Monthly Archives: <span>October 2015</span>

KPMG: Driverless Cars Could Shrink U.S. Personal Auto Insurance Sector by 60%

A decline in accident frequency due to safer vehicles and the adoption of autonomous vehicles could shrink the U.S. personal auto insurance sector by 60 percent within 25 years, according to KPMG, the U.S. audit, tax, and advisory services firm. …

EL Nino and La Nina to Cause More Frequent, Severe Droughts in California

In the future, the Pacific Ocean’s temperature cycles could disrupt more than just December fishing. A study published in Nature Communications suggests that the weather patterns known as El Nino and La Nina could lead to at least a doubling …

CWCI Report Examines Growth of Drug Testing in California Workers’ Comp

A new California Workers’ Compensation Institute (CWCI) study quantifies the growing use and cost of drug tests performed on California injured workers in conjunction with the expanded use opioid painkillers, reveals shifts in the types of tests performed after Medicare …

Delaware Insurance Commissioner Outlaws ‘Widow’s Penalty’ in Setting Auto Insurance Rates

The Delaware Department of Insurance will no longer approve any auto insurance company’s rate submission that includes a “widow’s penalty,” under which a widow or widower is charged a higher rate based solely on the change in his or her …

Demo Contractor Convicted in Deadly Philadelphia Building Collapse

A cut-rate demolition contractor was found guilty of manslaughter Monday, more than two years after a towering wall fell on a busy Philadelphia, Pa., thrift store, killing six people. A jury convicted Griffin Campbell of six counts of involuntary manslaughter, …

Landefeld Named President of One Call Care Diagnostics

One Call Care Management, a diagnostic testing provider for the workers’ compensation industry, announced the promotion of Pamela Landefeld to president of One Call Care Diagnostics. In her new role, the industry veteran will lead product management and innovation and …

Federal Bill Offers Giveaways to Auto, Trucking Industries

Despite record auto recalls and rising highway deaths, Congress is ignoring changes sought by safety advocates and proposing giveaways to the auto and trucking industries that the Obama administration and others say could make matters worse. A House Energy and …

Injuries Cost the U.S. $671 Billion in 2013

The total estimated lifetime medical and work loss costs associated with fatal and non-fatal injuries in the United States was $671 billion in 2013, according to research released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in its Morbidity …

Risk Managers Say Not Enough Being Done to Thwart Hacking Incidents

According to a new survey, 55 percent of risk managers are not confident their company is dedicating enough resources, in terms of dollars or personnel, to combat the evolution of hacking techniques. In a recent podcast interview with Claims Journal, …

Lifestyle, Occupational Factors Increase Crash Risks for Truck Drivers

Truck drivers who are frequently fatigued after work, use cell phones while driving, or have an elevated pulse pressure – a potential predictor of cardiovascular disease – may be at increased risk for getting into truck accidents, according to a …