Insurance available for track driving
Better to be safe than sorry if you’re planning on pushing your vehicle on the course
The performance of the average automobile today is by far the highest it has ever been, so much so that exploring the sporting capabilities of just about any car on the street becomes criminal in the blink of an eye. The obvious answer to needy enthusiasts is, to use a common phrase, take it to the track.
On any given day, at several facilities across Ontario, there are highperformance driving events that range from schools for those new to advanced driving, right up to open lapping. These events are, for the most part, well organized, fun events where drivers can explore the limits of their vehicle and become safer drivers on the street.
Despite the safe environment, operating a vehicle at higher speeds can occasionally translate into a damaged vehicle. Naturally, any damage that happens on the track can’t be charged to a traditional car insurance policy. This element of uncertainty regarding financial risk often prevents potential participants from joining in the fun.
Toronto based Moore-McLean Insurance Group Ltd. and Pacemotorsport, Track Day Insurance Canada are providing a solution. A standalone package, Track Day Insurance allows drivers to insure their licensed street vehicle for single or multiple days to take part in organized track day events. The process is a simple online application that takes minutes to complete and provides coverage for physical damage to a vehicle, to the track or fire damage resulting from an ontrack incident.
Coverage for a $50,000 vehicle is $435 for a day — hardly inexpensive — but remember that amount must be compared to the loss of thousands in potential damage to a car of that value. The website is trackdayinsurance.ca Google responds on collisions In response to media concerns about reports of Google’s autonomous vehicles being involved in collisions, Chris Urmson, the director of Google’s self-driving car program, has posted a story outlining some of the things the program has learned during the 2.72 million kilometres its creations have travelled so far.
In the six years since Google started its self-driving car project, the cars have been involved in 11 collisions. In each case, the self-driving car has not been at fault. The most common type of crash is when one vehicle drives into the back of another. Google’s findings are in line with the statistics, as seven of these incidents involved their little pods being rear-ended. Most were at stop lights, but it also happened at highway speeds. They were side-swiped once and hit by a car that rolled through a stop sign.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 94 per cent of collisions are caused by driver error. The agency also reports that 55 per cent of collisions are of the “light damage, no injury” variety, which are often not reported and do not become part of recorded statistics. These are the type of incidents the Google cars have experienced and all have been caused by human error.
The company’s technology records all of the crazy human manoeuvres that the cars “see” in their travels, in order to learn how to prevent future collisions. What, us texting and driving? It has been common over the years for Canadian drivers to think they are better drivers than everyone else. A new study by State Farm shows that 93 per cent of Canadian drivers are concerned about others being distracted while they drive — yet 56 per cent of drivers admit to letting their own attention slide while behind the wheel.
While most media and law enforcement attention is directed toward the use of cellphones behind the wheel, “distracted driving is more than talking on the cellphone, texting or eating; it includes allowing your attention to wander to things away from the road,” says State Farm representative John Bordignon.
Roughly one third of drivers feel that texting while driving is not only the most dangerous distraction to drivers. Yet the same number admit to checking their phone themselves while driving.
The complexity of driver controls is a common irritant to auto writers and this study backs up those concerns. Some 25 per cent of those surveyed said they are distracted by trying to adjust radio or GPS settings. Auto manufacturers should be taking note and making controls more simple. Fewer kids walking to school Having been a Grade 1 student in the early 1970s, I clearly remember walking about a kilometre to my school near York Mills and Victoria Park all by myself. It was a different world then, one when many 6-yearolds looked after themselves before and after school. Walking through the neighbourhood was part of the process of growing up. These days, my high school-age boys are driven to school, as are most of their schoolmates.
A survey by child safety organization Parachute Canada and FedEx shows that only 28 per cent of Canadian children walk to school today. Perhaps surprisingly, by far the leading reason is parents’ concerns about “speeding cars and traffic,” ahead of worries about abduction and maturity.
The answer for drivers of course is to slow down when driving in populated areas and be cautious of pedestrians. It seems pretty simple, but so many drivers just don’t get it. Freelance writer Gary Grant is a regular contributor to Toronto Star Wheels. For more Toronto Star automotive stories, go to thestar.com/autos. To reach Wheels Editor Norris McDonald, email: nmcdonald@thestar.ca