Travelers Experts Share Traffic Accident Trends

Travelers Experts Share Traffic Accident Trends

Traffic accident deaths rose eight percent in 2016. This is the largest increase we’ve seen in 50 years. EHS Today talked to two experts at Travelers to hear what trends the company is seeing and hear their insights about the most common road distractions.

Traffic deaths are on the rise; 35,092 people died on our nation’s roads in 2016, an increase of 8 percent and the greatest year-over-year increase in 50 years. There are many factors contributing to this issue, including a rise in distracted driving (smartphones and gadgets), higher road congestion and less experienced drivers.

On top of that, costs continue to rise (car damages have increased by $300 per part in the past five years; medical costs have increased by seven percent in the past year; the cost of a auto-related death has increased by 12 percent since 2015).  What does these mean for businesses and employees?

According to Travelers, the issue is two-fold, fiscal and safety:

• Many businesses don’t know they’re liable to cover employee auto accidents that occur during business hours, even when the employees are using personal vehicles.
  65 percent of businesses have employees who use their personal automobiles for business activities (Travelers Risk Index).
• The costs for employees potentially could include long-term loss of income and medical care (depending on the injury).

Chris Hayes, second vice president, Risk Control, Transportation for Travelers, and Dave Nelson, second vice president, Product, Commercial Accounts for Travelers, sat down to talk to EHS Today about these trends and to provide insight on the most common road distractions, the top costs to support these trends and how employers can better protect themselves and employees.

Read more: https://www.ehstoday.com/safety/article/21919192/travelers-experts-share-traffic-accident-trends