Month: October 2013

Is Your Cyber-Policy Really Covering Your Technology-Related Exposures?

Posted on by shasha insurance

As businesses become increasingly reliant on technology to store sensitive information, the incidences of security breaches are becoming more prevalent. Each security breach increases the risk that a lawsuit or regulatory action could financially ruin a company and permanently damage its reputation. The situation is so bad, that some retailers and financial institutions targeted by litigation and regulatory actions are trying to hold their technology vendors accountable so they can transfer some of the fallout.

Many companies find themselves financial victims because they don’t buy insurance that addresses the many exposures related to security breaches. In some instances, a breach can trigger the need for a number of coverages, including crime, errors and omissions, employment practices liability, general liability, property and directors and officers liability. The so-called “cyber” policies address only one aspect of the exposure, the theft of information, money and identities through the Internet. That’s because these are major problems that are on the rise. According to Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, since February 2005, there have been more than 260 major security breaches involving nearly 100 million personal records. But if a company has only this basic coverage, they may not be prepared if disaster strikes. They should consider a more company-wide approach that includes insurance coverage for all possible exposures associated with a breach.

At the very least, your cyber policy should provide coverage in the following general risk areas:

·   Defense Coverage – Some policies limit the insurer’s duty to defend to actual lawsuits. That means that the insurer isn’t required to defend the insured against a claim, which may or may not result in a lawsuit. Others extend the duty to defend to all claims. You should look for the provision to defend against all claims in a cyber policy. You also need to review the policy in terms of who has the right to choose the attorney who will defend the claim. Many insurers can provide a choice of counsel provision that allows the company to make that choice. Talk to your insurer about having this provision incorporated into your policy.

·   Business-to-Business Coverage vs. Business-to-Consumer Coverage – If you want coverage for either or both of these risks, you have to make this known to your insurer. You need to be sure that the various exclusions and/or conditions necessary to minimize gaps in either coverage are present in your policy. These include electric/mechanical breakdown exclusion; breach of security exclusion; bodily injury/property damage exclusion; and employee malicious conduct exclusion.

·   Intellectual Property Infringement Coverage – All cyber insurance policies provide some level of intellectual property infringement coverage. However, some policies offer less coverage than others. Some even exclude coverage for software copyright infringement. Review the policy before you purchase to understand how much protection you have in this area. Most insurers are willing to insure software copyright infringement risk for an additional premium.

Remember, cyber insurance is like health insurance, you should customize your coverage to suit your company’s needs. Your best defense is to talk with your insurance agent to develop a plan that is right for you.

Do I Need to Make an Accident Report?

Posted on by shasha insurance

The first few moments following an auto accident can be an extremely confusing, emotional, and frightening time. As such, it may be difficult to know what accidents need to be reported and what your insurance may require.

There are some types of accidents that will always need a response from one of the local law enforcement departments, such as Highway Patrol, Police, or Sheriff. Each law enforcement department will have a jurisdiction, meaning that which department responds and takes the report will depend on where the accident occurred. For example, an accident within the city limits will most always be handled by the Police. Regardless of the responding department, you should always make a report when an auto accident involves elements like an injured person, severe damage to any vehicle, and/or a driver flees the scene of the accident.

Your insurance company may also require you stay on the scene and report the accident, even in cases where the other driver flees the scene of the accident. Some insurers will accept a counter report. A counter report may be provided by the responding officer for you to fill out, or you might need to go to the nearest station to complete the form off scene. Counter reports are fairly commonplace in larger jurisdictions when the responding officer sees that the vehicles involved are still in working order and no one is injured. In any event, just make sure to remember to get a copy of the counter report for your insurance carrier.

Even if the accident doesn’t involve one of the above elements, there are certain situations where it can be very helpful to have a law enforcement response and accident report. For example, the other driver might admit blame and offer you cash for your damages, but refuse to give you his/her insurance information or contact information. Even if the other driver does offer you his personal contact information in such a situation, you still have no way of knowing if the information being provided is factual. Another example would be you forgetting to collect all the important information and crucial details of the accident because you’re stressed or confused from the accident.

Making a police report can be very helpful in any of these situations since it will involve the law enforcement officer collecting/verifying the driver’s name, address, phone number, car tag, insurance information, accident details, injury details, and so forth. Basically, most any detail that would be needed in court or by the insurance adjuster will be documented in the police report.

Lastly, even though a police report will be necessary or needed for many accidents, you should still always try to remember to write down all the information yourself. Depending on the jurisdiction, it can often take weeks to months for the insurance adjuster to request and obtain a copy of the accident report. On the other hand, the adjuster can initiate the investigation immediately when you’re able to provide the insurance information on the other driver(s).

A Whipping Hose Is a Preventable Safety Hazard

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Pressurized hoses are used on the jobsite everyday to run tools like paint sprayers and nail guns.  While the tools they power can make a worker’s job much easier, the hoses themselves can be dangerous if handled improperly.  The hoses derive power from the liquid or gas that moves inside them; however, that power also creates a reactive force.  If the force is strong enough, it can cause the hose to whip, possibly causing serious injury if it strikes a worker and even additonal hazards, like a chemical spill.   

The following tips can help you prevent hose whipping hazards:

  • Inspect hoses for torn outer jackets, damaged inner reinforcing, or soft spots before using them. Hoses with these types of damage should be removed from service.
  • Reduce the pressure in the hose to a lower level if possible. Setting pressure regulators to 30 psi or less can minimize the possibility of the hose whipping.
  • Avoid making sharp bends in the hose, which can damage the reinforcement.
  • Don’t jerk on a hose that has become snagged as this can cause ruptures. Find the object the hose is caught on, and release it there.
  • Restrain pressurized hoses that are unavoidably located near other employees with guards that are strong enough to keep the hoses in place if a leak or rupture occurs.
  • Use solid lines with tight fittings if possible instead of flexible hoses when working near other employees. Solid lines do not whip or leak as readily as flexible hoses, which can develop leaks from vibration, pressure cycles and aging.
  • Examine the connections on pressurized hoses frequently to prevent any accidental detachment of the line, which would result in uncontrollable whipping. Hose clamps with a restraining chain should be used to minimize the whipping effect if hose connections should accidentally become loose.
  • Pin the two sides of the hose’s twist type fitting together using the lugs provided. Be sure these fittings are fully secured.
  • Use the safety device at the air supply to reduce the pressure in the event of a hose failure. This device is standard on all hoses that are ½ inch in diameter or larger. If the hose you’re using doesn’t have this device, lash the two ends of the hose together to restrict whipping.
  • Never connect or disconnect pressurized hoses, always depressurize first.
  • Don’t stop the airflow in a hose by bending or crimping with pliers as this could cause major hose damage.
  • Stand clear of potential rupture points when conducting hose pressure tests. During testing, the pressure should be increased gradually with a brief pause between each increase. Instruments for reading pressures should be arranged so they are clearly visible at all times.

Beware of the Scam of Fake Auto Accidents

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Many think of fraud as a non-violent type of crime. In reality, vehicle insurance scams, including the staged traffic accident, are far from non-violent. Aside from costing honest consumers hundreds to thousands of dollars in added insurance premiums, this steadily growing form of fraud has resulted in countless injuries and deaths to the innocent victims of the scams.  In fact, data from the NICB (National Insurance Crime Bureau) shows that staged traffic accidents have rapidly become a leading source of insurance fraud across the U.S.

How Does It Work?

These criminally staged collisions frequently involve several suspects driving a car. The victim is the driver of another vehicle that’s being targeted by the suspects staging the collision for their own financial gain.

The suspects will most often use one of two techniques:

1. Swoop and Squat

Two or more suspects drive two different vehicles. They target an unsuspecting vehicle, most often an older model that only contains one victim. This is done so that there will not be any witnesses to the collision. The one or two suspects in the squat vehicle position their car in front of the vehicle driven by the victim. They slow to create a smaller space gap between themselves and their victim. Then, the swoop vehicle suddenly changes lanes to cut in front of the squat, thereby causing the squat vehicle to throw on breaks and stop. As a result, the innocent victim rear-ends the squat. Meanwhile, the swoop vehicle is long gone and the squat vehicle is claiming that an unknown vehicle cut them off and forced them to brake.

2. The Drive Down or Wave On

In this version, the suspect(s) are stopped at the entrance to a parking lot or an intersection. They wave on or yield the right-of-way to the victim. When the victim proceeds, the suspect intentionally accelerates to collide with the victim.

What Can Drivers Do To Reduce The Risk Of Being A Victim?

* Stay aware of your surroundings, paying close attention to what the vehicles several in front, behind, and beside you are doing and maintaining sufficient room between you and all other vehicles.

* Use caution when making a turn in front of another vehicle, even if they yield the right-of-way.

* Since suspects tend to look for innocent drivers that accidentally cross the center line and then sideswipe them, pay close attention to staying within the lines of a lane.

* After any accident, count the number of passengers and get their personal information. You may find that more people are listed on the insurance claim than actually in the accident.

* Avoid driving when you’re stressed; preoccupied with a cell phone, map, or food; or lethargic. All of these lessen the care at which you drive and your concentration abilities, thereby increasing your vulnerability.

* Have a camera in your vehicle to take photos of the scene, license plates, and the occupants of the other vehicle you have an accident with.

* Always call the police and get a copy of the police report. If the damage to the other car is minor, then ask the officer to specify this on the report, as this will make it more difficult for the other party to create more damage for a larger claim.

* Alert the authorities if you feel the accident was staged.

In closing, these staged traffic accidents often have criminal elements that reach far beyond just the suspected drivers. It’s often a criminal collaboration between unscrupulous doctors and attorneys that willingly and knowingly assist in the fraudulent insurance claim process.

Plan Now for the Disaster That Will Hit Your Business

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Disaster can strike a business in a multitude of ways. Businesses located near the coast from Texas to Maine are highly susceptible to hurricane damage. Fires and explosions can devastate buildings regardless of where they’re located. A building need not be the target of a terrorist attack to feel its effects, as many business owners discovered after the September 11 attacks. After a catastrophic event, evaluating the damage to the facilities quickly and accurately is essential for both insurance recovery purposes and for getting back into operation as soon as possible.

The business must do much of the important work before the disaster occurs. Identifying the facilities and equipment at risk is the first step. For a small business with one or two locations, this may be obvious; for a larger business with operations in many states and localities, the question may be more complex. Some locations may be in earthquake-prone areas, while others may be relatively safe from natural disasters. Such businesses must evaluate the worst-case scenario for any one event and plan around that.

Businesses must also address the question of who will do the evaluating. After a disaster, some members of the group may be injured or otherwise unable to reach the scene because of the severity of the damage or law enforcement restrictions. Therefore, the list should include several names with multiple people able to fill each role. The business should also have a written communications plan for reaching members of the group, including all of their phone numbers (both land lines and cellular), e-mail addresses, and each person’s emergency contact information.

The more information a business has about its property after a loss, the better. Therefore, it should assemble multiple copies of documents such as architectural drawings, appraisals, inspection reports, maintenance records, and others. The business should store documents in several locations and media so that backups exist should one set be destroyed. Members of the disaster recovery team should survey each location, identifying special features, key processes, characteristics that increase the building’s vulnerability to a particular threat, and equipment that will be difficult to replace.

It is often helpful to have members of the local police and fire departments tour the building and meet with personnel to discuss disaster planning. They may identify weaknesses in the plan or deficiencies in the building that the disaster recovery group missed. Also, the more familiar they are with the building before a loss, the better able they will be to respond after it.

After a disaster occurs, the disaster team coordinator should take steps to contact each member of the group and arrange for inspection of the facility at the soonest possible moment. The group may not be able to enter the building immediately due to safety concerns or orders from law enforcement. As soon as the group can inspect, they should identify emergency measures necessary to protect the facility from further damage, assess the extent of the damage, identify areas that are unsafe to enter, and evaluate the condition of the areas where critical processes occur. They should use the information developed before the loss to assist in their evaluation.

After the inspection, the group should prepare reports on each damaged facility. Local authorities may require the business to file these; in addition, government bodies that assist with disaster recovery and insurance companies may need the information.

Business owners should ask their insurance agents for resources to help with disaster preparation. Many insurance companies have loss control departments that can offer valuable assistance, as well. Government agencies such as the federal Small Business Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Web sites such as Business.gov have plenty of information on this topic. To a large extent, a business owner has control over whether the business will survive a disaster. With some careful planning, the business will survive it and thrive.

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Auto Theft

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If you’re like most people, you believe you’re pretty well versed when it comes to protecting your car from thieves.  If that were the case, the FBI’s National Crime Information Center wouldn’t be reporting these chilling statistics:

·         Every 27 seconds, a motor vehicle is stolen in the United States.

·         The odds of a vehicle being stolen were 1 in 196 in 2000.

·         The odds are highest in urban areas.

·         Only 14.1 percent of thefts resulted in arrests during 2000.

·         The FBI’s 2002 Uniform Crime Report, released October 27, 2003, indicates there were more than 1.2 million motor vehicle thefts in the United States in 2002 with an estimated value of approximately $8.4 billion dollars.

·         Only 65 percent of stolen vehicles were recovered in 2002.

These statistics paint a serious picture that reminds us not to take our vehicles for granted.    Many times we forget basic prevention techniques that can put our cars in jeopardy.

For example, when you leave your car, never leave the motor running – even if you think you will only be gone a couple of minutes.  Those few minutes are all it takes for a would-be car thief to easily drive away in a new vehicle.

When you park your car, be sure to roll up the windows and lock the doors.  There are no exceptions to this rule, even if you park in your own driveway.  It’s not uncommon for thieves to try a door handle of a car in driveway because they assume that it was probably left unlocked.  If you have a garage, park your car in it and lock the garage door, even if you intend to use the car later on.  It may seem like a lot of trouble if you are planning to leave the house again soon, but it’s better than going to the garage only to find your car missing.

When you park at your destination, turn your wheels sharply toward the curb.  This makes it very difficult for thieves to tow the vehicle.  Always put on your emergency brake and leave the transmission either in park or in gear.  If a valet parks your car, only leave the ignition key with the attendant.  It goes with out saying that if you park at night, park in busy, well-lit areas.

Think about equipping your car with various anti-theft devices.  Ask about car insurance discounts for anti-theft devices such as alarms, window etchings, and anti-hot-wiring devices.

Finally, when you buy car stereo equipment, be sure to choose items that can be removed
and locked in the trunk.  Nothing is more tempting to a car thief than to see if he can make that expensive audio equipment his own.

Do You Know How Your Deductible Affects Your Homeowner’s Insurance Premium?

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As elementary school children, we were first introduced to the concept of ratios, or how one number relates to another number.  Back then we tended to think that like almost everything else we were learning, ratios were just one more forgettable piece of information we would never use.  Of course, we were wrong.  Ratios are something we constantly come in to contact with, even when it comes to our homeowner’s insurance.

The ratio between the policy’s deductible and the premium is very real.  When the deductible increases, the premium decreases.  With a higher deductible the carrier is transferring more of the risk to you.  Yet, four out of ten Americans carrying homeowner’s insurance do not understand that simple ratio and its consequences.

The Insurance Research Council (IRC) recently conducted a study that indicated only 37 percent of homeowners and 48 percent of renters, who have homeowner’s insurance, knew their policy had a deductible.  These same respondents also answered incorrectly when asked how a deductible increase affects a premium.  They responded that the premium either increased, stayed the same, or they did not know.

The data for the IRC’s report, Public Attitude Monitor 2005, Issue 2, came from a survey conducted by TNS NFO, a market research company.  The survey was designed as a self-administered checklist mailed on January 1, 2005, to selected households in the U.S.  There were more than 55,000 respondents ages 18 or older who answered six questions about homeowner’s insurance.

Many Americans may overlook the easiest way to reduce insurance costs simply because they do not understand the relationship between their policy’s deductible and the premium.  The Insurance Information Institute, in their publication entitled, 12 Ways To Lower Your Homeowner’s Insurance Costs, has this to say about the relationship between the two:

“Deductibles are the amount of money you have to pay toward a loss before your insurance company starts to pay a claim, according to the terms of your policy.  The higher your deductible, the more money you can save on your premiums.  Nowadays, most insurance companies recommend a deductible of at least $500.  If you can afford to raise your deductible to $1,000, you may save as much as 25 percent.  Remember, if you live in a disaster-prone area, your insurance policy may have a separate deductible for certain kinds of damage.  If you live near the coast in the East, you may have a separate windstorm deductible; if you live in a state vulnerable to hail storms, you may have a separate deductible for hail; and if you live in an earthquake-prone area, your earthquake policy has a deductible.”

The next time you review your homeowner’s coverage, be sure to talk with your agent about how increasing your deductible will impact your premium.  It may surprise you just how much you can save.

Infectious Diseases in the Workplace: An Overview

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A trip through the catalog of infectious diseases one can contract at work is enough to make many want to stay home.  The obvious cold and influenza spores and pathogens that glide through the air with the greatest of ease have more nuisance value than real danger, though there are virulent strains of influenza.  But many workers in a variety of industries face serious threats to their health-to their lives.  The newest of these is SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), of course, seen as a guerilla fighter of sorts.  SARS invades as an airborne microbe, and passes easily through such filters as those found in aviation, industrial or commercial air filters.  Many early cases were reported after intercontinental airline flights.  Add aircrews then, to the list later in this article, of those work groups at risk for an infectious disease caught at work.  Chinese scientists have discovered (People Daily, June 6, 2003) that the virus can live 15 days without a human host.  It can live, for instance, for three days on paper, wood, cotton, cloth, metal, plastic, glass, and in soil.  If there’s good news about SARS, it is that the virus dies earlier as the local environmental temperature rises.  The virus lives only about 30 minutes at 75 degrees Celsius.  You don’t want to watch though-that’s 167 degrees Fahrenheit!

The most common debilitating and life-threatening diseases found in the workplace include TB, HIV and Hepatitis C, though smallpox and poliomyelitis lurk nearby.  Health care workers are at risk because-think of emergency crews especially-cannot know the medical histories of patients they must treat in immediate, critical situations.  However, occupational exposure is not confined to the health care industry.  Literally any institutional environment can put workers at increased risk.  Prisons are especially fertile, yet environments from office buildings to college dormitories and military camps yield uncomfortable statistics.

Tuberculosis is rarely bloodborne, and, while its incidence has declined in recent years, certain areas have cases in numbers well above average.  For example, in 1999, the latest year for which data is available, six states, California, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Texas, accounted for 57% of the TB cases but had only 40% of the U.S. population (from a report by the Institute of Medicine, through the Center for Disease Control).  That report further stated that 40% of those cases were among foreign-born people, mostly from Mexico, the Philippines and Vietnam.

HIV and HIV/AIDS are “contact sports.”  Transmission of these lethal diseases happens through blood or other bodily fluid exchange.  While we think mostly about drug addicts sharing dirty needles, or sexual partners not being “safe,” research facts support the case for more innocent exposures-food utensils, drinking glasses, even non-sexual physical contact.  The disease destroys the immune system, opening the door for “infections of opportunity” (many AIDS patients actually die from pneumonia).  Dr. P. T. Goodall, of Infectious Disease Consultants, reported in a recent seminar (April, 2003) that there are over 30 million AIDS cases worldwide, and that of the some 500,000 HIV infected individuals in the U.S., over half are unaware of their status.

Hepatitis C affects some 2% of the U.S. population, and its incidence is highest among drug users, prison inmates, sex workers (think prostitutes and adult entertainment) and minorities.  The disease most frequently degrades to cirrhosis of the liver, and accounts for more than 50% of the liver transplants in our country (Goodall).  One of the more sobering facts about Hepatitis C is that as much as 15% of the documented cases have no obvious source.

While the last case of smallpox (worldwide) was reported in 1978, recent events raise the level of concern that quantities sufficient to cause epidemic loss of life exist in the hands of those who see such a catastrophe as a good thing.

Who is at risk for infectious disease contracted at work?  In addition to the groups identified earlier, custodial and housekeeping workers, sanitation workers, and child and elder care workers, even good Samaritans and family members face exposure.  In March 2000, a Baltimore embalmer became infected with TB while prepping a body for burial.  Add rubella.  Add West Nile.

The cost to U.S. businesses in lost time, wages, benefits, increased premiums for health care and life insurance, as well as lost revenue through the entire tax pipeline, is billions, and is impossible to calculate without a team of actuaries and a fair amount of time.  The best protections include awareness, common sense, and training.  The best attitude, one of caution.

U.S. Coast Guard Safety Initiative Asks You to Boat Responsibly

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As boating season approaches, the U.S. Coast Guard is once again expressing concern over the continuing increase in boating fatalities and injuries, and plans to step up its safety education for boaters. Statistics show that for the second consecutive year boating fatalities increased (710 deaths in 2006) as did the number of reported injuries. The reports also reveal some other disturbing facts:

 

  • Two-thirds of all fatalities were due to drowning and 90 percent of the victims were not wearing a life jacket. Simply put, over 50% of boating deaths could have been prevented if the victims had worn a life jacket.
  • Alcohol was the leading contributing factor in approximately one-fifth of all boating fatalities.
  • About 70 percent of all boating fatalities occurred on boats where the operator had not received boating safety instruction.
  • The most reported type of accident was a collision with another vessel. However, capsizing and falls overboard are the most reported types of fatal accidents and accounted for the vast majority (59 percent) of all boating fatalities.
  • Overall, operator inattention, carelessness/reckless operation, excessive speed and passenger/skier behavior are the leading contributing factors of all reported accidents.

 

Here are some simple tips boat owners and their passengers can take to insure their safety while enjoying recreational boating:

Wear your life jacket – As evidenced above, wearing a life jacket is the single most important thing you can do to ensure your safety on the water. And it doesn’t matter how great of a swimmer you are, you should still wear a life jacket!

Take boating safety courses – Boat owners, operators and passengers should complete courses offered by the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and others. The Coast Guard Auxiliary encourages everyone who might be put in a position of having to take command due to incapacity of the owner/operator to take a basic safety course.

America’s Boating Course (ABC) is a new electronic, basic boating course produced through a partnership between the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and the United States Power Squadrons®. It’s available online at www.AmericasBoatingCourse.com and on CD-ROM.

Get a free Vessel Safety Check – Boat owners are encouraged to take advantage of free safety checks offered by the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. It’s your best way to learn about potential problems that might put you in violation of state or federal laws, or — worse — create danger for you or your passengers on the water.

Vessel Examiners issue no citations. And there are no penalties for not successfully completing a Vessel Safety Check.

Don’t drink and boat – In the marine environment — motion, vibration, engine noise, sun, wind, and spray intensify the effect of alcohol and drugs. These “stressors” cause fatigue — and dramatically affect a boat operator’s coordination, judgment, vision, and reaction time.

Levels of blood alcohol or medications that would have little impact on land can potentially cause a much greater degree of impairment for the operator of a boat. So never boat under the influence!

The complete 2006 Boating Statistics report is available from the U.S. Coast Guard Office of Auxiliary and Boating at https://www.uscgboating.org/statistics/boating_statistics_2006.pdf.

More Workers’ Compensation Claims Made As the Result of Work-Related Traffic Accidents

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According to the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety, both on- and off-the-job motor vehicle crashes cost employers $60 billion annually from 1998 through 2000. The problem is so widespread, that in a recent study, the National Council on Compensation Insurance Inc (NCCI) noted that traffic accidents are the leading cause of accidental deaths in the United States. The study also said that workers’ compensation claims resulting from motor vehicle accidents are more severe than the average claim. Although they make up approximately 2 percent of all claims, they account for more than 5.5 percent of all losses because they cover a disproportionate share of the most severe claim types.

While workers’ compensation claims from motor vehicle accidents are growing, their frequency is declining but at a slower pace than for workers’ compensation claims in general. There are some other important characteristics about these claims that the NCCI noted in its study:

·   They almost always involve time lost from work.

·   Neck injuries are the most frequent diagnoses in these claims.

·   The average duration for a motor vehicle claim is 70 percent longer than for other types of claims.

·   They are three times as likely to involve a claimant attorney as compared to other types of claims.

The leading cause of these claims is a traffic accident that happened because the driver became distracted. The study revealed that almost 80 percent of the crashes and 65 percent of the near crashes resulted from the driver becoming distracted within three seconds of the event. The chief causes of the distraction were drowsiness and cell phone use.

The researchers had some specific suggestions regarding the steps employers can take to reduce the frequency and severity of these claims:

·  Encourage your employees to use seat belts – Failure to use seat belts cost employers roughly $2.1 billion yearly from work-related crashes between 1998-2000.

·  Be sure your employees never drive under the influence of alcohol – During 1998-2000, work-related crashes that resulted from drivers being intoxicated cost employers $3.1 billion annually.

·  Encourage employees to take defensive driving courses – These courses teach drivers how to react during an emergency so as to lessen the severity of the accident or avoid it all together.

·  Provide internal driver’s education courses – Teach employees good driving practices like pre-planning the trip route, realistically estimating how long the trip will take, being sure the vehicle is in good condition before hitting the road, and informing colleagues about travel plans.