Crash survivor preaches dangers of texting while driving

By Ron Recinto | The Lookout – Fri, Aug 3, 2012

Chance Bothe knows firsthand the dangers of texting and driving.

The Texas man typed this message to a friend while driving home from college earlier this year, “I need to quit texting because I could die in a car accident and then how would you feel …”

A few seconds later, Bothe’s pickup veered off a bridge and dropped down a 35-foot-deep ravine.
KHOU-TV reports he suffered extensive injuries including a broken neck, a punctured lung, and a fractured face, which would later require extensive reconstruction. He had to learn to walk again, the station reports.

“I’m very lucky that I’m not gone forever,” Bothe, 21, told KHOU-TV on his last day of a six-month rehabilitation in Houston. “I still have things to do in this world.”

One of the first things he’s doing is spreading the word of the dangers of texting and driving.

“They just need to understand, don’t do it. Don’t do it. It’s not worth losing your life,” he said. “I went to my grandmother’s funeral not long ago. And I kept thinking, it kept jumping into my head: ‘I’m surprised that’s not me in that casket.’ I came very close to that. To being gone forever.”

Texting while driving is banned in 39 states and the District of Columbia, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association. Texas does not have a statewide ban on texting while driving. However texting while driving is banned in some municipalities and school zones in the state.

Bothe promised to spread the word about the dangers of texting while behind the wheel so that others can learn from his mistake.

“What people have told me is the reason God didn’t keep you away from this Earth is because you have something special to do,” he told KHOU. And I believe what is special is that I should tell everyone not to text message and drive.”

Re-posted by Vincent Rush of Lynx Telematics

Insurer: Letting us spy on your driving cuts premiums!

By Chris Woodyard, USA TODAY 

If you thought devices that voluntarily spy on your driving might be a passing fad, think again: One big insurer says it’s finding that such systems are more than two-and-a-half times as good as traditional methods at predicting accidents.

Progressive Insurance just released a finding based on the program it introduced a year go that finds “loss costs” for the drivers with the highest-risk driving behaviors are about two and a half times higher than those for drivers with the lowest-risk behavior.

Though it has tried “usage-based” insurance programs for years, Progressive introduced a system called Snapshot last year in which drivers are sent a small device that plugs into their cars and relays information about their driving habits. The insurer says it measures the time of day the car is driven, distance driven, and how many hard brakes per mile the driver makes. Other insurers, such as State Farm and GMAC, also have similar programs.

As a result, Progressive says it has found that 70% of drivers who have signed up for its Snapshot program pay less for their insurance than they did before the program began:

They are saving an average of $150 a year. It’s offering to let any driver give the program a 30-day tryout, not just its own customers, to see if they will save money in the 42 states in which it is offered. Progressive officials say they want to prove that good drivers are paying unnecessarily high premiums based on the risk they present to insurers.

“For most, the rates they’re paying are higher than the risk they actually present –- and in many cases, much higher,” says Progressive CEO Glenn Renwick in a statement.
Re-posted by Vincent Rush of Lynx Telematics

Insurance companies want to take the lead in marketing and managing UBI services. It makes sense since they already have familiar brands as well as the customer base. Most important, they are the ones with relationships with state regulators, keeping track of the myriad regulations and requirements of individual states.

A Company in Cincinnati, Lynx Telematics has developed a device called the Lynx Safe Teen Driving Monitor that can not only provide insurance companies with a UBI telematics device, but is the first of its kind to give parents “real-time” parental control and live monitoring of their teens driving habits, while at the same time, preventing texting and driving.

Vincent Rush, President of Business Development for Lynx Telematics, commented in Nashville recently that, “While we realize that quality and integrity of data is paramount in the UBI market, we also saw a gigantic void. Many insurance companies have the programs, however parents really have no control over their children’s driving habits, until the company reports back to them. We wanted to bring, not only savings to a parent, but peace of mind as well. As a parent, I don’t want to receive a report about my kids poor driving habits, 3 days after their funeral. I want to know the instant my teen is getting careless. I’ve already had one personal experience and I don’t care to have another”

With the LynxSafe telematic device, Mom & Dad are now, figuratively in the front passenger seat with their teen driver from the moment they pull out of the driveway”. Rush went on to say that, “Our single user interface model allows Mom and Dad to set parameters as well as receiving immediate text alert and emails when their son or daughter is speeding, driving radically, or in any type of accident as well as experiencing any mechanical break down.”
For more information on the LynxSafe Device and Lynx Telematics, contact Vincent Rush at (513) 965-6318 or vrush@lynxtelematics.com

Telematics and Customized UBI Business Models

Susan Kuchinskas looks at open niches within the lucrative UBI space

According to Towers Watson research, insurers representing 60 percent of the personal auto insurance market have implemented a version of a UBI program in at least one state. Many more are running or preparing to run internal UBI pilots. And Ptolemus Group forecasts more than 100 million vehicles will be insured with telematics globally by 2020, generating premiums of approximately $60 billion.

The advantages for consumers and insurers are clear: More accurate ratings of risk factors will lead to lower claims and lower premiums for safe drivers. Technical barriers to these offerings are minimal, but the industry will need to appease consumers and regulators.

Pay-as-you-drive solutions

Many US insurers offer pay-as-you-drive (PAYD), also called usage-based insurance (UBI). This option is available in the majority of states. These plans use a plug-in device to measure actual miles driven: The less you drive, the less you pay for insurance.

Progressive’s PAYD program, SnapShot, provides a free device that drivers plug into their cars for six months; after that, they send it back and the rate based on miles driven is finalized. State Farm’s Drive Safe & Save program uses OnStar to validate mileage, and it just inked a similar deal to let consumers transmit mileage info via Ford Sync.

Because insurance rates have long used driver-reported mileage as one rating factor for evaluating risk and setting rates, PAYD is a relatively easy product to get approved by state regulators. Each state in the US regulates auto insurance independently. (For more on US state regulation, see Insurance telematics: US state regulators tackle UBI [2].) It also makes sense to consumers, because they’re used to this metric. And it doesn’t raise privacy concerns.

Pay-how-you-drive schemes

Things get more interesting, and potentially more lucrative, when insurers use additional ratings factors that allow them to better calculate an individual driver’s risk. Telematics devices incorporating accelerometers and other sensors can provide accurate information about driving style that could impact a consumer’s risk profile. So-called pay-how-you-drive (PHYD) schemes use a variety of factors, including speed, time of day, braking, acceleration and cornering, to paint a more accurate picture.

State Farm’s PHYD plan is called In-Drive, and it uses a device created by Hughes Telematics. In-Drive has rolled out in Illinois and Utah, with more states in the offing. “Obviously, mileage is a good predictor,” says Dick Luedke, spokesman for State Farm. “The more miles you drive, the more likely it is you’re going to file a claim.”

State Farm did quite a bit of testing to find what other factors would be most useful for rating an individual’s risk by installing the devices in the cars of associates across the nation. The secret sauce, of course, is the algorithm each insurer uses to weigh all these factors. Each firm guards them as trade secrets. Luedke says drily, “I doubt we’d be too specific.”

Simply gathering data from telematics devices is not that difficult. Doug VanDagens, director, Connected Services Solutions at Ford Motor Company, says that, while the agreement with State Farm calls for only transmitting mileage information, Ford already can technically accommodate transmission of any metric needed for PHYD. In fact, Ford’s Crew Chief product for fleets, powered by Telogis, provides information on braking, acceleration, maintenance warnings and more.

“Anything happening in the vehicle, we can communicate outside of it,” VanDagens says. It’s easier and cheaper to do so via Sync, he points out, because Sync uses the driver’s cell phone for connectivity. “We can provide all of that relatively easily, as soon as insurance companies want to set up the programs.”

Insurance companies want to take the lead in marketing and managing UBI services. It makes sense since they already have familiar brands as well as the customer base. Most important, they are the ones with relationships with state regulators, keeping track of the myriad regulations and requirements of individual states.

A Company in Cincinnati, Lynx Telematics has developed a device called the Lynx Safe Teen Driving Monitor that can not only provide insurance companies with a UBI telematics device, but is the first of its kind to give parents “real-time” parental control and live monitoring of their teens driving habits, while at the same time, preventing texting and driving.

Vincent Rush of Lynx Telematics discusses the LynxSafe Teen Driving Monitor

Vincent Rush, President of Business Development for Lynx Telematics, commented in Nashville recently that, “While we realize that quality and integrity of data is paramount in the UBI market, we also saw a gigantic void. Many insurance companies have the programs, however parents really have no control over their children’s driving habits, until the company reports back to them. We wanted to bring, not only savings to a parent, but peace of mind as well. As a parent, I don’t want to receive a report about my kids poor driving habits, 3 days after their funeral. I want to know the instant my teen is getting careless. I’ve already had one personal experience and I don’t care to have another”

With the LynxSafe telematic device, "Mom & Dad are now, figuratively in the front passenger seat with their teen driver from the moment they pull out of the driveway”. Rush went on to say that, “Our single user interface model allows Mom and Dad to set parameters as well as receiving immediate text alert and emails when their son or daughter is speeding, driving radically, or in any type of accident as well as experiencing any mechanical break down.”

The manage-how-you-drive model

As consumers get more comfortable with these products, they may shrug off the Big Brother warnings and embrace the manage-how-you-drive (MHYD) model. With MHYD, drivers get feedback that helps them improve and potentially lower their rates.

American Family Insurance says its Teen Safe Driver Program has helped teens reduce risky driving behaviors by 70 percent. The program includes a free in-car device attached to the review mirror. When incidents like extreme braking, cornering, and accelerating too fast—as well as actual crashes—take place, it saves eight seconds of footage prior to the mishap and the four seconds after it. The information is transmitted wirelessly to American Family’s data center for review by driver coaches.

Parents get a weekly driver report card that measures the teen’s performance against safe driving objectives and peer averages. They can log in to see the report, watch video of incidents, and get tips for safer driving that they can share with the kid.

State Farm’s In-Drive, created by Hughes Telematics and currently offered only in the US states of Utah and Illinois, provides an entrée for State Farm into stronger customer relationships and value-added services competitive with OnStar and motor clubs. It offers one-touch emergency response, roadside assistance, stolen vehicle location assistance, vehicle diagnostic alerts and maintenance reminders, plus parental monitoring tools for location services and speed alerts.

It also includes the MHYD program, Drive Safe & Save. In-Drive will provide driving performance data, and the customer’s savings will be based on mileage, turns, acceleration, braking, speed and time of day vehicle is operated.

New revenue streams

While State Farm will provide discounts on rates of up to 50 percent for the safest, lowest-mileage consumers, In-Drive also represents an opportunity for new, recurring revenue streams. The service offers four subscription levels with additional services like stolen vehicle assistance, emergency calling and alerts for events like speeding, with subscription fees from $7 to $22 per month.

Tim Moroney, insurance regulatory attorney with the law firm of Barger & Wolen LLP, thinks these services can help insurers get off the rate-cutting treadmill. “Personalized automotive insurance is very competitive,” Moroney says. “While cheaper premiums are usually the biggest hook, [by coupling services with telematics] you can offer more things. Insurers are now offering concierge benefits. They can do all things automotive and be very creative.”

Insurers could take it even further by offering classes, content, applications and third-party offers. The strategy could be similar to that used by health maintenance organizations that provide weight-loss and smoking cessation classes to members. (For more on new sources of revenue, see Consumers and UBI: The power of value-added services [3] and Telematics and UBI: How to increase consumer acceptance [4].)

Says Frederic Bruneteau, managing director of Ptolemus Consulting Group, “Thanks to insurance telematics, the insurer can become an insurance service provider. Today, the notion of insurance is, ‘They take your money and then you hear from them if you have a problem.’ With telematics, they have a real-time relationship with any policy holder.”

Susan Kuchinskasis a regular contributor to TU.

Fatal Auto Crashes Up Despite Rise In Patrols

Ohio Patrol says many of this year’s 312 victims weren’t using seat belts.

 By Mark Gokavi, Staff Writer, Dayton Daily News

Wednesday, May 9, 2012 

More people are dying on Ohio roads at a significantly higher rate in the first four months of this year after a record-low number of traffic deaths last year. 

The 16.4 percent rise in statewide traffic fatalities in the first third of 2012 comes despite the Ohio Highway Patrol cracking down on drunk driving and seat belt and felony drug violations. 

Plus, the six-county area of Montgomery, Warren, Butler, Preble, Darke and Miami has seen 24 more traffic fatalities — many not wearing seat belts — than during the same period in 2011. Those numbers don’t yet include a recent double fatality in Butler County or a late-April fatal in Greene County. 

“Fatals are a difficult thing for us to curb,” said OHP Lt. Matt Hamilton of the Warren County Post. “We’re aggressive in OVI (Operating a Vehicle while under the Influence of drugs or alcohol) and seat belt enforcement so if that crash does happen, they have the best chance that they have to survive.”

Statewide, provisional OHP statistics show there have been 312 fatalities (from 275 crashes) through four months in 2012. 

That number was 268 in 2011, which became the lowest auto-related fatality year (1,020 deaths from 947 accidents) in Ohio history and also the lowest nationally. 

A national highway safety advocate said Ohio lacks leadership and commitment to strengthen laws. Jackie Gillan, President of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, said Ohio is among the worst eight states in that organization’s annual report. 

“Ohio is at the bottom of the barrel because they are lacking so many critical laws like primary enforcement of seat belt, all-rider motorcycle helmet laws, they don’t have major elements of an important teen driving law, they have weak drunk-driving laws,” Gillan said. 

Gillan’s organization supports limits for teen drivers such as night-time and cellphone restrictions, and 16 as the minimum age for learner’s permits. In Ohio, most drunk-driving crimes are misdemeanors unless drivers have multiple offenses. 

Most dead weren’t wearing belts

 

Of the 38 deaths in those six local counties through April that did not involve pedestrians or motorcycles, at least 25 were not wearing seat belts. In four more cases it’s unknown if seat belts were used. The causes of the crashes range from people falling asleep to driving left of center to alcohol-related and excessive speed.

“There’s crashes and it’s people being ejected out of the vehicle and the crashed car, in the compartment, there isn’t any real intrusion or trees or poles or anything, it’s just a damaged car,” said Sgt. Jeff Kramer of the post that serves Montgomery County. “But not having their safety belt on they get ejected out of the windshield or something like that and then the car rolls over on them. 

“I don’t know for sure that they’d be alive had they worn their seat belt, (but) probably there’s a good chance the injuries would be minimal and not fatal. We see this time and time and time again. It’s just a simple thing of clicking your seat belt.” 

Despite seat belt infractions being a secondary offense, enforcement also is up 16.4 percent in Ohio overall and much higher in some counties. 

In Montgomery County, seat belt enforcement is up 64.7 percent — 799 in 2012 versus 485 in the same time frame last year. In Greene County, seat belt tickets are up nearly 70 percent. In Warren County, those numbers are up 44 percent. And in Miami County, troopers have enforced seat belt infractions 511 times, up from 267 in that period last year — a 91.4 percent increase. 

“We’ve had four fatal (crashes) with four dead,” said Sgt. Vee Witcher of the Piqua Post. “None were wearing seat belts, so that’s why we’re cracking belts.” 

Gillan said an unbuckled seat belt should be a primary reason to pull someone over. 

“We know that wearing a seat belt is one of the most important things you can do to protect you and your family,” Gillan said. “So why are we tying the hands of law enforcement so that they can only enforce the law if they see someone doing something else that’s equally or more dangerous?” 

All enforcement increasing

 

Statewide, troopers made more than 24,000 additional enforcement stops from January through April compared to this time in 2011 — an increase of 16.3 percent. 

Drug violations were up 32.8 percent, felony arrests up 18.1 percent, misdemeanor summons up 36.1 percent and commercial vehicle enforcement up 19.6 percent, among others. 

“The new leadership in the Highway Patrol is a big part of this. We’re refocusing our efforts on the things that the public find most important,” Hamilton said of Col. John Born, who took over in 2011 as the OHP’s superintendent. 

The “Trooper Shield” initiative was introduced in 2011 and continues to pick up steam in 2012. Officials say Born wants criminal patrol to be as important as traffic enforcement. 

“If you drink and drive, we’re looking for you. If you’re hauling drugs on our roads, we’re looking for you,” said Sgt. Anthony Lauer of the post that serves Greene County. “And bottom line is a seat belt is going to save your life. That’s where you’re seeing an increase in those numbers.” 

County numbers

 

In Greene County, that mentality has translated into much higher numbers of OVI violations (29 percent) and drug violations (30 from 11). In Warren County, OVIs are up 26 percent and commercial vehicle violations (tied mainly to construction zones on I-71 and I-75) are up 55 percent. 

In Miami County, overall enforcement stops are up 64.7 percent — from 1,262 in the same time frame last year to 2,112 this year. In Montgomery County, some felony and drug violations are down, but overall enforcement stops are up 36 percent. 

“Trooper Shield is kind of a new phrase that the patrol has been using, adopted by our Col. John Born,” Kramer said. “The premise is getting in the minds of the troopers, ‘What will you do today to contribute to a safer Ohio?’ ” 

Kramer said the OHP will keep finding violations, especially during the Prom, Memorial Day and graduation season. But troopers can’t put on seat belts, which he said is the best defense in a crash: “It’s all in their hands when they make that decision.”

For more information, contact Vincent Rush of Lynx Telematics at (866) 314-0461 

 For more information on how Lynx Telematics, an OEM located in Cincinnati, Ohio can help your fleet become more operationally efficient or custom design a solution to meet your fleet management needs, contact Vincent Rush at (866) 314-0461

LynxTelematics is an OEM that controls design, engineering, firmware, software development, IT support and manufacturing processes of our product, allowing us to produce the highest quality product in our industry, while offering our customers competitive pricing.

As your partner, we provide ongoing training and support to insure that the product is properly sold to the end user, maximizing the re-sellers profitability.

As one of the pioneers in telematics technologies, Lynx Telematics provides our clients with powerful end-to-end vehicle telematics tools. Our technology offers a real solution that delivers safety, saves money and provides an unprecedented level of peace of mind to our customers. 

Our product, LynxSafe, is the newest and most advanced Text and Web Browsing Disabling technology, in-vehicle communication system currently on the market. It combines GPS/satellite and GSM cellular technology to provide users and family members with immediate access to real-time information including seat belt usage, speed, accident notification, and real time ECM diagnostics  delivered directly via any internet enabled device including Android and Blackberry smart phones.