About Caroline McDonald

Caroline McDonald is a writer and former senior editor of the Risk Management Monitor and Risk Management magazine.
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America’s Safest Driving Cities

Winter weather has yet to appear in many parts of the country, but it’s on its way. When factoring rainy or snowy conditions into collision frequency, however, some cities are safer than others in many types of weather, according to the 2015 Allstate America’s Best Drivers Report.

driversWhile there are many factors that impact highway safety, an improving economy and lower gas prices have led to an increase in the number of miles being driven.

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According to the Federal Highway Administration’s latest Traffic Volume Trend Report, cumulative travel for 2015 is up by 3.

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5%. The September report is based on hourly traffic count data reported by the states, using data collected at about 4,000 continuous traffic counting locations nationwide.

Recently, the National Safety Council estimated that the U.S. is on track for its deadliest driving year since 2007. In the first six months of 2015, NSC reported traffic deaths were up 14% from a year ago, and serious injuries were 30% higher over the same period.

The city with the best driving report this year is Kansas City, Kansas. Factoring in precipitation, Cape Coral, Fla., and Brownsville, Tex., came in second and third, respectively. Cities at the bottom of the list of 200 were Boston, Massachusetts; Worcester, Massachusetts; and Baltimore, Maryland. New York City was listed at 151.

The report is based on Allstate’s claims data, ranking America’s 200 largest cities in terms of car collision frequency to identify which have the safest drivers. The data also shows how these cities rank when precipitation is a factor. The rankings are based on the expected driver performance given each city’s average annual precipitation as measured by NOAA, according to Allstate.

America’s safest driving cities:

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Crude Oil Safety Mandates Signed into Law

A transportation law signed by President Obama earlier this month includes new mandates for freight trains transporting crude oil through the United States. The law requires that tank cars used for transporting crude oil be replaced by March 1, 2018, phasing out older DOT 111 tank cars for shipment of flammable liquids, including most Bakken crude oil, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The new tank cars will have thicker steel shells, insulating materials, full-size metal shields at each end and improved outlet valves underneath the car.

DOT tank car

The DOT said that the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) also outlines a classification and testing program for mined gases and liquids and new operational requirements for high-hazard flammable trains (HHFT) that include braking controls and speed restrictions.

A rail disaster in Lac-Mégantic, Canada, on July 26, 2013, that killed 42 people brought a heightened focus on the dangers of transporting highly flammable Bakken crude oil by train.

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The Journal News reports that the new law requires freight railroads to provide real-time data on flammable liquids shipments to state emergency response commissions (SERCs) to be shared with local first responders. The law codifies what had been a regulatory emergency order requiring trains containing one million gallons of Bakken crude oil to notify SERCs or other appropriate state-delegated entities about the operation of these trains through their states.

For the first time, the rail safety section of the new transportation law also allows states and localities to obtain inspection reports on privately owned rail bridges filed with the Federal Railroad Administration by freight railroads.

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Localities will be eligible for 80% federal funding to finance safety improvements at dangerous railroad crossings.

According to the DOT, the rule:

  • Requires an enhanced tank car standard and an aggressive, risk-based retrofitting schedule for older tank cars carrying crude oil and ethanol.
  • Requires a new braking standard for certain trains that will offer a higher level of safety by potentially reducing the severity of an accident.
  • Designates new operational protocols for trains transporting large volumes of flammable liquids, such as routing requirements, speed restrictions, and information for local government agencies.
  • Provides new sampling and testing requirements to improve classification of energy products placed into transport.

Risk Link Roundup

Link Roundup

Here are a few recent articles that highlight issues impacting the world of risk and insurance. Topics include a large merger, a DOJ and SEC settlement for Analogic, cost-cutting at AIG, insurance fraud and an FBI sting leading to bribery charges and arrest.

Towers Watson and Willis Shareholders Approve $8.9 Billion Merger Deal

Insurance Journal: Towers Watson & Co. won approval from its shareholders for an $8.9 billion merger with insurance broker Willis Group Holdings Plc, overcoming opposition from proxy advisers. Willis shareholders also supported the combination.

Analogic: DOJ and SEC Want $15 million for FCPA Settlement

FCPA Blog: Analogic Corporation said in a securities filing Wednesday the SEC and DOJ made separate settlement proposals to end an ongoing FCPA investigation that would include total payments of about $15 million.

Commercial Insurance Boss and CFO to Leave AIG in Exec Shake-up

Commercial Risk Europe: Four of AIG’s executive team, including its head of commercial insurance and chief financial officer (CFO), will leave the company as part of a shake-up to cut costs, boost profits and simplify operations.

Businessman Gets 37 Years for $100 million Insurance Premium Fraud

Associated Press: A businessman who prosecutors say stole more than $100 million in insurance premiums to live a life of luxury has been sentenced to 37 years in prison.

FBI Sting Leads to Arrest on Charges of Bribery in Military Contracting

Sacramento Bee: A Romanian national has been charged in Sacramento federal court with bribing an Air Force officer to obtain a $10.35 million military contract.

U.S. P&C Rates Continue to Decline

As 2015 draws to a close, U.S. property and casualty insurers continue to adjust rates downward. The composite rate index for all P/C business placed in the UnitedM Scout-1 States was down 3% in November 2015, compared to down 2% in October, according to MarketScout.

“There are very few signs of rate increases. The only coverage with seemingly steady rate increases is cyber liability,” Richard Kerr, CEO of MarketScout said in a statement. “Underwriters don’t have a lot of data to use for pricing cyber so we expect pricing to be inconsistent in the near term.”

By coverage classification, property, business interruption, business owners’, inland marine, auto, umbrella, and crime coverages all adjusted down an additional 1% from the prior month. General liability and workers compensation were down an additional 2% compared to last month.

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By account size, jumbo (more than million) and large (0,001- million) accounts were the most competitively priced and were down an additional 2% from the preceding month.

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Medium ($25,001-$250,000) and small (up to $25,000) accounts were down an additional 1% from October, MarketScout said.

Manufacturing and service industries were down an additional 2% from the prior month. Habitational, contracting, public entity and energy were down 1% from last month. Transportation was unchanged.

Summary of November 2015 rates by coverage, account size and industry class:

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Annualized year-on-year rate adjustments from November 2014 to November 2015:

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