Our occasional column featuring press releases and other insurance items of interest that Agency Checklists just couldn’t leave out…
Plymouth Rock
Plymouth Rock’s New Safe “Road Rewards” program is now available in Mass.
Plymouth Rock has launched a new app this month aimed at rewarding insurance customers simply for driving safely.
As an insurance company, safe driving is very important to us,” said Chris Olie, President of Plymouth Rock Assurance. “We’re committed to providing our customers with the tools to drive safely. We believe Road Rewards will have a real impact on driving behavior and people can earn some great rewards in the process. It’s just another way Plymouth Rock gives our customers ‘more than just insurance.’”
Harnessing the power of telematics via Massachusetts Cambridge Mobile Telematics, The new “Road Rewards” program gives points to safe drivers by creating an avverage driving scored based on a drivers record over the past two weeks. According to the insurer, the higher your score, the more points you earn. Once enough points have been earned, a driver can then redeem them for various rewards. Currently, the insurer is offering various rewards from partners Shell and the Fuel Rewards® program, Showcase Cinemas and Starbucks.
The app, is available on both iOS and Android, and allows drivers to redeem their points directly via their smartphones.
The Road Rewards program represents the kind of smart, innovative thinking we need to make our roads safer,” said Hari Balakrishnan, Founder and Chief Technology Officer at Cambridge Mobile Telematics. “We fully expect this program to have a measurable impact on driving performance. In fact, we recently surveyed more than 700 drivers and found that nearly 60 percent said rewards would motivate them to be a safer driver. Plymouth Rock deserves a lot of accolades for thinking outside of the box to make a difference.”
Plymouth Rock’s new app and program is free of charge for Plymouth Rock customers. The insurer also emphasizes that none of the driving data collected will be used for pricing, underwriting or cancelling policies. As such, the company believes that its program is the first insurance app of its kind – to simply deliver rewards to safe drivers while having no impact on a customer’s premium.
To learn more, visit plymouthrock.com/RoadRewardsLearn.
Cambridge Mobile Telematics
Distracted Driving Now Scarier Than Drunk Driving, Based on Survey from Cambridge Mobile Telematics
Speaking of telematics, Cambridge Mobile Telematics (“CMT”), which is powering both Plymouth Rock’s new Road Rewards Program as well as Arbella’s “Wheel Focused” program has shared some sobering statistics with Agency Checklists on the state of Distracted Driving in the U.S.
According to its recent survey results, a frightening 75 percent of drivers see other drivers using their phones while driving every single day, with 45 percent seeing phone distractions on the road multiple times per day.
These numbers illustrate the severity of the distracted driving epidemic, and highlight the urgent need for a new approach that combats distracted driving through technology and consumer incentives to motivate behavior modification,” said Sam Madden, co-founder and chief scientist at Cambridge Mobile Telematics.
When asked about reducing phone use while driving, respondents said laws against cellphone use provided the least incentive (39 percent). Drivers are more likely to be motivated by receiving discounts from insurance providers (59) or being given rewards like gift cards or promotions (59 percent).
Smartphone telematics technologies enable the monitoring and reporting of risky driving behavior, including the use of a phone while driving,” said Madden. “As a result, while smartphones may be part of the distracted driving problem, they are also part of the solution.”
Other key survey findings include:
- If driving habits and performance were shared with family and friends, 60 percent of drivers would be motivated to improve safe driving habits.
- Only 39 percent of respondents say laws around distracted driving definitely impact their use of a mobile device while driving.
- Phone calls (32 percent), text messages (30 percent) and navigation (27 percent) were among the top distractors of drivers surveyed, surpassed only by other passengers (44 percent).
While many auto insurers and drivers are leveraging smartphone-based telematics programs to provide drive-by-drive feedback, reduce distraction and improve road safety, nationwide adoption is in its early stages. Analysis of users of CMT’s telematics program, DriveWell, found drivers showed an average of 35 percent reduction in phone distraction within 30 days of enrollment.
Kaplansky Insurance
Another Accolade For Kaplansky Insurance
Kaplansky Insurance was recently recognized as of the “Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America” by Entrepreneur magazine’s “Entrepreneur 360™ List”, a premier study delivering the most comprehensive analysis of private companies in America. Kaplansky Insurance is recognized as a well-rounded company that has mastered a balance of impact, innovation, growth and leadership.
We are beyond grateful to be a part of this distinguished list of growing businesses because it reaffirms that our company is holding to the commitment we made over 40 years ago: to provide a superior experience for our clients by exceeding their expectations, said Ely Kaplansky, President and CEO of Kaplansky Insurance. “My hope is that we continue to understand our clients’ needs and deliver excellent, customer-catered service for many years to come.”
Honorees on the list were identified based on the results from a comprehensive study of independently-owned companies, using a proprietary algorithm and other advanced analytics. The algorithm was built on a balanced scorecard designed to measure four metrics reflecting major pillars of entrepreneurship—innovation, growth, leadership and impact
The Entrepreneur 360 List celebrates outstanding companies for the value they bring to the world, not just the worth of their company,” says Bill Shaw, president of Entrepreneur Media, Inc. “The companies on this list exemplify growth, not just in top and bottom line, but in their ability to create a superior value for their customers, build adaptive learning cultures, and drive innovation in their marketplace.”
