Insuring Success

Discover Accident Whys and Hows
The power of observation is one of the leading factors in accident prevention. Keen observation of vehicles on the highway, and concentration on your own driving, can do much to avoid accidents.

There are a lot of drivers who ignore the large green and white signs that direct you to the proper lane. For example, when approaching a bridge, a sign will read "stay in the left lane." If you don’t stay in the proper lane, you impede the flow of traffic trying to merge.

Many streets with high traffic have signs that read "right hand turns are prohibited on a red light." This has to be one of the most unnoticed traffic signs.

While I have not observed any accidents by people ignoring the sign, it is rare to see any drivers actually stop and wait for the light to turn green. The consequences of driving errors that are observed by the authorities tend to increase awareness in the future.

Insurance companies would much rather spend money helping customers prevent accidents—for very good reasons. Safe drivers and cars reduce the likelihood of accidents, injuries and losses.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among Americans 1 to 34 years old. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation the total societal cost of crashes exceeds $150 billion annually.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is an independent, nonprofit scientific and educational organization dedicated to reducing losses from motor vehicle crashes and is wholly supported by insurance companies.

The institute has an affiliate organization, the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) that gathers, processes and publishes data on the ways in which insurance losses vary among different kinds of vehicles.

The work of IIHS and HLDI gives researchers and the public a better idea of how, and why, occupants get injured during crashes.

This research in turn leads to vehicle designs that reduce injuries.

There is a joint Internet site at www.highwaysafety.org that contains a wealth of information. From fatality statistics to information on shopping for a safer car, this is a one-stop safety shop. Site features include individual crashworthiness vehicle ratings, safety facts, Q & A’s, publications, videos and recent research findings. TPW