High Point Auto Insurance is offering a free customer safety benefit that pays for policyholders to take a taxi rather than drive under dangerous conditions.
The “Get Home Safe” program enables High Point policyholders to get a refund on a $50 or less cab fee one time before Dec. 31. This offer can be used when policyholders are too tired to drive, consumed too much alcohol, do not have a functional vehicle or need to avoid any other unsafe driving conditions, according to the Red Bank, N.J.-based company.
Auto insurer High Point is managed by Plymouth Rock Assurance, whose total companies represent more than $1 billion in premiums. The company insures more than 430,000 families in New Jersey, along with its Plymouth Rock affiliates.
“Insurance companies generally go to work after the accident happens, but we’re trying to stop accidents before they even happen,” said Gerry Wilson, High Point CEO, in a statement. “That’s more than just insurance. If we can prevent even one accident or injury with this benefit, we’ll consider this a big success.”
There are 1,800 traumatic brain injuries annually resulting from car crashes, many of which are caused by exhausted, intoxicated or distracted drivers, according to Wendy Berk of the Brain Injury Association of New Jersey.
“Every day, lives are permanently changed by injuries sustained in auto-related accidents,” said Ann Wilson, Director of the New Jersey Coalition for Prevention, an advocacy program that provides education about decreasing the incidence of traumatic injury and disabling conditions. Get Home Safe “is a concrete step toward making New Jersey’s roads safer for everyone – drivers, passengers and pedestrians,” she said.
Source
Monday, September 28, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Nationwide Insurance Supports National Ban on Texting While Driving
COLUMBUS, Ohio - (Business Wire) Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company today stated its support for the enactment of a national ban on texting while driving.
In Washington D.C., United States Senators Chuck Schumer, D-New York; Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey; Mary Landrieu, D-Louisiana; and Kay Hagan, D-North Carolina, on Wednesday unveiled the ALERT Act, which would prohibit any driver from sending text or e-mail messages while driving a vehicle. If the bill passes, states that do not enact text-banning laws could lose 25 percent of their federal highway funds.
While Nationwide is still exploring the details of this particular legislation, Nationwide supports the concept of a national ban on texting while driving as an integral part of the solution.
“There is a growing body of research and evidence that suggests a ban on texting while driving will save lives and make our roads a safer place to drive,” said Bill Windsor, Nationwide’s Safety Officer. “Nationwide believes we can save lives by finding solutions to the problem through legislation, public awareness and encouraging the development of new technology. In addition to saving lives, fewer crashes could result in lower auto insurance costs.”
While passage of legislation is a good start, Nationwide has taken the strong public position that technology will play an important role in effectively changing behavior behind the wheel. In early 2008, Nationwide began working with Aegis Mobility on a new, cell-phone based technology that will have a positive impact on reducing TWD crashes by advising callers and texters that the individual they are trying to reach is driving. Nationwide will be offering a discount for individuals that sign up for the DriveAssist™ program when it becomes available.
Nationwide has been working to draw attention to the emerging and dangerous social trend of Texting While Driving (TWD) for the past several years. A 2008 study by Nationwide of more than 1,500 Americans revealed that 18 percent of those surveyed admitted to TWD – that number jumps to 39 percent for drivers under 30 years old.
Source
In Washington D.C., United States Senators Chuck Schumer, D-New York; Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey; Mary Landrieu, D-Louisiana; and Kay Hagan, D-North Carolina, on Wednesday unveiled the ALERT Act, which would prohibit any driver from sending text or e-mail messages while driving a vehicle. If the bill passes, states that do not enact text-banning laws could lose 25 percent of their federal highway funds.
While Nationwide is still exploring the details of this particular legislation, Nationwide supports the concept of a national ban on texting while driving as an integral part of the solution.
“There is a growing body of research and evidence that suggests a ban on texting while driving will save lives and make our roads a safer place to drive,” said Bill Windsor, Nationwide’s Safety Officer. “Nationwide believes we can save lives by finding solutions to the problem through legislation, public awareness and encouraging the development of new technology. In addition to saving lives, fewer crashes could result in lower auto insurance costs.”
While passage of legislation is a good start, Nationwide has taken the strong public position that technology will play an important role in effectively changing behavior behind the wheel. In early 2008, Nationwide began working with Aegis Mobility on a new, cell-phone based technology that will have a positive impact on reducing TWD crashes by advising callers and texters that the individual they are trying to reach is driving. Nationwide will be offering a discount for individuals that sign up for the DriveAssist™ program when it becomes available.
Nationwide has been working to draw attention to the emerging and dangerous social trend of Texting While Driving (TWD) for the past several years. A 2008 study by Nationwide of more than 1,500 Americans revealed that 18 percent of those surveyed admitted to TWD – that number jumps to 39 percent for drivers under 30 years old.
Source
Friday, August 28, 2009
Auto insurance company will relocate two business units
Palisades Safety & Insurance Management Corp. will be moving about 100 employees from its commercial auto underwriting and southern New Jersey claims operations to an office building in Farmingdale, the company announced.
The employees currently are based out of 4 Paragon Way, in Freehold.
The auto insurance provider has leased the entire 26,683-square-foot office building at 5006 Belmar Blvd., in the Monmouth County borough, according to commercial real estate services firm Studley, which represented the company in the lease deal.
“It’s a brand-new building and offers ample room to grow in anticipation of any future growth and any acquisitions we may have,” said Karen Murdock, vice president of marketing and communications of Palisades, which is based in Berkeley Heights. Future growth of the company would involve expanding the firm’s commercial and personal auto businesses, she said.
The new facility, which is owned by Bollerman Development Corp., also allows the two Palisades business units to have their own standalone facility with signage in a highly visible location on Route 34, Murdock said. Those operations share its current building in Freehold with a number of other companies, she said.
Source
The employees currently are based out of 4 Paragon Way, in Freehold.
The auto insurance provider has leased the entire 26,683-square-foot office building at 5006 Belmar Blvd., in the Monmouth County borough, according to commercial real estate services firm Studley, which represented the company in the lease deal.
“It’s a brand-new building and offers ample room to grow in anticipation of any future growth and any acquisitions we may have,” said Karen Murdock, vice president of marketing and communications of Palisades, which is based in Berkeley Heights. Future growth of the company would involve expanding the firm’s commercial and personal auto businesses, she said.
The new facility, which is owned by Bollerman Development Corp., also allows the two Palisades business units to have their own standalone facility with signage in a highly visible location on Route 34, Murdock said. Those operations share its current building in Freehold with a number of other companies, she said.
Source
Monday, July 27, 2009
Two big-name companies announced planned exit from N.J.
New Jersey will be out a total of 225 jobs in July, when two big-name companies shift select operations to other states, according to filings with the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The state’s heavy tax burden may have helped to drive them out, according to one Rutgers University economics professor.
E-Trade Financial will close its 171-person Jersey City customer service unit July 5, according to the financial service’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN, Act filing with the state. Garden State employers generally must give at least 60 days notice before a plant is closed, or when mass layoffs — usually defined as targeting 50 or more employees — are planned.
The customer service jobs are being moved to E-Trade locations in Utah and Georgia, according to spokeswoman Tina Martineau.
“We remain committed to Jersey City,” including the retention of its offices in the city's Harborside Financial Center and several jobs, including in the legal and compliance arenas, she said.
Another 54 jobs will be lost beginning July 31, when Archer Daniels Midland Co. shutters its Glassboro cocoa facility, according to the company’s WARN filing.
“The company is in negotiations with United Food and Commercial Workers Local 152 regarding the effects of the closing,” said ADM spokesman Roman Blahoski. “Production at the Glassboro facility will be transferred to a new ADM cocoa facility in Hazleton, Pennsylvania.”
Some of the employees at the Glassboro facility “will have the opportunity to transfer to the Hazleton plant,” he added.
“New Jersey is a high-tax state, and that can drive companies away,” said John Worrall, an economics professor at the Rutgers School of Business-Camden. Though he has no inside knowledge about the decisions, “research indicates that high tax burdens and other costs can make a big difference in corporate location decisions.”
“In New Jersey’s case, it’s not just the income taxes,” he said. “We’ve also got high property taxes and auto insurance costs that can influence decision-makers.”
Source
E-Trade Financial will close its 171-person Jersey City customer service unit July 5, according to the financial service’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN, Act filing with the state. Garden State employers generally must give at least 60 days notice before a plant is closed, or when mass layoffs — usually defined as targeting 50 or more employees — are planned.
The customer service jobs are being moved to E-Trade locations in Utah and Georgia, according to spokeswoman Tina Martineau.
“We remain committed to Jersey City,” including the retention of its offices in the city's Harborside Financial Center and several jobs, including in the legal and compliance arenas, she said.
Another 54 jobs will be lost beginning July 31, when Archer Daniels Midland Co. shutters its Glassboro cocoa facility, according to the company’s WARN filing.
“The company is in negotiations with United Food and Commercial Workers Local 152 regarding the effects of the closing,” said ADM spokesman Roman Blahoski. “Production at the Glassboro facility will be transferred to a new ADM cocoa facility in Hazleton, Pennsylvania.”
Some of the employees at the Glassboro facility “will have the opportunity to transfer to the Hazleton plant,” he added.
“New Jersey is a high-tax state, and that can drive companies away,” said John Worrall, an economics professor at the Rutgers School of Business-Camden. Though he has no inside knowledge about the decisions, “research indicates that high tax burdens and other costs can make a big difference in corporate location decisions.”
“In New Jersey’s case, it’s not just the income taxes,” he said. “We’ve also got high property taxes and auto insurance costs that can influence decision-makers.”
Source
Monday, July 13, 2009
Health insurance tax will burden business
In an effort to raise $100 million to help balance another budget deficit, the Corzine administration is poised to impose a 125 percent tax on health insurers throughout New Jersey.This legislation will have catastrophic results for a state in which 1.7 million residents currently lack health insurance and whose business community has been decimated by a crushing tax burden, inane bureaucracy and stifling regulations. This will lead to higher health insurance premiums for employers who provide coverage.
Small business employers, many of which offer their workers health insurance, will be particularly hard hit, as they already operate at small profit margins. This astronomical tax hike will force many to drop their coverage, adding to the state's growing list of uninsured workers and their families.
According to the New Jersey Business and Industry Association's annual Health Benefits Survey, for most of the state's smallest companies — those with two to 19 employees — sponsoring coverage already has fallen as costs have risen. This tax increase will be the nail in their coffins.
Gov. Jon Corzine and his Democratic colleagues contend competition will keep prices low, similar to the auto marketplace. That simply isn't true. In New Jersey, more than 70 automobile insurance companies compete for business. In contrast, only seven health insurance companies do the same — again, some by razor-thin profit margins.
The domino effect will be felt on the local government level as well. Since many municipalities purchase their health insurance in the public marketplace, their premiums also will increase, resulting in higher property taxes for homeowners.
While Democrats consistently harp about providing universal or at least more accessible health care, they have gone above and beyond the call to price health care out of any range of affordability in New Jersey. I'm sure we're not the only ones who see the irony in that.
Source
Small business employers, many of which offer their workers health insurance, will be particularly hard hit, as they already operate at small profit margins. This astronomical tax hike will force many to drop their coverage, adding to the state's growing list of uninsured workers and their families.
According to the New Jersey Business and Industry Association's annual Health Benefits Survey, for most of the state's smallest companies — those with two to 19 employees — sponsoring coverage already has fallen as costs have risen. This tax increase will be the nail in their coffins.
Gov. Jon Corzine and his Democratic colleagues contend competition will keep prices low, similar to the auto marketplace. That simply isn't true. In New Jersey, more than 70 automobile insurance companies compete for business. In contrast, only seven health insurance companies do the same — again, some by razor-thin profit margins.
The domino effect will be felt on the local government level as well. Since many municipalities purchase their health insurance in the public marketplace, their premiums also will increase, resulting in higher property taxes for homeowners.
While Democrats consistently harp about providing universal or at least more accessible health care, they have gone above and beyond the call to price health care out of any range of affordability in New Jersey. I'm sure we're not the only ones who see the irony in that.
Source
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