Travelers Institute to Tackle Distracted Driving, Cybersecurity, Severe Weather and More in 2019

February 13, 2019

HARTFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Travelers Institute, the public policy division of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRV), today announced its series of 2019 educational forums focused on combating distracted driving, managing cyber risks, insuring autonomous vehicles and preparing for severe weather events. Programs are free and open to the public.

“We saw great engagement throughout our symposia series in 2018 and look forward to continuing to raise awareness of important social topics across the United States and Canada,” said Joan Woodward, President of the Travelers Institute and Executive Vice President of Public Policy at Travelers. “By bringing together community members, entrepreneurs, business leaders and students, we hope these events will help to identify solutions that will generate real change for widespread societal issues and help people and businesses stay safe.”

The first symposium of the year will be “Disrupting Distraction,” part of the Travelers Institute® Every Second Matters℠ series. It will be held today at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, beginning at 6 p.m. ET. This series brings attention to alarming distracted-driving trends contributing to traffic fatalities and highlights innovative approaches to help prevent distractions and encourage safer behaviors.

Today’s event — co-hosted by the Travelers Institute, the Butler University Lacy School of Business, Independent Insurance Agents of Indiana, the Insurance Institute of Indiana, the National Safety Council, the Road to Zero Coalition and Gamma Iota Sigma — will feature a panel discussion moderated by Woodward and presentations from speakers, including:

  • Bob Bringgold, National Director of Transportation, Risk Control, Travelers.
  • Kathy Lane, Senior Director, Public Relations, National Safety Council.
  • Kevin Perry, Second Vice President, Underwriting, Travelers BoilerRe, Travelers.
  • Bill Weber, Senior Officer, Butler University Police Department.

“Constant connection is so highly valued in our society, but the urge to stay in touch can have devastating consequences,” said Lane. “The Every Second Matters initiative and today’s event will take us a step closer to reducing avoidable fatalities and injuries, and we’re proud to be a part of the effort.”

Travelers has also developed a new video series — “Unfinished Stories” — as part of its efforts to discourage distracted driving. The videos honor victims of distracted driving by imagining what might have been if the crash never occurred. The series is being shared across the company’s social media channels and during Travelers Institute and other events. To see the latest video and other distracted driving content, click here.

Additional educational forums planned for 2019 include Cyber: Prepare, Prevent, Mitigate, Restore℠, a series that provides guidance for small and midsize organizations to help them prepare for and respond to data breaches and other cyber incidents, and the annual “Kicking Off Hurricane Preparedness Season” symposium to be held at the start of the Atlantic hurricane season, as well as other events focused on natural disaster preparedness, autonomous vehicles and small business solutions.

Visit the Travelers Institute website to see the schedule of upcoming events and learn more about these initiatives.

About the Travelers Institute

The Travelers Institute, the public policy division of The Travelers Companies, Inc., engages in discussion and analysis of public policy topics of importance to the insurance marketplace and to the financial services industry more broadly. The Travelers Institute draws upon the industry expertise of Travelers’ senior management, as well as the technical expertise of many of Travelers’ underwriters, risk managers and other experts to provide information, analysis and solutions to public policymakers and regulators. Travelers is a leading provider of property casualty insurance for auto, home and business. For more information, visit www.travelers.com.

 

Media:
Stephanie Arpin, 860.277.8876
sarpin@travelers.com

Source: The Travelers Companies, Inc.