insurance

Britain insurance companies on self-driving vehicles

by Nick Carey, Paul Lienert and Tina Bellon of Reuters from https://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com Britain’s driverless car ambitions hit speed bump with insurers Insurers are key players in the shift to automated driving, with some investing in a technology they believe will slash accidents and deaths, and save them billions in payouts. But they are worried drivers might equate today’s lower levels of automation with fully self-driving vehicles, potentially causing more accidents in the short term and permanently damaging public confidence in the technology. Britain’s goal to be a leader in adopting self-driving cars could backfire unless automakers and government regulators spell out the current limitations of the technology, insurance companies warn. “What you describe things as is incredibly important, so people don’t use them inappropriately,” said David Williams, managing director of underwriting at AXA Insurance, whose parent AXA SA made 17 billion euros in revenues from property and casualty insurance, including motor insurance, in 2020. “I genuinely believe the world will be a safer place with autonomous vehicles and I really don’t want that derailed.” In what would be a world first, Britain is considering regulating the use of Automated Lane Keeping Systems (ALKS) on its roads, possibly even on motorways at speeds of up to 70 miles (113 km) per hour. It is also deciding whether to describe them to the general public as “automated” systems. It is that one word – automated – that has stirred controversy and put the country at the centre of a global debate about self-driving terminology at a sensitive moment in its evolution. The technology is evolving rapidly and there is no consensus on how to deploy it or what to call some features. Regulations in the Americas, Europe and Asia lag far behind technical developments and issues over accident liability are unresolved. ALKS […]

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E-bikes that look like motorcycles take another hit in Canada

by Maryse Zeidler from https://www.cbc.ca Appellant’s lawyer says his client relied on Motorino XMr for affordable transportation The British Columbia Court of Appeal has upheld a B.C. Supreme Court ruling that e-bikes designed to look and function more like mopeds or scooters do not meet the province’s definition of a motor-assisted cycle and therefore require a driver’s licence, registration and insurance. The case was brought forward by Ali Ghadban, who was issued a ticket in Surrey, B.C., in 2018 for riding his Motorino XMr without a driver’s licence and insurance. He said he wasn’t able to obtain them from the provincial insurer, ICBC. Two of the three Appeal Court justices assigned to the case agreed with the B.C. Supreme Court judge’s decision from May 2020 that found although the Motorino XMr is outfitted with pedals, limited power and a maximum speed of 32 km/h, it doesn’t qualify as a motor-assisted cycle because it’s not designed to be operated primarily by human power. At the heart of the issue are the XMr’s small pedals, which Court of Appeal Justice Harvey M. Groberman agreed would do little to propel the nearly 115-kilogram bike. Groberman said the XMr is designed to almost exclusively operate as a low-powered electric motorcycle, or as “a very heavy, impractical bicycle.” Although the XMr meets many of the technical requirements of a motor-assisted cycle as defined in B.C.’s Motor Vehicle Act, Groberman wrote, it doesn’t do so in practice. “If a piece of legislation defines ‘cat’ as ‘a small four-legged furry mammal that purrs,’ we would not expect that definition to include a dog fitted with a loudspeaker that plays a purring sound,” he said. Affordable, environmentally friendly Lawyer Dan Griffiths, who represented Ghadban in the case, said his client is a man of modest financial means who

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Choices for Motorcycle Insurance for the Teen Driver

from https://www.sfgate.com Not every teen wants to drive a car; some would rather ride motorcycles, dirt bikes, or even scooters and mopeds. Parents can, understandably, be hesitant to allow their teen to ride and Cary Runnells, State Farm Insurance Agent in Thousand Oaks, CA has prepared a report to help parents understand the licensing, safety and insurance options available for teen riders. Not every teen wants to drive a car; some would rather ride motorcycles, dirt bikes, or even scooters and mopeds. Parents can, understandably, be hesitant to allow their teen to ride and Cary Runnells, State Farm Insurance Agent in Thousand Oaks, CA has prepared a report to help parents understand the licensing, safety and insurance options available for teen riders. First on the list is to prepare the teen rider. The State of California requires a Class M1 or Class M2 driver license to operate a motorcycle or a “Motor Driven Cycle.” The California Department of Motor Vehicles motorcycle handbook describes these vehicles as: Motorcycle having only two wheels and an engine that is over 150cc Motor Driven Cycles have engines that are 149cc or less Vehicles must be registered Driver must be licensed Before getting his or her license, your teen needs a motorcycle permit. Teen drivers need to be at least 15 ½ years old to get a permit and must complete a motorcycle rider training course that is given by the California Highway Patrol. Other requirements include passing knowledge and skill tests and obtain the Certificate of Completion for the motorcycle training course. “Shortly before your teen is ready to apply for the permit is the time to meet with your insurance agent about insurance,” said Runnells of the Thousand Oaks State Farm Insurance Agency. State Farm offers motorcycle insurance for multiple bike types: Factory-built

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Electric scooters: threat to motorcyling or innocent fun?

No license, no registration, no insurance, no helmet: all you need to rent and ride an electric scooter is an app on your phone. FEMA’s Wim Taal looks into why this could be a threat to motorcyclists. Especially in larger cities, a growing number of people are using personal light electric vehicles (PLEVs), to move on the streets, such as ‘e-scooters’ or ‘trottinettes’ and other devices such as Segways, monowheels and powered skateboards. Most of these vehicles are not currently subject to any form of registration, or any other regulation such as type approval, driver training and licensing and third party insurance. It is not up to FEMA to lay out a set of rules for these vehicles, but we are concerned that these type of vehicles could be categorized as powered two-wheelers. That could mean that victims of road accidents with these vehicles end up in motorcycle accident statistics, possibly causing stricter (safety) rules for motorcyclists. The fact that more and more cities are planning parking bans on sidewalks for personal light electric vehicles, can also mean stricter parking rules for motorcycles. Other than most bicycle rental schemes, the rental scooters do not need to be put in docking stations. Typically the vehicles are left all over sidewalks, left behind by the user that reached his destination. ‘If victims of accidents with e-scooters end up in motorcycle accident statistics, stricter (safety) rules for motorcyclists can follow. A parking ban on sidewalks for e-scooters can also mean stricter parking rules for motorcycles’. A number of companies have flooded cities with electric scooters that can be rented using an app on your phone. In Paris for example, over 20,000 of these two-wheelers have been introduced. From an article in the Guardian: “Broken scooters end up in some of the city’s famed

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The IIHS: When a New Study is Not New and Not a Study

By Gary Biller, NMA President Every two or three years, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) splashes the media with a recycled report of how many deaths have occurred due to raised speed limits. And reporters dutifully echo it as gospel because sensational headlines like, “Speed limit increases are tied to 37,000 deaths over 25 years,” grab attention and generate views. That is the current press release title from IIHS for a just-issued report that is a rehash of a similar effort from 2016. The claim from the insurance industry advocacy group made back then, with uncanny precision for a methodology based almost entirely on assumption and extrapolation, was that 32,894 people died from higher speed limits since the 55 mph National Maximum Speed Limit (NMSL) was repealed. This skeptical review of that IIHS claim three years ago could serve just as well in critiquing the 2019 IIHS repeat of the “speed kills” mantra. Perhaps my favorite quote in the current reporting of the IIHS release is this from Axiom’s “Slow the hell down:” “ ’Every time you raise speed limits, you see more deaths,’ said IIHS vice president for research and statistical services Charles Farmer.” It isn’t necessary to stretch our advocacy muscles even a tiny bit to show this as provably false. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System Encyclopedia publishes annual highway fatalities rates. Speed limits have climbed steadily since the full repeal of the NMSL in 1995, commonly reaching 75, 80 and even 85 mph, and yet fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled have plummeted: 1995                1.73 2000                1.53 2005                1.46 2010                1.11 2015                1.15 The 2017 fatality rate of 1.16 marks a 33 percent reduction over the past 22 years. Mr. Farmer sees statistics differently than most, but then again,

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Letter sent to NHTSA Seeking Clarification on the Definition of a Motorcycle

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation would like to thank Congressman Michael Burgess (TX) and Congressman Tim Walberg (MI) for a letter they sent this week to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) seeking clarification regarding the definition of a motorcycle. In addition to Congressman Burgess and Congressman Wahlberg, the following U.S. Representatives joined their colleagues in signing the letter: Congressman Troy Balderson (OH), Congressman Doug Lamborn (CO), Congressman Collin Peterson (MN), Congressman Steve Stivers (OH) and Congressman Glenn “GT” Thompson (PA). The current definition is decades old and so broad that new vehicles on our roadways, with numerous carlike features, are defined as motorcycles. “As you know, NHTSA has long defined a motorcycle as a ‘motor vehicle with motive power having a seat or saddle for the use of the rider and designed to travel on not more than three wheels in contact with the ground.’ While this was a clear characterization for many years, the recent emergence of a new class of vehicle that has attributes of both automobiles and motorcycles has created confusion,” the members wrote. “We respectfully request a response that describes whether NHTSA believes the current federal definition of a motorcycle is appropriate and if not, what NHTSA is doing to address this issue.” The ambiguity of the classification of these new vehicles as either motorcycles or autocycles has created a patchwork of rules and regulations at the state level for licensing, registration and insurance. The MRF believes that a review of this definition is needed and would help provide clarity to states when making decisions on how to appropriately regulate them. We thank these seven members of Congress for seeking clarification from NHTSA on this issue of importance to motorcyclists. President of the MRF, Kirk “Hardtail” Willard, stated “For three years our members have asked

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Threesome Report: Make Some Room, Trike Riders Don’t Ride Alone

TRIKE NEWS Adventures on a Ural, Autocycle madness, 2019 Freewheeler, Deals, Offers, Discounts. Tracy Getty, a World War 2 historian shares the chair, lighting up sparks of love with a Ural sidecar motorcycle. Tracy and her ride named “Wildcat” bring joy to people who never knew what three-wheels and a smile could do. We bring you a basic background on the craziness of Autocycles and how it is affecting motorcycle industry, riders, insurance and legislation. While there are companies that want a motorcycle classification to avoid car crash testing expenses, there are others who want true innovation and a new understanding of where Autocycles stand in State and Federal law – and it is all really unsteady despite having more than two-wheels. Harley-Davidson Freewheeler has a 2019 model that rocks. You can own a Ural or a Slinghsot for incredible deals on 2018 models. If you are an actual Trike lover with custom trike business or a custom trike, you would want to know what the financial and legal implications (pronounced as complications) are going to be. READ IT AT Trikes.Bikernet.com NOW

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Trikes site has a Weekly News

READ IT Right Now at Trikes.bikernet.com MRF.org discuss with us the legislation on auto-cycles and trikes being bunched together with motorcycles. How this affects the motorcycle industry and motorcycle riders is very important. Trike riders need to know their liability. They need to get benefits as per their vehicles and not as per short-sighted Senator short-cuts to corporate sales. Raymond Hamilton is back with bizarre, actual laws in the States on kinky sex. Beware, Big Brother is peeking into your bedroom. The Bad Joke Library ventures into worse. You have been warned. Trikes University is now open for admission at Trikes.bikernet.com and a short course material is posted in the Weekly News there. Tours of scenic landscapes and wildlife reserves on Trikes is catching on in South Africa, Australia and USA. We have just a small dose for you in the Trikes Weekly News. We want to get the dirt on Trike Touring industry and the unique opportunities and experiences it offers to tourists. Expect a full-length feature on that soon. Ride On! Ujjwal “Wayfarer” Dey

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