Automotive and Insurance Industry News-March 31, 2004

Cheap Auto Car Insurance Quotes^TM

Your online resource for auto, truck or motorcycle insurance.

Automotive and Insurance Industry News

Nissan Chooses First-Ever Lane Departure Warning System

ANAHEIM, Calif., March 31 / -- Iteris, Inc., the company that introduced the world's first commercially available Lane Departure Warning system (LDW), has been chosen by Nissan’s Infiniti Division to offer the first passenger car application with Iteris' LDW technology later this year.

Iteris' LDW technology, the first-of-its-kind to be available on passenger cars in the U.S., will initially be offered as part of an option package on 2005 models of Infiniti's FX crossover sport utility vehicle. The FX models with LDW are expected to arrive in U.S. dealer showrooms this Fall.

Training, Education, Proper Work Practices Are Key to Increasing Work Zone Safety

DES PLAINES, Ill., March 31 / -- the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) says that through education, training and proper work practices, roadway work zone accidents and injuries for workers and motorists can be reduced.

More than 1,100 men, women and children are killed in roadway work zones annually. To assist employers and workers on increasing roadway work zone safety, the ASSE recommends they be aware of the many types of worker hazards; setting up an advance work zone warning area and transition area; the hazards of installing, modifying, and removing work zones; how to best equip a flag person and driver awareness.

OneChoice Auto: A New Insurance Option for Maine Drivers

BOSTON, March 31 / -- OneBeacon Insurance is delivering comprehensive protection to fit the needs and lifestyles of a broad range of Maine drivers, called OneChoice Auto.

OneChoice Auto offers standard property damage, liability and medical coverages. In addition, consumers can tailor their protection by adding coverage for roadside assistance; the gap between the amount owed on a loan or lease and the value of a vehicle; original equipment manufacturer replacement parts (for vehicles less than three years old); travel expenses following an accident far from home; rental reimbursement while their vehicle is being repaired; accidental airbag deployment and a reward for auto theft conviction.

AutoTrader.com Starts Its Largest Ever Cable TV Campaign

ATLANTA, March 31 / -- AutoTrader.com, the world's largest automotive marketplace, announced its largest ever cable television buy. Their popular and award-winning ads will appear in nearly 600 spots on television's most popular sitcoms, movies and stations all spring and summer.

Programming included in the ad buy consists primarily of prime time slots on stations that include TBS, TNT, USA, Lifetime and Nick at Nite. Shows on the list include "Friends," "Everybody Loves Raymond," "Law & Order," and "The Cosby Show."

Mineta Announces Grants of $36.4 Million to Increase Safety Belt Use

WASHINGTON, DC, March 31 / -- U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta announced that 47 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico will share $36.4 million in National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) grants for states that develop innovative projects to increase safety belt use.

According to NHTSA, safety belts are the most effective safety device in vehicles and their increasing use has saved more than 164,750 lives since 1975. In 2003, safety belt use in the United States reached an all-time high of 79 percent, in part due to high visibility enforcement programs funded by NHTSA.