Study: Hybrids are safer than traditional cars
December 13th, 2011
Kathryn Hawkins
Hybrid cars are safer for the planet than their traditional gas-guzzling counterparts. Now, we know that they’re safer for drivers and their passengers, too.
A new study from the Highway Loss Data Institute found that people riding in hybrid vehicles were less likely to be injured in a crash than passengers in the non-hybrid version of the same car.
In the study, the Highway Loss Data Institute analyzed collision and injury claims filed between 2002 and 2010, comparing the data for more than 25 pairs of hybrid vehicles and their non-hybrid counterparts. Hybrid drivers and passengers were about 25 percent less likely to be injured in an accident compared to their standard-car twins, researchers found.
Don’t expect this study to lower auto insurance rates for hybrids, however — at least not right away.
 |
| The hybrid version of the Ford Escape is among many hybrid vehicles being purchased by Americans. |
Michael Barry, a spokesman for the Insurance Information Institute, calls the results of the study “encouraging.” But, he notes, “auto insurers assess the frequency and severity of the claims they receive from certain vehicles over a long period of time when setting an auto insurance premium. There’s no definitive track record as yet to support whether hybrid vehicles will likely get into fewer accidents as compared to other types of vehicles over the long term.”
While you may not earn auto insurance savings as a hybrid driver, one of these eco-friendly cars could be a lifesaver.
The benefits of added weight
It’s not that eco-conscious drivers are more cautious on the road. In fact, “hybrids as a group tend to get into more crashes than their non-hybrid counterparts,” says Russ Rader, a spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a sister organization of the Highway Loss Data Institute. He says those crash statistics likely stem from the fact that hybrid drivers tend to rack up more mileage than other drivers.
Instead, the lower likelihood of crash injuries is the result of hybrid vehicles’ extra heft compared with their non-hybrid counterparts. Hybrids typically are 10 percent heavier than standard models, thanks to their battery packs and other internal components. A hybrid Toyota Highlander SUV, for example, weighs 4,500 pounds, compared with 4,170 for the standard Highlander.
“The laws of physics dictate that bigger, heavier vehicles are more protective of occupants than smaller, lighter vehicles when there’s a crash,” Rader says.
When two cars collide, the larger car pushes the smaller car backward, causing less force to the larger car — and less likelihood of injuries to the people riding in the car.
Other safety concerns
The Highway Loss Data Institute study is a counterpoint to the findings of a previous study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — that hybrid vehicles, because of their quiet engines, are 20 percent more likely than conventional cars to be involved in accidents with pedestrians and cyclists.
In response to this study and other research that demonstrated that hybrid cars could threaten pedestrians’ safety, Congress approved the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2010. The law requires all hybrid and electric car manufacturers to add sounds that activate when the vehicle is traveling at low speeds so that pedestrians and cyclists can be alerted to a car’s presence. Some hybrids already are equipped with optional noisemakers; all automakers eventually will be required to install these features in their hybrid models.
Hybrid vehicles also may pose more hazards to firefighters, police officers and other first responders. Here are two reasons why:
• The vehicles’ nickel-cadmium battery cells, which may cause injury through spillage.
• The vehicles’ high-voltage, direct-current systems, which have the potential to cause electric shock. Hybrids typically carry 500 or more volts of electricity, which can cause severe injury or death, according to the NFPA Journal.
 |
| The Toyota Prius is the top-selling hybrid in the United States. |
Because hybrid and electric cars are involved in only a small percentage of all car accidents, minimal information is available regarding accidents involving first responders. To avoid injuries and deaths among first responders who handle hybrid vehicle emergencies, the National Fire Protection Association has developed a safety training program.
A newfound benefit of going green
While hybrid vehicles may pose additional hazards to pedestrians and first responders, they are the safest — and most environmentally friendly — choice for drivers, according to the Highway Loss Data Institute study.
In the past, Rader says, the only way for automakers to boost fuel economy was to remove weight from a vehicle, which made passengers more vulnerable to injuries resulting from collisions.
However, the new study shows that “going green and saving on fuel don’t have to mean a safety hazard,” Rader says. “You can do those things and still provide even better protection for your family than you can while driving the gas-only versions of these vehicles.”
Although hybrid cars carry higher price tags than their standard counterparts, their market share is steadily rising. Hybrid sales for November 2011 were nearly 25 percent higher than the hybrid market share a year earlier.
“The more they’re available, the more you’ll see people buying them,” says Sharrice Gilsbach, associate editor of auto insurance companies are battling to outdo each other in advertising, but how do they stack up where it really matters: price, service and fairness in settling claims?
We scoured the rankings, sifted through consumer survey data and talked with experts to bring you the InsuranceQuotes.com Insurance Quality Awards, honoring the best auto insurance companies for 2011.
Best Auto Insurance Company
Winner: Amica Mutual
 |
In consumer rankings, Amica Mutual almost always comes out on top. For example, in the 2011 National Auto Insurance Study, market research giant J.D. Power and Associates put Amica at the top of auto insurance heap for the 12th year in a row based on a consumer survey measuring overall satisfaction, service, policy offerings and ease of payment.
“It’s kind of the overall customer experience – if you were to stop somebody on the street, how would they judge the quality of service they get,” says Jeremy Bowler, senior director of the insurance practice at J.D. Power and Associates.
Amica uses a toll-free number instead of agents, but gets high marks for trying to match the customer with the correct product and educating the customer about what to expect from the company’s coverage, according to Bowler. Robert Hunter, director of insurance at the nonprofit Consumer Federation of America, says: “Amica would be on everybody’s list of good companies.”
When the J.D. Power survey results were released, Robert DiMuccio, chairman, president and CEO of Amica Mutual, noted several initiatives launched in 2011 that were aimed at boosting customer service:
• New apps for iPhone, BlackBerry and Android devices.
• A system that lets customers pay their premiums electronically.
• Improvements to the online claims center and automatic payment plan.
“We’re determined to provide our customers the best possible customer service – whether on the phone, online or on the go. It’s all part of our commitment to being the absolute best that we can be,” DiMuccio said.
Best Auto Insurance Company
Runners-up: Auto-Owners Insurance, State Auto Insurance
Auto-Owners Insurance, whose policies are sold in 26 states, and State Auto Insurance, available in 33 states, both get high marks from Consumer Reports – 92 out of 100 and 90 out of 100, respectively – based on a survey of more than 96,000 readers. Readers rated insurers on claims-related problems, other types of problems and timely payment of claims.
Best Shopping Experience
Winner: American Family Insurance
 |
The American Family Insurance business model – insurance is sold by local agents who deal only with American Family policies, rather than independent agents who sell for several companies – helped it win the top spot in J.D. Powers’ 2011 Insurance Shopping Study, according to Bowler.
The study surveyed customers who recently bought auto insurance about their overall purchase experience and their interaction with a call center representative or local agent, as well as the insurer’s website, policy offerings and price.
“American Family’s sales agents are the differentiator – they focus on building a relationship with the customer,” Bowler says.
American Family concentrates on selling bundled policies for the entire household and keeping up with its customers to help them adjust their coverage to match lifestyle changes. “They have made an effort to compete on service rather than price,” Bowler says.
When the J.D. Power survey results came out, American Family’s president, Jack Salzwedel, said in a news release: “The credit here goes to our agents and employees. There are a lot of companies who say they want to focus on customers and put the words down on paper. But there are very few that actually have it as part of their fabric and culture and really believe it.”
Best Shopping Experience
Runner-up: Auto-Owners Insurance
Auto-Owners Insurance ranked No. 2 in the J.D. Powers and Associates shopping study for similar reasons, according to Bowler. “It’s the strength of the agency relationship (with the customer),” Bowler says.
Best or Most Discounts
Winner: Progressive
 |
| Consumer Reports praises Progressive’s Snapshot discount program. |
Most auto insurers offer discounts for bundling policies, installing anti-theft devices in cars or good grades for teen drivers. Consumer Reports lauds Progressive for its innovative “Snapshot” discount, which lets a driver save up to 30 percent by installing a device in the car that monitors miles driven, acceleration and braking.
The Snapshot program is not available in every state; in three states, customers can be penalized with higher rates if the device reveals risky driving.
Best or Most Discounts
Runner-up: State Farm
State Farm has a similar program available only in eight states, but only for vehicles equipped with an active OnStar security and communication device. The program can deliver average premium savings of about 5 percent, according to State Farm.
Best Low-Cost Insurance
Winner: Erie Insurance
Erie Insurance, which sells policies through independent agents in 11 states, got five out of five “power circles” in the J.D. Power rating system. That means it was ranked among the best companies for pricing in J.D. Power’s 2011 National Auto Insurance Study, which surveyed customers about their auto insurance, and the J.D. Power 2011 Insurance Shopping Study, which surveyed customers who had recently bought insurance. Erie Insurance also earned high scores for overall satisfaction.
“You can get a good price without giving up good service,” Hunter says. “Some of the top companies (for customer service) are also among the lowest-priced.”
Erie Insurance spokesman Chris Banocy says the company strives to provide its customers “with as near-perfect protection and as near-perfect service as is humanly possible while doing so at the lowest possible cost.”
Best Low-Cost Insurance
Runner-up: USAA
USAA also got five out of five “power circles” for pricing in two J.D. Power studies – and stellar marks for service from J.D. Power and Consumer Reports. But USAA offers insurance only to active U.S. military members, veterans and some of their family members. Most years, USAA pays a dividend to its customers. “After the dividend, it ends up being a very inexpensive company (for premiums),” Hunter says.
Best TV Ads
Winner: GEICO
 |
| The Gecko stars in many of GEICO’s commercials. |
It was GEICO’s chatty Gecko that launched the auto insurer advertising wars, and GEICO still makes the best TV ads.
A survey by the Market Force Information market research company found that the highest percentage of customers — 39 percent — picked GEICO as the auto insurer that does the best job of communicating its value through advertising. It makes sense: GEICO outspends its competitors, shelling out $ 900 million for advertising in 2010.
“A decade ago, one in three (consumers) didn’t even know who GEICO was,” Bowler says. “GEICO is working very hard to be front and center – they’ve got universal brand recognition today.”
The Consumer Federation of America’s Hunter says consumers shouldn’t let funny commercials influence their purchase decisions: “That is not the way to shop for car insurance.”
Best TV Ads
Runners-up: Allstate and Progressive
In the Market Force Information survey, Allstate (with its havoc-wreaking Mayhem character) and Progressive (with quirky customer service rep Flo) followed GEICO, with 22 percent and 17 percent of customers, respectively, saying they did the best job communicating through ads. About one-fourth of the people questioned said they’d consider switching because of an ad.
“In order to grow (in the auto insurance industry), you have to steal somebody else’s customer,” Bowler says. “GEICO and Progressive are growing because others are shrinking.”
Best Claims Service
Winner: Auto-Owners Insurance
 |
Auto-Owners Insurance won the top spot in J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Auto Claims Satisfaction Study, which surveyed consumers who recently had filed claims. Policyholders were asked about:
• Overall satisfaction.
• Service interaction. This included the customer representative’s concern and responsiveness.
• Appraisal of the value of the vehicle and dollar amount of damage.
• Repair process. This included quality and speed of service.
• Fairness of the claim settlement.
“Auto-Owners excels in simplicity of communication,” Bowler says. “No other carrier does a better job of limiting the number of people you have to talk to.”
Half of Auto-Owners customers said they dealt with only one company representative.
Auto-Owners also did a good job calming customers after a crash – the company scored 900 out of 1,000 for quality of interpersonal interaction.
“It’s not that they’re fastest to settle a claim, but they did a better job of explaining how long it would take – if it’s going to take two weeks, then the customer is fully prepared for it,” Bowler says.
Furthermore, Auto-Owners received high marks for perceived fairness of claim settlements. Only 7 percent of the company’s customers tried to negotiate a settlement, compared with an average of 11 percent. Bowler says that for the “worst offenders,” the figure is 20 percent.
Best Claims Service
Runner-up: State Farm
State Farm also scored well on interpersonal interaction in the J.D. Powers claims survey. Bowler says State Farm’s biggest advantage is its size.
“They are by far bigger than anybody else, so they have more customers, more claims and more established relationships with repair partners,” Bowler says.
“Say you have a big snowstorm and hundreds of cars are damaged in a single day. If State Farm calls the repair shop and says, ‘I’ve got 30 customers and I want you to get right on it,’ the repair shop is likely to heed that because they know they will bring in 30 cars next week, too.”
No matter whether you’re dealing with a titan like State Farm or a smaller player like Auto-Owners, experts say what makes a good auto insurance company is pretty simple. “A good company treats you right, doesn’t try to fool you, and is prompt and fair,” Hunter says.
Gina Roberts-Grey
In September 1997, actor Kevin Sorbo was on top of the world. Sorbo, then in his late 30s, was starring in the title role in the hit TV show “Hercules.” Much like his character, Sorbo seemed invincible.
But in the blink of an eye, a searing pain that shot down Sorbo’s left arm threatened to not only stifle his career, but threatened the loss of his arm — and his life. The source of the pain: an aneurysm in Sorbo’s arm. The aneurysm caused him to suffer three strokes.
Strokes are the third leading cause of death in the United States, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). They’re also expensive to treat. In 2010, the U.S. tab for strokes added up to $ 53.9 billion. That includes health insurance payments, out-of-pocket expenses and lost productivity. Stroke-related costs are expected to soar past $ 2.2 trillion in the next 40 years.
People at risk for stroke tend to be smokers; be overweight; have high blood pressure, high cholesterol or both; and be over age 65. None of those applied to Sorbo, though.
 |
| Actor Kevin Sorbo wrote a book about his life journey after having three strokes in 1997. |
To raise awareness about strokes and to inspire fellow stroke patients and their families, Sorbo wrote a memoir, “True Strength: My Journey from Hercules to Mere Mortal — and How Nearly Dying Saved My Life.” He recently spoke with InsuranceQuotes.com about his medical scare.
InsuranceQuotes.com: What led up to the day you were diagnosed with an aneurysm?
Kevin Sorbo: I was experiencing pain in my left shoulder that would shoot down my arm, but I blew off the pain because I had always been a jock and had the “you live through the pain” mentality. I started having numbness in my arm and fingers. My middle finger through my pinkie would be ice cold, so I finally called the doctor.
He said it was basically the equivalent of smashing your funny bone hard and that would cause the sensations. But my arm kept getting weaker and weaker, and I was having more and more pain. Because I was a jock, I still went to the gym despite the pain. But one day I couldn’t pick up 10 pounds (worth of weights), which was unusual. I had been lifting weights for over 20 years and went to the gym daily.
I left the gym to go to the chiropractor’s office … . Minutes after leaving the chiropractor’s office, I heard two loud pops in my neck and my vision went crazy, my balance went crazy and I knew something wasn’t right. I was driving, so I pulled over because it was very unsettling. I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t want to admit it, so I drove home. I shouldn’t have done that.
InsuranceQuotes.com: What happened when you got home?
Sorbo: By the time I got home, my speech was slurred. I knew I was having strokes. My then-fiancée (now his wife of 13 years) rushed me to the hospital. By the time I got there, my left arm was blue. It turned out that lump in my shoulder was an aneurysm, and it was disrupting blood flow to my arm as well as releasing clots that swam upstream to my brain and caused three strokes. The doctors were worried I would lose my arm, so they put me on blood thinners to reduce the clots.
InsuranceQuotes.com: What residual affects did you suffer?
Sorbo: I still have 10 percent vision loss. And I spent four months in rehab learning to walk again.
Work suffered, too. I went from working 14 hours a day to one hour a day when I returned to “Hercules” for Season 6. I worked my way up to working eight hours a day at end of Season 7. It took three years to feel normal and completely recovered.
InsuranceQuotes.com: How did the doctors react to someone so young and physically fit having strokes? After all, you were playing the strongest man in the world.
Sorbo: I’m the opposite of what doctors look for in stroke victims. I didn’t have a history of smoking, high cholesterol, obesity, high blood pressure or any of the stroke risk factors. They suspect the aneurysm could have existed since birth but couldn’t really figure out the cause.
InsuranceQuotes.com: How did you deal with the emotional toll of rehabilitating after having the strokes?
Sorbo: My religion helped, but it was frustrating. As a result of the frustration and things like seeing the pity on people’s faces when I returned to work a different person than when we went on hiatus, I experienced depression, panic and anxiety attacks, which lasted about 2 years.
I battled those emotional effects as well as the physical ones with acupuncture, yoga, meditation and stretching. I watched a lot of sitcoms because I wanted to laugh to deal with things like the residual weakness in my limbs. I also wept like a baby because it felt like someone died. I had lost myself, and that wasn’t easy.
InsuranceQuotes.com: Hollywood tends to downplay these types of health crises. Why talk about this now?
Sorbo: Everyone knows someone who has been through a health crisis. And I want people to know you can live through it and battle back physically and mentally.
InsuranceQuotes.com: How do you feel today?
Sorbo: Terrific. I feel wonderful and grateful to be alive. I’m back to working making several movies a year and enjoying life as a husband, father and golfer.
Tags: 