Unprecedented planning by state and local authorities, law enforcement and the insurance industry established what is being called a national model for protecting the public from fly-by-night contractors in the aftermath of a natural disaster.
According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), preparation in advance of the F-5 tornado that devastated the city of Moore and surrounding areas in May 2013 resulted in a well-coordinated effort to ensure that roofers and other contractors who swarmed into the area in the hours and days after the storm were properly licensed, insured and authorized to work in the area.
Local police assisted the Oklahoma Insurance Department Fraud Unit in patrolling the area and keeping suspected fraudulent out-of-state contractors from doing work unless all protocols were followed.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7665251-nicb-limited-fraud-following-2013-moore-tornado/
El período entre las Navidades y el Año Nuevo suele tener uno de los mayores índices de muertes causadas por conductores con las capacidades disminuidas por estar ebrios, según la Administración Nacional de Seguridad del Tráfico en las Carreteras (NHTSA) del Departamento de Transporte de los Estados Unidos. En un esfuerzo por reducir los incidentes causados por conductores ebrios durante los días festivos, la NHTSA, el Ad Council y el Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB) lanzaron hoy su 12º campaña anual "Project Roadblock: Local TV Puts the Brakes on Drunk Driving" (Proyecto Barricada: la televisión local frena a los conductores ebrios).
Project Roadblock se creó en 2004 para apoyar la campaña de anuncios de servicio público (PSA) Buzzed Driving Prevention (Prevención Contra Manejar Entonado) de la NHTSA y el Ad Council. Hasta la fecha, las estaciones de televisión abierta de todo el país han donado más de $40 millones en medios para apoyar este esfuerzo. La asociación tiene el propósito de unir a las estaciones de televisión locales en la creación de una barricada publicitaria nacional transmitiendo PSA (Anuncios de Servicio Público) de Project Roadblock entre el 26 de diciembre y el 31 de diciembre. Las estaciones de televisión locales participan voluntariamente en la campaña donando tiempo y espacio en el aire, en línea y móvil, con un énfasis especial a las 10 p.m., hora local, la víspera de Año Nuevo. Además, las estaciones de televisión contactarán a sus comunidades en los medios sociales para compartir gráficas sociales y mensajes para llegar aún más a las audiencias.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/Spanish/7701752-ad-council-nhtsa-manejar-achispado/
The period between Christmas and New Year’s typically has one of the highest rates of impaired driving fatalities, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In an effort to reduce drunk and buzzed driving related incidents during the holidays, NHTSA, the Ad Council and the Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB) launched their 12th annual “Project Roadblock: Local TV Puts the Brakes on Drunk Driving.”
Project Roadblock was created in 2004 in support of NHTSA and the Ad Council’s Buzzed Driving Prevention public service advertising (PSA) campaign. To date, broadcast TV stations across the nation have donated more than $40 million in media to support this effort. The partnership aims to unite local television stations in creating a nationwide advertising roadblock by airing Project Roadblock PSAs (Public Service Announcements) between December 26 and December 31. Local broadcast stations voluntarily participate in the campaign by donating on-air, online and mobile time and space with a special push at 10 p.m. local time on New Year’s Eve. In addition, TV stations will be reaching out to their communities on social media to share social graphics and messaging to further reach audiences.
“Drunk driving remains a serious threat on our roads and claims more than 10,000 lives a year,” said NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind. ”Local broadcast television is an effective tool in reaching consumers, and we thank the TVB, all the stations, and the Ad Council for their ongoing support of drunk driving prevention, especially during the holiday season.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7701751-ad-council-nhtsa-buzzed-driving-psa/
Holiday car thieves had their busiest day in 2014 on, ironically, Labor Day, stealing 2,200 vehicles according to new data released today by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). NICB’s 2014 Annual Holiday Vehicle Theft Report analyzes data from the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), which showed a total of 695,246 vehicle thefts for the year.
After Labor Day, New Year’s Day was the next most active holiday with 2,011 thefts. Halloween came in third with 2,010 thefts followed by Memorial Day with 1,933 thefts. Independence Day rounds out the top five holidays for 2014 with 1,877 thefts.
The holidays with the fewest thefts in 2014 were Christmas Day with 1,225 thefts and Thanksgiving with 1,384 thefts.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7523155-nicb-holiday-vehicle-theft-report/
Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County is in the midst of unprecedented economic development, with new research revealing an influx of affluent visitors as the driving force behind new travel and hospitality-related construction and investment.
The average annual income of domestic travelers to the destination has reached $112,563 – almost 25% higher than the national average, according to a comprehensive analysis of the domestic travel market in the United States by research firm D. K. Shifflet & Associates Ltd., commissioned by the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau.
That is a dramatic 15.5% increase from the destination’s average in 2012 of $97,517, placing Greater Fort Lauderdale among the top leisure destinations in the U.S., and well above the national average visitor income of $90,591.
This increasing appeal to affluent travelers has led to a record-breaking 14.3 million tourists spending $11.4 billion annually in the destination, which is situated along Florida’s famed Atlantic Ocean coastline between Miami and Palm Beach.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7640751-greater-fort-lauderdale-development-boom/
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) is warning drivers to take their keys and lock their vehicles, or risk becoming a statistic. Some 45,000 drivers last year admitted that they had left their keys in the car when it was stolen.
“This may sound like a broken record,” said NICB President and CEO Joe Wehrle. “But the simple fact is, too many people make it easy for car thieves. We repeatedly warn motorists to lock it up and take the keys, but our research shows that in too many cases, that’s not happening. Today’s vehicles have excellent anti-theft systems, but they don’t work if you don’t use them.”
The new PSA, “If Only Cars Could Talk,” uses animated cars to drive home the point that a thoughtless driver may regret the decision to leave the car unlocked with the keys inside because they are only making a quick stop.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7523154-nicb-psa-warns-of-car-and-cargo-theft/
While car thefts are declining across the country, the thefts of some parts and accessories are proving to be a lucrative business for professional thieves.
In the Detroit area, it’s become a huge problem that’s costing consumers, insurance companies, car dealers and car rental companies.
“We hear all this good news about auto theft being down in Michigan, but unfortunately, what’s replaced that is component theft,” said Terri Miller, executive director of Help Eliminate Auto Thefts (HEAT). “Because it’s harder to steal an entire vehicle these days, they’re stealing the parts. The tires and rims are not marked and they are very, very marketable.”
To view the Multimedia News Release, go http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7523153-nicb-detroit-wheel-tire-theft/
The recent flooding in Texas means the end of the road for an estimated 7,000 to 10,000 insured vehicles that suffered water damage.
That’s the current estimate from Copart, a company that works on behalf of insurers to handle the vehicles damaged in catastrophes. About 2,500 cars, trucks, motorcycles, RVs and other vehicles have already been towed to one of Copart’s locations, a 200-acre processing facility in Houston.
After a disaster, the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) works with its member companies, law enforcement and companies like Copart to identify the vehicles that have had an insurance claim filed and to process them for sale. All of the cars will be retitled with the Department of Motor Vehicles and the new title will indicate the fact that the vehicle has been flood damaged. Most of the vehicles are sold to parts companies who will dismantle them and re-sell usable parts that were not damaged by the flooding.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7523152-nicb-texas-floods/
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) today issued a warning to the public about an organized scam involving sales of vehicles through the popular online market place, Craigslist.
Working with law enforcement agencies in the Chicago area and across the Midwest, NICB has identified nearly 100 instances of sales of vehicles that went sour when phony bank checks were used to pay for the vehicle.
“These scams are well organized and have all the appearances of being legitimate,” said NICB President and CEO Joe Wehrle. “But in the end, the criminal gets the car and the sellers or their financial institutions are left on the hook for thousands of dollars still owed on the car.”
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7523151-nicb-craigslist-auto-sales-scam/
In an effort to support the 42.1 million caregivers in the U.S. who are caring for parents and older loved ones, AARP and the Ad Council are unveiling a new series of public service advertisements (PSAs) as an extension of their ongoing Caregiver Assistance Campaign. The campaign, created pro bono by agency DDB New York, is supported by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB), and the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) who are urging their members to run the spots in the weeks leading up to both Mother’s Day and Father’s Day this year.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7514151-ad-council-caregiver-assistance/
The last year saw many achievements for Chengdu’s meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) industry. According to data from the Chengdu Municipal Statistics Bureau, Chengdu hosted 530 major exhibitions, conferences and forums in 2014, of which 214 were exhibitions, 45 more than a year earlier or a year-over-year (YOY) growth rate of 26.6 percent, and 113 were international conferences and forums, 8 more than a year earlier, or a YOY growth rate of 7.6 percent. The events took up 3.25 million square meters of space in the aggregate, a YOY growth rate of 8.0 percent, of which 49 were international in nature, occupying 1.74 million square meters, a YOY growth rate of 16.0 percent. Direct revenue derived from the industry for 2014 totaled 6.95 billion yuan, up 14.9 percent year-on-year while overall revenue (direct plus indirect) revenue reached 58.4 billion yuan, up 14.5 percent year-on-year.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7511651-chengdu-china-mice-industry/
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) is warning consumers to be careful when buying a used vehicle, especially one that’s priced “too good to be true.”
The accompanying video describes one such incident. An innocent woman in Lancaster, Wisc. bought a used GMC Denali for $30,000 and for the last two years she has been enjoying its use. Meanwhile, Carfax notified NICB that the Denali might be a “clone” since Carfax had information that an identical Denali was currently registered in Peabody, Mass.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/70506515-nicb-stolen-vehicle-clones/
