The recent passage of state-specific legislation and even prosecutions related to the “texting while driving” problem emphasize the need for real solutions to a very real danger.

To mitigate auto-related deaths, injuries and physical damages, Privilege Underwriters Reciprocal Exchange (PURE) has launched a program featuring a cell phone disablement device to prevent distracted driving in younger drivers especially.

“Car accidents rank as the number one killer of teenagers in the U.S.,” explains Martin Hartley, executive vice president and COO at PURE. “Distracted driving contributes to more than 25 percent of all auto accidents, so [we are] offering a number of tools geared at helping our members and their youthful drivers stay safe behind the wheel.”

The White Plains, New York-based specialty insurer's “Drive Safe” initiative is designed to help its policyholders reduce the likelihood of being involved in auto accidents and paying higher insurance premiums as a result. Among the program features are:

A cell phone disablement device through Cellcontrol.
A parent/teen driving contract and discussion guide.
An online resource center, which includes information about specific behavior that young drivers should engage in—and refrain from—while operating a vehicle.
A partnership with BMW's Performance Driving School.

The new program is part of the insurer's overall risk management philosophy—the PURE Promise.

“[The program] embodies PURE's ongoing commitment to helping members reduce the long-term cost of insurance by working to identify common causes of loss, and then providing resources and investing in proven methods to mitigate against those risks,” Hartley says.

“Parents play a huge role in influencing the types of drivers their children become, and [they] are the first line of defense when it comes to instilling safe habits in young drivers,” he adds. “Our goal is to facilitate constructive, educational conversations between our members and their young drivers about the real dangers they face as drivers and as passengers.”

More information about the company's partnership with Cellcontrol, along with tools to motivate young drivers to resist the urge to call, text, or email while behind the wheel, can be found here.

Special Reports /

Program Steers Teens Toward Safe Driving Habits

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