of the NYAIP is to insurance drivers who have no other insurance company to turn to as they have been denied coverage during auto insurance comparisons, and have been determined has having too many tickets or accidents. Those who used NYAIP already pay a higher rate when compared to others; however it is going to increase starting in June, up 21.4 percent. The last increase for this state-run program coverage was a year ago, having increased by 15 percent, (New York Raising Insurance Rates for High-Risk Drivers, Ben Zitney, Online Auto Insurance,

http://news.onlineautoinsurance.com/rates/new-york-high-risk-car-insurance-rates-96768).

This means that the average premium will now be $2,283 increasing on average by $403 a driver.

The reason for the increase is due to looking at the losses during the years of 2007-2009. However, fewer and fewer drivers are enrolled in the program as there has been a 50 percent drop of policy holders from 2006 to the present.

This past Sunday, April 1, 2012, a motor home crash in Kansas resulted in the death of five and injury of thirteen people.

The motor home passengers consisted of an extend family and friends on their way home from their annual Texas motor cross vacation when the vehicle went through a guardrail on Interstate 33 plummeting into a ravine,  (NTSB Looking Into Kan. RV Crash  That Killed 5, Maria Sudekum, http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/ntsb-kan-rv-crash-killed-16065390).

The five that were killed in the accident were Tom Kerber, 25, and Melissa Kerber, 24 from New Prague Minnesota, Jessica Kerber, 10, Joy Kerber, 14, and James Kerber, 12, all from Jordan Minnesota. Among the thirteen injured was the 17-year old driver Adam Kerber, (Driver in Kansas crash that killed 5 Minnesotans held restricted license, Margaret Stafford, Associate Press, http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/233603/group/homepage/).

The details of the crash are being reviewed by the National Transportation Safety Board, which will include looking into laws that would have allowed a 17-year old to be the operator of a 57,000 lb motor home, (NTSB Looking Into Kan. RV Crash That Killed 5, Maria Sudekum).
 

Are you a Michigander? If so, be prepared to pay a bit more on your no-fault insurance coverage.
 
One week ago today the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association stated that there will be an increase for the premium paid for catastrophic coverage by 21 percent to $175 per insured vehicle from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013.

The purpose of this non-profit association founded in 1978 is to reimburse auto insurers for personal injury protection (PIP) benefits after exceeding $500,000 per claim. The MCCA evaluates auto insurance companies a premium in order to cover lifetime claims in catastrophic injury cases. These premiums are paid for by policy holders, (No-fault auto insurance rates to rise again so Michigan can cover catastrophic accident claims, Melissa Anders, mlive.com,

http://www.mlive.com/business/index.ssf/2012/03/michigan_no-fault_rate_increas.html).

The MCCA increase is a political move so believes the Coalition Protection Auto No-Fault. They believe the MCCA is looking to put pressure on lawmakers in an effort to change the current no-fault system in Michigan. The CPAN explains that the medical costs acquired by injured parties would still need to be covered, and therefore would wind up to taxpayers via government programs like Medicare and Medicaid.

The Executive Director of MCCA Gloria Freeland stated on CPAN's comment that the increase is due to the rising costs as premiums are reviewed every year and have fluctuated due to existing as well as expected liabilities. Freeland also points out the numbers, last year the MCCA paid $927 million in catastrophic injury claims, and more than 28,000 claims were filed since 1979 totaling up to $85 billion. The reason for the high cost is that most claims are for those with brain or spinal cord related injuries which have resulted in permanent damages/disabilities, (No-fault auto insurance rates to rise again so Michigan can cover catastrophic accident claims, Melissa Anders, mlive.com).

This past Friday Florida Legislature came to an agreement on the no-fault or PIP (Personal Injury Protection) car insurance reform. The House approved HB 119 with an 8-34 vote and the Senate with a 22-17 vote.

Governor Rick Scott believes the reform is needed because “increases in staged accidents, fraudulent claims and litigation have caused premiums to skyrocket,” (Tampa Bay Times, Tia Mitchell, After tense debate, PIP reform passes Florida Legislature,

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/autos/after-tense-debate-pip-reform-passes-florida-legislature/1219334).

The next step is for the legislation to be passed to the desk of the Governor's desk.
The main changes that Governor Scott will be looking over are:

• Allotting 14 days for an injury party in an auto accident to seek medical attention.
• PIP (Personal Injury Protection) will cover a chiropractor, but not message therapists or acupuncturists.
• Attorney fee caps will be removed.
• Ban multipliers by judges that are used to increase fees awarded in complex cases.
• Permit insurance companies to examine consumers under oath when investigating potential fraud.

Florida will commission a study of the new PIP law to calculate how much policyholders will actually save in the long run. Once the study is completed and conclusions drawn, insurance companies will need to adjust their rates in order to meet specific thresholds in the following months, (Tampa Bay Times, Tia Mitchell, After tense debate, PIP reform passes Florida Legislature).

One concern insurers have is that PIP already exceeds premiums which could make it difficult to add up to any savings.

Overall though, insurance companies have embraced the change, waiting to see what comes of it. “There is enough in the bill to improve the no-fault law that we think we should try it,” said Michael Carlson, executive director of an organization that represents State Farm, Allstate and Progressive, (Tampa Bay Times, Tia Mitchell, After tense debate, PIP reform passes Florida Legislature).
 

With new technologies making their way into people's everyday routines, it's no wonder that law enforcement would utilize technologies, such as GPS devices, in their investigations to locate suspects and monitor their actions.

The U.S. Supreme Court recently decided that law enforcement agencies are required to obtain a search warrant before using devices such as GPS to track a suspected criminal.

This came into light in the conviction of Antoine Jones of Washington, D.C. for cocaine trafficking, who was originally sentenced to a life in prison. However a unanimous decision to overturn the conviction was made because the police did not have a warrant in 2005 when they used a GPS device to detect his vehicle's location. This brought to the table a new issue of when and how is it acceptable to use a GPS device when collecting evidence, (Supreme Court rules GPS tracking unconstitutional without a warrant; local agencies adjust, Brad Devereaux).

Police agencies seem to not be that concerned that this will put a halt or kink in their criminal investigations. As Defective Lt. Jeff Anthony who is the Section Commander of the Bay Area Narcotics Enforcement Team (BAYANET) sees it, "it's another formality. We were thorough (before the law changed). We had the probable cause necessary during the initial investigation. The only difference is now it has to be approved by a judge," (Supreme Court rules GPS tracking unconstitutional without a warrant; local agencies adjust, Brad Devereaux,

http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/

2012/02/supreme_court_rules_gps_tracki.html).

Justice Samuel Alito among those who unanimously decided in favor of Jones thinks the public may have to form a different opinion on the matter as GPS tracking become prevalent in police investigations. These GPS locators "may provide increased convenience or security at the expense of privacy and many people may find the tradeoff worthwhile. And even if the public does not welcome the diminution of privacy that new technology entails, they may eventually reconcile themselves to this development inevitable," or in the end it may spring legislation into action against such intrusions, (Supreme Court rules GPS tracking unconstitutional without a warrant; local agencies adjust, Brad Devereaux).

As new technologies arise and are utilized in criminal investigations, we may see legislation taking action to protect rights, or set limitations and requirements when using these devices.

It's a new year, start it off right with safety! No one wants to be in an emergency situation, but if it happens it is better to be over prepared than under prepared. Keep these items in your car in case of an emergency to help keep you and your passengers safe.

• Auto Escape Tool- if your car is submerged under water, this gadget has two steel ends, one with a tip to break a window and the other a sharp blade to slice through seatbelts. Typically these can be attached to your keychain or visor.
• Blanket-for hot seats in the summer and cold in the winter.
• Can-Opener-having canned food in an emergency without a can opener will frustrate you even more in an emergency situation.
• Cell Phone Charger-definitely get one that can be charged in your car in the car lighter.
• Cleaning items-wipes, tissues, trash bags-for car trash or if you or a passenger becomes car sick.
• Extra (hidden) Cash-do not touch unless you absolutely need it, for emergency gas or toll booth fee.
• Fire Extinguisher-in case of an engine fire.
• Liquid Latex-to seal holes in your tires!
• Match sticks-if you end up staying the night in your car and make a fire outside (again, emergency situation you just never know) to start a fire. WAY better than rubbing sticks together!
• Pen and Paper-if in an accident to write down the other driver's insurance information or if you need to write down info from a 911 call.
• Snow Scraper-in the winter months you never know when a storm may hit. Make sure you can see out all your windows! May also think about having a shovel in case you get stuck in several feet of snow.
• Telephone Book-Google 411 into your phone.
• GPS system-or on your phone.
• Towel-helpful if oops! …someone spilled.
• Water-jug of water if you or your car over heat.
• Whistle-if for some reason you're in a situation where you cannot be seen, at least you can be heard.

 (Auto Trader, What to keep in your car in case of emergency,

http://www.autotrader.com/research/article/advice-car-family-safety-tips/34822/what-to-keep-in-your-car-in-case-of-emergency.jsp)
 

May you accomplish those 2012 New Year's resolutions you already have set, but add this emergency kit to your list, you'll be glad you did!
 

Progressive's Snapshot program has been catching some attention from both consumers and other insurance companies for its innovativeness as well as its ability to collect higher quality data on its policyholders driving habits. The company continues to push forward with its program as it announced its fourth issued patent for the program this past on January 9.

This specific patent relates to producing a "driver safety score based on monitoring driving data," (Progressive Insurance Gets Fourth Pay-As-You-Drive Patent, Ben Zitney, Online Auto Insurance, http://news.onlineautoinsurance.com/companies/progressive-usage-based-car-insurance-patent-95973). President and CEO of Progressive, Glenn Renwick, says on the new patent that "for 15 years we have invested a great deal into the research, development, testing, and piloting of usage-based insurance programs and will continue to do so. It's gratifying to know that the U.S. Patent (and Trademark, or USPTO) office recognizes the uniqueness of our system technologies."

Since this is the fourth patent on this program Progressive has been issued, it is obvious that the company has been aggressive with their action patent their technologies, even the phrase "pay as you drive" has been registered to Progressive. With such actions, other insurance companies have begun to jump on the bandwagon, as the Celent report states 55% of the top 20 property and casualty insurers in the U.S. now have such programs to offer to their policyholders. It is the "lower manufacturing cost and other factors that are making the program more cost-effective for companies," (Progressive Insurance Gets Fourth Pay-As-You-Drive Patent, Ben Zitney, Online Auto Insurance).

The Snapshot program consists of data collecting device that is inserted into the diagnostic port of a vehicle and then information is relayed to the company, such as how many miles are drive, and the driver's safe habits such as braking and accelerating at a decent rate. This is why the program is so appealing to insurance companies; it allows insurers to obtain data that is more reliable than a driver's mileage estimate or data available on policyholders that is public.

The program is being dubbed a "win-win" by experts because "the data allows coverage providers to calculate risk and price coverage more accurately, and discount car insurance is awarded to drivers who are shown to be safe behind the wheel," (Progressive Insurance Gets Fourth Pay-As-You-Drive Patent, Ben Zitney, Online Auto Insurance). This voluntary program definitely can benefit the consumers who chose to partake in it, as it can save a consumer up to 30% if device shows they are logging low mileage and operating safely when braking and accelerating.

The program allows participants to keep track of their progress, which is available after only one month of being in the program. After that first initial month a policyholder is eligible for savings depending on the data that was received. This device will remain installed until the end of the sixth month when the policy term ends, which at that time a renewal discount can potentially be offered. This program has gained popularity as it is now used by 250,000 Progressive consumers in 39 different states and the District of Columbia, (Progressive Insurance Gets Fourth Pay-As-You-Drive Patent, Ben Zitney, Online Auto Insurance).

If you are insured with State Farm you may see a slight increase or decrease in your premium due to the company's annual vehicle insurance ratings for certain makes and models.

There are risks that come with insuring a specific type of vehicle and so the insurance company uses data on claims payments in order to calculate that risk for certain makes and models. This is done once a year in order to keep the calculations as accurate as possible. Other factors that go into the calculation are on an individual basis such as the policyholder's driving record, claims history, and location. This claim information will be used to "create separate indices that reflect the ricks of collision damage as well as damage and theft, with that information used to help determine premiums for collision and comprehensive coverages," (State Farm Insurance Updates Annual Vehicle Ratings, John Pirro, Online Auto Insurance News,

http://news.onlineautoinsurance.com/rates/state-farm-car-insurance-annual-ratings-95603).

State Farm also totals the claims which included injury to the drivers of the insured vehicle. Certain makes and models could potentially be eligible for a discount on their car insurance. The amounts paid out due to damages to other vehicles in a collision and their passengers' injuries were also calculated in order to help set up premiums for liability coverages, (State Farm Insurance Updates Annual Vehicle Ratings, John Pirro, Online Auto Insurance News).

The difference policyholders will see in their premiums next month? Well State Farm spokesman Dick Luedke says "it may go down a little, it may go up a little based on what the claims data shows. But we're talking a very small amount," (State Farm Insurance Updates Annual Vehicle Ratings, John Pirro, Online Auto Insurance News). State Farm wants this vehicle ratings system to service as a guide for consumers when shopping for new vehicles.