Tired of Losses: Ken Parsons and Rob Beneze Featured in Canadian Underwriter Magazine  

Driver fatigue and distraction are major sources of commercial auto losses, insurance professionals report, and one expert contends that authorities need to provide more guidance on random drug and alcohol testing of employees. While texting and driving is getting a lot of attention, one commercial auto expert suggests that it is also dangerous for drivers to use hands-free devices because people are not good at multi-tasking.   

“When we take a look at our losses and the leading frequencies and severities, many times the indication from the claims notes is people were looking at their cellphone, GPS or texting,” reports Rob Beneze, risk control consulting director, commercial auto for CNA. “In that regard, distracted driving is a major focus for us when we look at losses from commercial auto.”

In Canada, “what we do tend to see is driver fatigue, or driver error in terms of being on the phone, reaching for their lunch and rolling the vehicle,” notes Ken Parsons, assistant vice president, commercial auto underwriting at CNA Canada. “The losses we have seen coming from either fatigue or distraction have been multi-million dollar losses.”  

Continue reading Tired of Losses, beginning on page 26 of Canadian Underwriter Magazine.  

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