Insurance News - Thursday, November 27, 2014

Here are the leading auto insurance headlines from ONTARIO AUTO INSURANCE TOPICS ON TWITTER for Thursday, November 27, 2014:

• John Tory joins the Competition Bureau in speaking out against Toronto’s move to file an injunction in court against Uber ride-sharing service.
• A Toronto undercover investigation concluded that there are “real and urgent” safety problems with Uber, including issues with insurance coverage, driver screening and vehicle inspections.
• Meanwhile in California, ride-sharing service drivers from companies such as Uber and Lyft will soon be able to buy an amendment to their auto insurance coverage that will provide them with protection from the moment that they sign on and are waiting for a call to pick up a rider,
• Experts claim driverless cars could add $1.3 Trillion to U.S. economy from reduced accidents and productivity gains.
• Of course driverless cars could also open up employers to steal the last of your free time.
• Fraud has caused ridiculously high auto insurance rates in Detroit which now threatens the city's economic recovery by making it expensive for residents to stay in the city and discouraging newcomers.

Insurance News - Saturday, November 22, 2014

Here are the leading auto insurance headlines from ONTARIO AUTO INSURANCE TOPICS ON TWITTER for Saturday, November 22, 2014:

• Bill 15, Fighting Fraud and Reducing Automobile Insurance Rates Act, 2014 passed this week with no changes.  The bill when proclaimed will transfer accident benefit disputes to the Licence Appeal Tribunal, implement the oversight of the billing practices of health clinics, and introduce new rules governing tow truck operators and vehicle storage yard.
• The legal community was unable to convince the government to make changes to Bill 15 which means the new dispute resolution system will have no access to the courts and prejudgment interest will be reduced.
• This week the Ontario government released its Fall Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review (pages 71-72 deal with auto insurance).
• Driverless vehicles and smart cities can cut auto fatalities and CO2 emissions by 2025.
• Armed with analytics, predictive modeling and big data, insurers are moving to take on application fraud.
• Automakers adopt protocols to handle and protect consumer data in connected car era.