The new approach, called Steadfast Direct, will be underwritten by Berkshire Hathaway Australia and New Zealand, the local arm of the US investment and insurance giant.

Steadfast MD and CEO Robert Kelly told insuranceNEWS.com.au the new sales channel will allow Steadfast Network brokers to offer their clients competitively priced direct insurance products.

From February Steadfast Direct will offer home and motor insurance, subject to regulatory approval.

“Through my insurance career I’ve seen the direct insurers move into the market and take personal lines business away from the brokers with more efficient products,” he said.

“It has reached a point where brokers now often advise their clients to go directly to the insurers for personal lines products.

“But we’re now in a position where we can offer competitively priced personal lines products backed by some very strong capacity.”

Mr Kelly says the new deal will enable Steadfast Network brokers them to strengthen their relationships with their clients and grow their businesses through selling “direct-style” products.

source:insurancenews.com.au

This Dashcam video filmed in South Korea, courtesy of the Daily Mail, clearly shows a man seem to appear from nowhere in a car park, leap on to a car, trying to pretend the vehicle knocked him over. However, he soon realises that, unsurprisingly, no harm came to him (or the car) and proceeds to slam his head against the windscreen several times to break the glass. He then slides off the car, feigning injury.

Needless to say, no one comes rushing to his aid. Watch the video below:

But it’s not just South Korean motorists that are falling foul to these daring fraudsters. The epidemic has gripped Russia too. In the video below, one claimant, who is walking slightly ahead of a car on the left handside, can’t even be bothered to feign the incident. Instead, he holds up a hand – the car stops – and then drops the ground – next to the car. This does not make for easy viewing but it does show how out of hand this issue has become.

Road Positioning

If stopped or broken down, try to park well clear of the roadway. At night use hazard lights and to be safely seen, ensure your headlights are switched off and parking lights are on.

A truck uses its entire lane. If you stay to the left when approaching an oncoming truck you will lessen buffeting from air turbulence.

Maintain Your Speed

When being overtaken by a truck, please maintain your speed and do not accelerate. In fact, it is good to slow for a moment to allow the truck to pass more easily.

Towing Caravans & Boats

If you are being overtaken by a truck, please maintain your speed and stay in your lane. Let the professional truck driver overtake you in a smooth way, even if takes some time.

Lights At Night

Make sure you dip your high beam before reaching a crest or curve. When coming up behind a truck dip early because a truck’s large mirrors don’t have an anti-glare position.

Road Courtesy

Better to give or receive a friendly wave of thanks than a shaken fist. Like you, truck drivers want to get home safely to their families.

For your safety and mine, please learn the Truckie’s Top Tips.

Let’s Share the Road Safely

Seatbelts

Drivers and passengers travelling unrestrained in a car are at least 10 times more likely to be killed in a road crash than those wearing a seat belt. Always use your seatbelt, no matter how short the trip or how well you may know the local roads.

Distractions

Studies show that 80% of collisions are caused by motorists whose attention is taken away from the road by passengers, phones, GPS, radio, eating drinking and smoking.

Distractions are the single biggest cause of crashes and near misses – with road users who take their eyes of the road for two seconds or longer, doubling their crash risk.

Avoid Blind Spots

I use my mirrors so I know what’s around me. If you sit in my blind spots I might not know that you are there.

Don’t sit too close right behind me.

There is also a big blind spot down to the side on my left. Please, don’t sit in the spot near my passenger door, even out to the side on my right can be tricky.

Just remember this simple rule…If you can’t see my mirrors, I can’t see you

Don’t Cut In – Braking Distances

You’ll often see that trucks leave a big space between us and the car in front. You probably don’t realise how dangerous it is if you jump into that space with your car. Because of my size and weight…I need almost twice as much room to brake as a car. If you cut in front – I might not have room to stop!

So for your safety and mine, please don’t Cut In

Don’t Overtake Turning Vehicles

Trucks need more room to get around corners and roundabouts. Sit back until we’ve got around the corner. Or something unfortunate might happen!

100 KPH Speed Limiting

Speed limiting means no engine power is delivered above 100 km/hr, however gravity can push us faster downhill. Truck drivers like to be at the legal speed approaching hills in order to lessen delays to all traffic, but if we slow going uphill or when overtaking, we are doing the best we can.

Overtake With Care

Stay well back behind the truck. Be certain you can see sufficient clear road ahead. When you are sure it is safe, signal, move out, pass quickly but sensibly. Don’t move back in until you can see both the truck’s headlights in your mirrors and do not slow down.

The section between Toowoomba and Oakey is the first approved road works funded under the $635 million Warrego Highway Upgrade Package.

Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Warren Truss, said the project would duplicate 5.7 kilometres of the Warrego Highway, providing two lanes in each direction between Charlton and Cotswold Hills, to the west of Toowoomba.

“We are prioritising construction of this section of the Warrego Highway because it will intersect with the future Toowoomba Second Range Crossing,” said Truss. “The Warrego Highway connects the agricultural and resource regions west of Toowoomba to the Port of Brisbane, so the economic potential of these upgrades is enormous.”

Queensland Minister for Transport and Main Roads Scott Emerson said that beyond the significant economic benefits, this project was part of a plan to deliver safety improvements for drivers on the Warrego Highway.

“The duplication will separate eastbound and westbound traffic, markedly reducing the chance of head-on collisions,” said Emerson.

Construction on the project will commence early next year, with completion due at the end of 2016.

Developed in partnership with the Sleep Health Foundation, the first fact sheet focuses on Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA), a condition that affects some 40 per cent of Australia’s long distance truck drivers.

OSA causes the soft tissues of the throat to close or partially block the airway during sleep, preventing normal breathing and forcing sufferers to wake multiple times during the night.

Professor Doug McEvoy from the Sleep Health Foundation said many people with sleep apnoea were unaware of the condition.

“Sleep apnoea has a serious impact on every aspect of a sufferer’s life. However, OSA is completely treatable. There’s no reason to suffer in silence,” Professor McEvoy said.

“This week is national Sleep Awareness Week – the perfect time to focus on making sure that you are getting the healthy rest you need.

“We are delighted to partner with the trucking industry for this important awareness initiative, and strongly encourage trucking operators to use these sheets to help improve the health and wellbeing of their workforce.”

ATA Chief Executive Stuart St Clair said the fact sheets would raise awareness of different health issues in the trucking industry.

“We’ve designed the fact sheets so operators can use them as the basis of a staff briefing or toolbox talk, as well as printing them for the staff noticeboard,” Mr St Clair said.

“New fact sheets will be released to ATA members throughout the year. It’s part of our efforts to make sure that trucking a healthy, safe and professional industry of choice, now and in the future.”

The first fact sheet outlines the symptoms of OSA, including fatigue and heavy snoring, and the steps drivers can take to diagnose and treat the condition.

To get a copy of the driver health sheet, operators should contact their ATA member association.

“New to the Uniden iGO Cam series is the inclusion of speed camera warnings built into the Crash Camera device. The speed camera warnings alert drivers of upcoming fixed speed cameras and red light cameras, reminding motorists to slow down,” Uniden said.

“The iGO Cam 750 is equipped with the latest in vehicle accident recording ‘black box’ technology. Built-in G-sensor and Collision Detection Mode ensures the camera identifies any changes in motion which will instantly trigger recording. In the event of an accident, this gives drivers the ability to analyse the direction of impact and view how it happened.”

Other new safety features include Lane Assist, providing drivers with visual and audible alerts when the vehicle is drifting over a lane while in motion.