Manitobans jump on immobilizer program T

1:15 PM
Page 1
Working with Manitobans to Reduce Risk on the Road
8/30/05
The $40 million plan provides devices
that meet the national standard of the
Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) for
$280 installed, pays $140 toward the cost
of each unit, and finances the balance
interest-free for up to five years.
Participating owners also receive a yearly
premium discount of $40, which means
many would end up $12 ahead each year.
The program, a partnership with CAA
Manitoba, aims to install immobilizers
in 90 per cent of all Manitoba vehicles
within five years.
“We’re really encouraged with this
enthusiastic response so far and hope
it’s the beginning of a trend.”
No rate change, basically . . . 3
AOL’s first decade . . . . . . . . . . 6
Inside Coverage
Benefits ease pain . . . . . . . . . 7
100 driving tips . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Summer 2005
“When we announced this program, we
said its success depended on Manitobans
doing their part to reduce auto theft as
a community issue,” says President and
Chief Executive Officer Marilyn McLaren.
That’s significantly more people
protecting their vehicles with engine
immobilizers in a few weeks than the
total number over the last five years.
The company is now working with its
business partners to increase installation
capacity to this overwhelming response.
Nearly 5,000 motorists have
jumped on board a new anti-auto
theft program launched in June by
Manitoba Public Insurance.
Continued on page 2
Auto theft cost the company more than
$35 million in 2004. Without concrete
action this year, the long-term outlook
for auto theft claims suggested the
company seek a rate increase in 2006–07,
instead of holding the line. This program
will return theft rates in Winnipeg to
1993 levels and save premium payers $95
million in years to come.
McLaren says auto theft in Manitoba
is really a Winnipeg problem, as in 2004
theft rates rose 32 per cent in the city
but declined in rural areas. It’s also linked
to specific vehicles, as the top 100
most-stolen vehicles in Winnipeg
represented only 17 per cent of the total
Winnipeg fleet last year but accounted
for 68 per cent of thefts. Immobilizing
these vulnerable vehicles is the key to
the anti-theft plan, she says.
‘This is the most progressive
auto theft initiative
ever proposed in Canada.’
“This is the most progressive auto theft
initiative ever proposed in Canada,”
says McLaren. “Every day in this city,30
vehicles are stolen and driven through our
communities by young thieves with little
regard for public safety or their own. We
have announced an investment to stop
auto theft by making vehicles
impossible to steal. Not one vehicle has
been started and stolen in eight years
anywhere in Canada when it’s been
protected by an electronic immobilizer
that meets the Canadian standard.”
Theft-proofing Winnipeg’s top 100 vulnerable vehicles key to success
Manitobans jump on immobilizer program
Summer Coverage 05.qxd
8/30/05
Page 2
We also provide our customers with
a level of service that is hard to match,
let alone beat, with 24 offices around the
province and mobile adjusters ready to
meet with customers in their homes.
Moreover, our comprehensive set of
customer service standards helps us
“This program is speeding up
a theft-proofing process that is already
underway among new vehicles,” says
McLaren. Recent federal legislation
enhanced this process by making
immobilizers mandatory on vehicles
manufactured after September 2007.
However, Manitoba has a larger
proportion of older vehicles, and older
Manitoba Public Insurance expects
to recoup its investment within four years
by way of reduced claims costs.
2
Manitoba Public Insurance is
funding the program through its
Rate Stabilization Reserve, a financial
pool it uses to help keep rates stable.
To provide full benefits to ratepayers,
the program must be embraced by
owners of the vehicles stolen most
often in Winnipeg.
models tend to be stolen more often.
Therefore, it will take many years for
most of our fleet to be protected by
factory-installed immobilizers.
Manitobans snap up immobilizers… continued from page 1
At Manitoba Public Insurance, we
aim to provide true value to the people
of this province, and the key to this is
balancing four factors that flow from
our founding objectives: price, coverage,
service and access.
I could talk at length about the extent
of our injury compensation program.
While the injury benefits we offer to all
Manitobans are the best around, few
people (thankfully) need to take them.
So a more useful measure of our coverage
is our collision deductibles, ranging from
the basic $500 to $100. Most customers
choose to buy a $200 deductible, which
is unheard of in many parts of Canada.
Manitoba Public Insurance
P.O. Box 6300, 820-234 Donald Street
Winnipeg, Man. R3C 4A4
Web site: www.mpi.mb.ca
If you have story ideas or suggestions,
please contact the Editor at 204-985-7678.
Design: Advertising Services
Writers: Andrea Geary, Jim Johnson,
Tracey Proctor, Brian Smiley
Editor: Ted Wakefield
Publisher: Carol Standil
COVERAGE is published quarterly for the
business and community partners and
employees of Manitoba Public Insurance.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Marilyn McLaren
At Manitoba Public Insurance, we
keep the “value equation” front and
centre in our business plans – and
continue to balance the factors that it
comprises so customers continue to
benefit well into the future.
Sometimes, we move beyond these
four factors in contributing value to
Manitobans and their community.
This year, we’re doing so by tackling
a major social issue head-on through
our anti-auto theft immobilizer
incentive program.
Then there’s accessibility, where public
auto insurance truly shines. We live by
two basic principles: No driver who
can legally register a vehicle is denied
insurance; and our rates are set using
consistent and reasonable criteria, not
arbitrary or discriminatory factors such
as age, gender or marital status.
However, with the deepening
controversy over high premiums
elsewhere, we’ve see the emergence
of “no-frills” auto insurance that offers
virtually no coverage at all.
We know Manitobans don’t want to
sacrifice coverage for price, nor do we
think it’s necessary. So while the day
may come when other insurers become
price competitive, in Manitoba motorists
will continue to receive superior value –
and the best coverage around.
ensure every interaction with a customer
is a positive one. In 2004, this was true
97 per cent of the time.
Up Front
In recent years, we have focused on
price and how our rates are among the
lowest, if not the lowest, across Canada.
President’s Message
1:15 PM
Running a successful auto
insurance company – especially
a public insurance company –
can be a delicate balancing act.
Balancing premiums and rates,
without reducing coverage,
is only part of the story.
Summer Coverage 05.qxd
“I get to see my daughter any time
I want, see her smile, hear her laughter
and live life as I now know it,” said
Hebert, who delivered his powerful
But the former truck driver will quickly
tell you he’d rather spend the rest of his
life in a wheelchair than experience the
alternative – death.
Imagine waking up in a hospital and
being told you will never walk again.
Brad Hebert lived that nightmare,
as he became a quadriplegic after
a single-vehicle collision.
Crash survivor delivers
powerful seatbelt
message
Big wheels of safety
In its application to the Public Utilities
Board (PUB) submitted June 24, the
company requested no overall increase
in revenue for Basic Autopac rates
beginning March 1, 2006. If the rates are
approved by the public regulator,
Manitoba Public Insurance has
proposed no change in Basic Autopac
rates next year in a proposal that
represents the seventh year in eight it
has held the line or reduced overall rates
Most Manitobans to
pay lower rates in 2006
News Briefs
3
The consequences of an auto crash can
be life-altering and extreme: over the last
Herbert’s talk with students was part
of National Road Safety Week (May 16 to
21) in this province, during which Manitoba
Public Insurance and partners Winnipeg
Police, RCMP and the Manitoba Safety
Council encouraged Manitobans to
practise safe driving. The focus of this
year’s special week was risky behaviours
such as impaired driving, seatbelt use
and inattention at intersections.
“Had I not been using my seatbelt,
I’d be dead today,” said Hebert, 40.
“I’m living proof that seatbelts save lives.”
message about seatbelt use to 100 students
in May at Winnipeg’s Sturgeon Creek
High School.
“In real numbers, every year in
Canada, these percentages translate to
approximately 3,000 Canadians who die
and over 200,000 who are injured due to
traffic collisions.”
“Over the last two years, Manitoba has
experienced an increase in seatbelt usage,”
said Kevin Young, Occupant Restraint
Specialist with Manitoba Public
Insurance. “However, approximately
40 per cent of those killed in vehicles
in Manitoba were not wearing their
seatbelts at the time of the crash.
five years 30 Manitobans became
paraplegics, while another 18 became
quadriplegics. On average, 140
Manitobans are killed and 11,000 injured
each year on our provincial highways.
Lou Gervino (left),
Manitoba Public
Insurance’s Manager
of Driver Education
and Improvement,
takes part in
the Coalition of
Manitoba Motorcycle
Group’s annual MLA
Ride for Safety on
May 19, 2005 with
Mike Waite (centre),
Executive Director of
the Manitoba Safety
Council, and Greg
Dueck, the MSC’s
Director of Sales
and Marketing.
In its latest annual report, tabled in
the legislature the same day, Manitoba
Public Insurance reported net income of
$78.5 million for 2004-05. Investment
income of $88.6 million helped reduce
the cost of the average premium by $98.
Last year, the company returned 87 cents
of every revenue dollar to Manitobans
in the form of claims benefits.
Of the 38 per cent of Manitobans who
will pay more, most will face increases
of less than $20. Because of staggered
renewal rates, some vehicle owners will
not pay the new rates until February 2007.
“This application builds on nearly
a decade of rate stability and a proud
history of providing the best insurance
value in Canada,” President and Chief
Executive Officer Marilyn McLaren said.
“This application also recognizes that to
be successful in the future, we need to
deal with growing problems right now,
and one of the worst is auto theft
[see pages 1 and 4].”
62 per cent of Manitoba vehicle owners
will pay the same or less for Basic
Autopac next year and the average
passenger vehicle premium will fall
$4 to $797.
8/30/05
1:15 PM
Page 4
This means that it may be easier to
catch those responsible but harder to keep
them in jail for any length of time, since
they’re young offenders. And, with kids
as young as 12 behind the wheel, it also
The unique nature of the problem in
Manitoba presents both challenges and
opportunities, says Arnason. What mainly
sets off the crime here from other places in
Canada is that most thieves are between
12 and 17, they steal cars for joyriding and
transportation – not to sell them – and
they choose vehicles that are easy to steal.
Tim Arnason, Manitoba Public Insurance’s
new Director of Auto Theft Prevention
Operations says. The 29-year veteran of
the company’s Claims division was named
in February 2005 to lead the corporation’s
auto theft efforts. “The police and justice
system can’t do it alone, we can’t do it
alone as the public auto insurer, and we
can’t expect vehicle owners to take sole
responsibility.”
1990-1994
1990-1994
1990-1994
1990-1994
Plymouth Voyager
Chrysler Intrepid
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Plymouth Acclaim
Chrysler Intrepid
Dodge Spirit
Chrysler Dynasty
Pontiac Firebird
Dodge Power Ram 1500
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
4
1995-1999
1985-1989
1995-1999
1990-1994
1990-1994
1990-1994
Dodge Caravan
1
Year
Make/Model
No.
1 in 11
1 in 10
1 in 10
1 in 10
1 in 10
1 in 9
1 in 8
1 in 8
1 in 8
1 in 8
Odds of Theft
Odds of theft in Winnipeg (2002-2004)
“Everyone has a role to play in fighting
auto theft, and we have to work together,”
That’s why, after years of trying various
approaches, Manitoba Public Insurance
has turned its focus to a solution based on
building partnerships.
For others, the impact is indirect –
family and friends may be victims and
the more vulnerable, such as seniors,
feel less safe. Moreover, perhaps, by
contributing to claims costs, auto theft
is driving up everyone’s insurance
premiums.
For some 11,000 people every year,
the impact is direct: a stolen vehicle
means missing a workday, a doctor’s
appointment or even their child’s
soccer game, as they file a theft report,
wait for the vehicle to be recovered,
and then the damage estimated.
It’s a crime that affects every
vehicle owner in Manitoba.
Check it out on our website
(www.mpi.mb.ca).
Some types of vehicles are
stolen far more often than others,
and the risk for many vehicles is
far higher in Winnipeg. The closer
your vehicle is to the top of our
Odds of Theft lists, one for
Winnipeg and one for Manitoba,
the greater the chance of it being
stolen. If your vehicle is in the
top 100, you should definitely
protect it with an electronic
immobilizer through our theft
proofing program.
Beat the odds –
theft proof
your car
The aim is to discourage kids who
haven’t yet stolen cars from doing so,
using a variety of community and
school-based awareness programs to get
through to high-risk youth. These include
the Turnabout programs for youth under
12, Shifting Gears, CHOICES, Lighthouse,
victim impact panels and broader
awareness programs such as the
Multi-Media Challenge organized
by Manitoba Public Insurance to get
middle-school students thinking
about the issue.
Youth at risk
Knowing these special factors,
Manitoba Public Insurance and its partners
have focused their attention in recent
years on four issues: youth at risk, federal
legislation, offenders and vehicle owners.
means auto theft is a major community
safety concern.
Immobilizer program leads array of anti-auto theft partnerships
Auto theft: Complex community safety problem
calls for integrated solution involving all Manitobans
Summer Coverage 05.qxd
Building on previous efforts to clamp
down on these repeat thieves, the
Winnipeg Auto Theft Suppression Strategy
kicked off July 1, 2005. This program ranks
repeat offenders by risk and uses curfews
and supervision to keep tabs on their
whereabouts, in some cases several times
a day. It’s an expanded version of a similar
program in Regina that has helped reduce
auto theft in that city.
Again, because of the nature of auto
theft in Manitoba, we generally know who
the worst offenders are. In fact, a large
portion – perhaps as much as 45 per cent –
of thefts can be linked to just 200 youths
in Winnipeg.
Keep tabs on offenders
This spring, Transport Canada responded
to the last point, introducing legislation
that sets the date for mandatory
immobilizers as September 2007. However,
the new federal technical standard for
immobilizers is less stringent than the
Insurance Bureau of Canada’s benchmark,
which Manitoba Public Insurance adheres
to. Still, Arnason stresses: “This will be the
most comprehensive legislation of its kind
in the world.”
There’s been a push to make auto theft
a separate indictable offence under the
Criminal Code (it’s now included under
sections related to theft). Manitoba Public
Insurance has also worked with groups
urging the federal government to make
immobilizers mandatory in new vehicles.
Various groups, such as the National
Committee to Reduce Auto Theft
(whose Executive Director is Barry Ward
of Manitoba Public Insurance), have
lobbied Ottawa to change the Youth
Criminal Justice Act to allow for more auto
thieves, primarily chronic re-offenders,
to be kept in custody.
Changes to federal laws
Auto Theft
5
Manitoba Public Insurance joined
forces with CAA Manitoba in June to
launch the immobilizer incentive
program (see page 1). Its aim is nothing less
than to virtually eliminate auto theft by
making cars “theft-proof.” It’s an ambitious
strategy – seeking to immobilize nine in
10 vehicles in Manitoba within five years –
but it promises to put a huge dent in the
problem and reduce theft to levels not
seen since the early 1990s.
Vehicle owners:
get an immobilizer
“We know when the most high-risk
repeat offenders – the worst of the worst –
are in custody, theft numbers plummet,”
Arnason says. “With this program in place,
we can have a more consistent and
long-term impact.”
“But this program can’t resolve the
social factors behind auto theft or stop
young people from turning to other forms
of crime, including vandalizing vehicles
they might once have stolen. Ultimately,
these are community issues and require
community-based solutions.”
“If successful, the immobilizer program
would change the whole complexion of
this issue,” says Arnason. “It could
dramatically cut the monetary costs to
this company and its ratepayers, and
virtually eliminate the threat to public
safety posed by underage drivers cruising
the streets for kicks.
Arnason (right) examines stolen
vehicle with Manitoba Public
Insurance Auto Theft Co-ordinator
Barry Ward.
Brokers
Injury Benefits
“AOL removed lots of repetitive data
entry, which cut down on the chance for
Once AOL was up and running, he
noticed its “information integrity was
significantly better in terms of keeping the
error rate down” than the previous system.
“It was a fantastic learning experience,”
says Bryce. “I got to learn AOL inside and
out. Any problems I had, the tech people
were right there, along with two broker
administrators, to help me out.”
For Irwin’s son, Bryce, things also got
a lot busier, too. He remembers keying
in over 6,000 interactions at Manitoba
Public Insurance’s main office in Winnipeg
that summer.
Brokers Inc. in Winnipeg. “There was a big
hail storm and then came AOL. Our whole
world changed after that.”
6
Irwin Kumka and son Bryce of Ryan Gateway Insurance Brokers say
Autopac On-Line has transformed their business, allowing them to
develop better relationships with customers.
“It was a pretty exciting summer
in ‘95,” recalls Irwin Kumka, Executive
Vice-President of Ryan Gateway Insurance
For customers, perhaps the biggest
change was that they no longer had to line
up at the end of February to renew their
Autopac policies. They could renew their
policies on or before their personal
renewal date. For brokers – once they
got up to speed on the new system –
the benefits were dramatic. They could
process insurance sales and vehicle
registrations on the spot, reconcile cash
flow, and track product sales and staff
interactions with customers.
It was ahead of its time when it
went live July 1, 1995, and Autopac
On-Line is still a leading-edge
business system today, as it
celebrates its first decade.
th
JIM JOHNSON
“The business is now spread out over
the whole year, giving us more time to talk
with our customers and develop better
relationships with them,” Irwin adds.
And that’s good for customer, brokers
and Manitoba Public Insurance.
The Kumkas agree that such changes
transformed the way they did business.
“The number of products under AOL were,
at first, limited. Now, the breadth of
products available makes the selling
process more involved. There are optional
coverages to be discussed with your
customers,” Bryce says.
“Ten years later, what we learned on
that project is helping us move forward
with new initiatives. I’m privileged to
lead an organization whose people have
demonstrated time and again their
commitment to providing Manitobans
with the best service possible.”
Perhaps most important, AOL has never
stood still. President and Chief Executive
Officer Marilyn McLaren was Manager of
Policyholder Services during the AOL
project. “Every day since AOL was
introduced, it has improved, allowing
us to offer more options and better
service to our customers,” she says.
“I was a member of the team that
envisioned how we would do business
and how this new way of doing business
would help Manitoba Public Insurance
meet its business objectives,” Guimond
says. “I remember being very excited to
see ideas on paper becoming reality and
to be part of this unique experience.”
When Dan Guimond, now Vice-President
of Corporate Insurance Operations, started
as a Senior Business Analyst in 1990, he
was responsible for developing and
implementing plans to bring Manitoba
Public Insurance up to speed with the
latest business technology. AOL emerged
from that planning.
making errors. I never worked with
a system before that had checks and
balances built into it. A form wouldn’t
advance until the correct codes were
entered.”
Sherry suddenly saw a deer’s white rear
and tail at the side of the highway and
yelled: “Deer!” She quickly leaned over to
grab the steering wheel. She knew
that, like most inexperienced
drivers, Nadine’s first
instinct would be to
swerve away from the
deer, and she feared
a roll-over in the
ditch. The deer
jumped directly in
front of their car and
was killed instantly.
Sherry and daughter Nadine, 17, were
heading home from a “perfect day” in
Winnipeg spent shopping for accessories
for Nadine’s graduation. Sherry was still
dressed in the red serge uniform she wore
to an RCMP dinner that evening. The two
were chatting, with Nadine at the wheel
to gain experience in night-time highway
driving, heading north on Highway 8.
“I didn’t know what to expect, and I was
pleasantly surprised,” the Winnipeg Beach
resident says. She even sent Kupchik a
thank-you card to show her appreciation.
Sherry Benson-Podolchuk is still
troubled by neck pain but is on the
road to recovery after a collision
with a deer – thanks in large part
to Manitoba Public Insurance
and Senior Case Manager
Leanne Kupchik.
7
BensonPodolchuk
says she’s
pleased
with – and
surprised by
– the injury
benefits she’s
received.
She soon started
physiotherapy
sessions three
times a week.
Normally an active runner
and avid baker, Sherry was
frustrated to be limited to
moving between her bed and
the couch. She was surprised
when Kupchik suggested
Sherry pay Nadine to do a
few hours of housework a
day. “I didn’t know there
was such a benefit,”
says Sherry.
Before 1994, when PIPP began,
a claimant in a similar situation
would have received medical and
rehab expenses up to $20,000
and more limited income
replacement (75 per cent of
income to a ceiling of $18,200,
in 1994 dollars). She would not
have received home care or
travel expenses.
Sherry Benson-Podolchuk has
been eligible for a range of
benefits from Manitoba Public
Insurance’s Personal Injury
Protection Plan (PIPP), including
unlimited medical and
rehabilitation expenses (including
transportation costs), paid home
care provided by her daughter,
and assistive devices to help her
be more independent. She’ll also
receive income replacement
(up to 90 per cent of her salary
or $67,000 a year) until she’s able
to return to work.
Injury program
outshines
pre-PIPP benefits
ANDREA GEARY
Sherry was hoping to return to work
soon at the RCMP’s Division D in Winnipeg.
And, although her journey back to health
has been slower than she would like, she’s
thankful she and Nadine weren’t killed
in the collision. “I used to work for the
Highway Patrol in Selkirk and know
that it could have been a lot worse.”
The next afternoon Sherry felt severe
pain across her right side where she had
leaned into her seatbelt to hold onto
Nadine and the steering wheel. A day later,
her doctor diagnosed whiplash and gave
her a prescription for anti-inflammatory
drugs.
Sherry contacted Manitoba Public
Insurance’s Selkirk Claim Centre to report
the accident and her injury. Because she
was in such severe pain, Kupchik drove to
her house to perform a Personal Care
Assistance (PCA) assessment, speeding up
a process usually conducted by assessors –
an option rural case managers can use to
deal with clients’ needs quickly.
At first, her treatment was quite basic –
muscular stimulation from electrodes
and heat therapy. As her health improved,
she moved to five-minute sessions on the
exercise bike. Having trained for and run
a 10-kilometre event, Sherry was amazed
at how exhausted she was after just five
minutes on the bike. But by July she was
able to ride for 15 minutes.
After they pulled over, Sherry focused on
calming her daughter down and assessing
the damage to the car. Surprisingly, the air
bags had not deployed but both headlights
were smashed, along with the car’s hood.
Nadine called police to report the
accident, and then Sherry slowly drove
the rest of the way home using the
four-way flashers for light.
Rural client encouraged by helpful response after collision with deer
Page 6
Pioneering broker transaction system marks 10 anniversary
1:15 PM
Fast, flexible benefits help crash victim deal with pain
8/30/05
Like fine wine, Autopac On-Line gets better with age
Summer Coverage 05.qxd
8/30/05
1:15 PM
Page 8
Gervino and Sauder, a TV reporter with
CTV Winnipeg, first climbed into the CTV
vehicle in 2001 to produce a series of a
dozen short educational videos. Each
segment features the duo enacting
a specific driving situation, while offering
basic advice on the topic – in a 60-second
clip, similar to a television commercial.
The station airs each segment several
times a day for two weeks.
“We get requests for use of the clips from
across the country – from law enforcement
groups, driver training groups and even
companies looking for new ways to train
their fleet drivers, “ says Gervino, Manager
of Driver Education and Improvement at
Manitoba Public Insurance. “We even had
a call from the fleet safety manager for
Shell in Scotland.”
Lou Gervino and John Sauder’s
60-Second Driver was a hit with Manitoba
viewers from the first clip – and is still
popular with the home crowd with the
100th in the can. But in 2005 feedback
is coming from much further afield.
It started out as a small, one-time
project four years ago. Today, it’s
a one-of-a-kind driver awareness
campaign in hot demand with
training professionals across
North America.
8
Sauder agrees, saying he receives calls
and e-mails each week regarding the topic
covered. “Most are really positive and a lot
of drivers are telling us they’re benefiting
from watching them,” he said.
With a quarter of a million viewers
watching a segment, viewer response has
been plentiful. “Viewers tell us they find
the clips easy to relate to and many say
they have altered their driving behaviour
after watching an episode,” Gervino says.
“People call us to discuss a topic we
addressed, ask questions and many
offer suggestions for future topics.”
He and Sauder decided to keep the
camera rolling and eventually a schedule
was developed where 24 new episodes
were produced each year – 12 in the fall and
12 in the spring – which are alternated with
previously run clips to fill out the year.
After the first 12 episodes aired and
re-runs began, viewers called in wondering
why they had stopped making them.
“There was definitely a desire from the
public for us to continue,” says Gervino.
Popular driving-tip duo not ready to pull over quite yet
Driver Ed
Sauder (left)
and Gervino
are finding
continuing
strong public
interest in
driving tips.
TRACEY PROCTOR
Nor is the pair scraping for
ideas. Gervino says they could
easily reach the 200 mark
without the well running
dry. “As long as there’s
viewer interest,
we’ll keep going.”
The 100th episode isn’t the end of the
road for the 60-Second Driver, though.
Manitoba Public Insurance recently
signed another contract with CTV
Winnipeg for 24 new episodes.
Sauder and Gervino feel they’ve honed
a formula that works and have been able
to introduce new things to keep the series
fresh. “We’ve created an identity for the
series and viewers recognize us as part
of that,” says Sauder.
“The interactive CD combines the video
clips with quiz questions and has proved
to be a fun and educational way for
drivers of all ages to test their road safety
knowledge and skills,” says Gervino.
Twenty-five clips were also recently
incorporated into a new computer-based
training program the company introduced
this spring called Virtual Driver - Are U
Road Ready?
Such reaction also led Manitoba Public
Insurance to post the segments on the
company’s website in a downloadable
format, accompanied by a copy of the
script. In an average week the clips are
downloaded nearly 1,400 times, with the
most popular driving tips being parallel
parking, left turns, shoulder checks and
U-turns.
60-Second Driver celebrates 100th episode
Summer Coverage 05.qxd