VW Bus stolen 35 years ago returned in mint condition... to Allstate originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

REPORT: One week after announcing GM departure, Mark LaNeve surfaces at Allstate originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Oh, Buck! Study says deer-automobile accident rate up by 18% over last 5 years

Oh, Buck! Study says deer-automobile accident rate up by 18% over last 5 years originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Barrett-Jackson debuts collector car insurance originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 Apr 2009 08:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Soaked in bad news, GM and Ford received yet another dousing when their three big European credit insurers dropped them this week. Euler Hermes, Atradius, and Coface have all refused to write policies for suppliers trading with both automakers. The three giant insurance companies control more than 80 percent of the world's credit insurance (insurance companies typically pull their coverage when a client stops proving insurers with enough information to calculate a credit risk, or their overall risk profile has deteriorated). Without their credit cover, suppliers will be forced to either trade uninsured, cease trading, or ask for payment up front. Supply issues aside, this news only compounds the automaker's problems as it also weakens investor confidence, already completely slumped.

[Source: FT, free subs. req'd]

European insurers quit covering Ford and GM suppliers originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 15 Nov 2008 09:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Insurance companies close track day and advanced training loopholes originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ford to sell Mazda shares to insurers? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 18 Oct 2008 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

GM's OnStar will track your annual mileage... but only for your benefit originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

For drivers between the ages of 16 and 24, the price of insurance can seem more than a little unfair. While $125 per month could insure a luxury vehicle for someone in their 30s, a 16 year-old couldn't get such a rate for a Pinto. There's a very simple reason for this disparity; young motorists are by far the most dangerous drivers on the road. A study by the Rand Corporations shows that while 13-percent of all drivers are between the ages of 16 and 24, 43-percent of all accidents come from that age group. It's a good thing everybody seems to be on the phone while driving, it may not hurt as much when you don't see that pimped out Neon coming.

While young drivers are an accident waiting to happen, those over the age of 65 are much safer than their unearned reputation may suggest. Senior citizens make up 15-percent of all drivers, but only cause 7-percent of the total accidents. Maybe it's because people are a little more careful when they see a Crown Victoria on the road, but that AARP discount appears to be well-deserved anyway. Next time you're on the freeway and you see a Buick Roadmaster in the right lane, get behind it, it's probably one of the safest places on the road.

[Source: Reuters]

Steer clear of the youngins on the road and get behind the old guy originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Jul 2007 11:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading GMAC offers mileage-based insurance through OnStar

GMAC offers mileage-based insurance through OnStar originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Jul 2007 08:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Britain's installation of more speed cameras and the swap to digital means they'll catch even more speeders. That's good for the treasury. According to British insurer Swinton, it isn't good for the points system that insurance companies use to set premiums -- there are too many people getting more and more points to make it a useful criteria. So Swinton says it will no longer automatically raise premiums if drivers get points due to speed cameras, saying "points alone can no longer be used as a yardstick for driver evaluation." Currently in Britain, getting 12 points means losing your license. With 6,000 cameras nabbing two million speeders annually, and mobile phone infractions earning three points, Swinton says "a few years ago insurers might have assumed that a motorist with six or more points on their license was a reckless driver, but that is no longer necessarily the case." With the suggestion that drivers with 6 points could be viewed as "standard," six could become the new zero. We can't wait for that kind of sense to make it this way. Allstate? You listening?

[Source: Daily Mail]

British insurer says speed cameras are killing the points rating system originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 28 May 2007 17:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Top 10 most and least expensive cars to insure

Top 10 most and least expensive cars to insure originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 18 Feb 2007 17:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

AAA Shows How Not to Drive Your Car originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Jan 2007 06:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

DaimlerChrysler and insurers agree on settlement payout originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 02 Jan 2007 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Shelby GT350 stolen 26 years ago returned to insurance company, not owner originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Oct 2006 21:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The good news for auto insurance companies is that claims have dropped 15% in the last four years, with the result of a similarly healthy bump in profit. The bad news, at least for an industry that depends on the reliable statistical prediction of trends, is that there is no clear reason for the reduction in payouts for dented sheetmetal and bodily injury.

While modern technology can help prevent collisions, it likely doesn't account for the drop in this particular five-year period (but, check back in another half-decade). More likely is that drivers in the 45-64 age group are the safest on the road, and the average driver continues to get older as the Baby Boomers age. Additionally, it's thought that many drivers opt not to report accidents that don't involve any injuries, and contemporary safety technology may account for an increased number of people who walk away from an accident without so much as a scratch.

One thing seems certain - insurance companies may be making more money from this trend, but it's not being reflected in the average insurance premium. What a surprise, eh?

[Source: Chicago Business via Instapundit]

Car insurance claims drop; industry unable to explain phenomenon originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 01 Aug 2006 12:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Survey finds half of UK motorists want elderly drivers banned originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 25 Jul 2006 09:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ford Motor Company is sweetening its warranty with an extra two years of powertrain coverage for its 2007 vehicles, Automotive News reports. The deal that covers all Ford and Mercury brand vehicles supplements the three-year, 36,000 bumper-to-bumper with a five-year, 60,000 mile powertrain warranty, while the powertrain warranty on Lincoln vehicles ups the coverage to six years and 70,000 miles. Free roadside assistance extends along with the new powertrain warranties.

The move is Ford's effort to provide customers with more value and fend off quality issues.

[Source: Automotive News]

Ford tacks on another two years to powertrain warranties originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 13 Jul 2006 15:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety claims that making electronic stability control (ESC) a standard feature in the US could reduce auto deaths by up to one-third, which would result in a whopping 11,000 fewer fatalities per year.

The institute's numbers show that otherwise identical vehicles have a 43 percent reduction in fatal crashes when equipped with ESC. Not only were single-vehicle crashes (most often occurring when a vehicle loses control and leaves the roadway) reduced, but high-speed multiple-car collisions were also less common. Not surprisingly, the number of low-speed crashes remained the same, as ESC doesn't do much good in a parking lot unless some serious hooliganism is involved.

While some call for specific federal legislation that would mandate the technology on all motor vehicles, an upcoming revision to NHTSA's rollover test that will invoke a dynamic handling maneuver is said to effectively require ESC on most vehicles. Approximately 70 percent of SUVs and 40 percent of passenger cars sold in the US in the current model year have ESC as standard equipment.

We've explored the limits of electronic stability control on several SUVs that have recently rolled through the Autoblog Garage, and we can state that modern electronic babysitters are indeed amazing at arresting our intentional attempts at upsetting the vehicles. As such, we definitely support the idea of ESC as standard equipment, just so long as each vehicle also includes a means to completely deactivate it.  

[Source: Money/CNN]

IIHS pushing for mandatory stability control originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 14 Jun 2006 07:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Few people think about car crashes before they happen, and immediately after one occurs isn't the time to start. Therefore, putting a few minutes into post-crash preparation makes sense before finding yourself staring into a deflated airbag with a dazed look. Doug Flint from The Car Connection has some great tips - he refers to them as "rules" and has good reasons to do so - and we'd recommend giving his list a thorough read.

From our collective crash experience, encompassing everything from parking-lot fender-benders to leaving the road at 105 mph, we can indeed assure everyone that it's tough to keep your wits about you after unintended physics intervenes with driving. Make some plans now for who you'll call for a tow and how you'll pay, and don't leave the scene until things are sorted out with the authorities, medical personnel, and someone who can give a level-headed assessment of your car's drivability. A good roadside assistance plan that covers all the drivers in your family is a great idea (going through your insurance company will probably yield a discount).

Include every driver in your family in on this planning; even if you've got nerves of steel and aren't rattled by bent sheetmetal... odds are good that there's a less experienced crasher in your household.

[Source: The Car Connection]

PSA: What to do after a car crash originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 13 Jun 2006 17:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.