(From Left) Managing Director of Total Jamaica, Gordon Craig; CEO of ICWI Paul Lalor and Managing Director of Autodata Jamaica, Randolph Cheeks Jnr at ICWI’s headquarters in New Kingston.

AUTODATA Jamaica, an online provider of vehicular valuation and history information has signed a deal with general insurance giant Insurance Company of the West Indies (ICWI) to provide its underwriting and claims staff with access to Autodata services, namely E-Value and E-History.

E-Value provides estimates of the current market values of vehicles, while E-History provides the known history of a motor vehicle since its registration in Jamaica.

E-Value can be used for new comprehensive and third party fire and theft business to determine accurate and standardised market value. As far as ICWI staff are concerned, E-Value will not be used to replace the requirement of obtaining a valuation, but rather as a proxy, prior to the valuation being submitted. It will also be useful as a check against incorrect and inconsistent valuations. This service can be useful to determine the preaccident market value of a vehicle, especially in cases of theft and where the value is questionable.

E-History will be used on new business to check the background of vehicles prior to accepting the risk. It can be helpful with claims to ascertain the vehicle’s background as prior damage may be relevant to the question of causation and betterment. This is especially useful in cases of total loses, single vehicle accidents and where there are suspicious circumstances. Autodata is working with Total Jamaica, a leading gas station retailer in the country to develop a plan for the distribution of Autodata’s services to the general public via their service stations. Initially Autodata will be piloting the distribution from a few key strategic Total locations.

Speaking with Sunday Finance from ICWI’s headquarters on St Lucia Avenue in New Kingston, Autodata Jamaica’s Managing Director, Randolph Cheeks Jnr said: “The CEO of ICWI, Paul Lalor was very supportive of the project having realised the value that a data sharing initiative brings to the table as far as reducing risk and costs are concerned. He was most helpful in plugging us into the industry initially and he continues to remain supportive.

“Last week we rolled out across the ICWI network and branches. As you know ICWI is one of the leading players in the industry and so this is a very important relationship for us.”

Paul Lalor has been able to marry modern technology to the insurance industry to create enhanced services and greater efficiencies. His insurance App on BlackBerry handsets signifies a quantum leap in the Jamaican insurance industry. “The concept of Autodata for Jamaica is very new but on a worldwide scale it is a widely used medium for not only the insurance industry to have some access to information on vehicles they are going to underwrite, but it also helps with consumer welfare. There are people out there buying cars of which they have absolutely no clue about. They buy a car and drive it for 400 miles and then the axle falls off or the AC unit breaks down. “From that perspective I think it is important that a buyer of a vehicle, purchases a sound vehicle and that the insurer must see to it that a sound, roadworthy vehicle is insured.

This new service allows us to not only maintain but certainly contain our pricing levels. It will be of invaluable assistance to our underwriting, which is the core of our risk analysis and the taking of that risk,” said ICWI’s CEO, Paul Lalor.

Total Jamaica also sees value in the Autodata service and is finalising initiatives before fully signing on.Total Jamaica’s Managing Director, Gordon Craig explained: “We are a gas station but our strategy is to offer value-added services. We see Autodata as another service of good value and credibility which the public will want to use. It fits in well with our business model of continuously innovating services that will be attractive to all our customers.

“How Autodata works in our stations is as follows all our stations are hooked up to the Internet therefore we can offer this service. Initially it will be an individual coming in and requesting the service from our staff, such as here are the details on a car, can I get an Autodata report? We will have a back-office system that will run the details through before handing over a report to the customer for a fee.”

Randolph Cheeks Jnr added: “The cost of the E-History service should be somewhere in the region of J$1,500. On the E-Value side the cost should come in between J$500 to J$600. Now when you consider that an insurer is paying a valuator around J$1,500 per valuation to get the same information, then you can see it is great value for money.”

Ensure that children have toys, games, coloring books, and books to keep them occupied. A good idea is to keep children’s travel kits in the car at all times. A bag for each child can be filled with age appropriate travel activities to keep the child occupied and allow you to give your full attention to the road; the back seat may become a bit messy but that is a small price to pay for a peaceful trip!  Here are a few ideas:

• Travel versions of popular games such as Connect 4, Guess Who, etc. that the children can play with each other.
• Travel sized versions of Etch-A-Sketch and electronic games.
• Their favourite music – if you don’t want to be singing ‘baa baa black sheep’ at work, put the kid’s music on mp3 and give them some earphones.
• Stuffed animals, dolls and action figures are great traveling companions.
• If you can afford it, portable DVD players with the children’s favorite movies are a great way to keep the children occupied.
• Just remember to keep the DVD screen out of view of the driver for safety reasons.
• Use the drive as a chance to catch up with their lives, discuss any issues they might be having or use the passing environment for educational purposes.

Remember that children (up to 4′ 9″ tall) should always be properly secured in a child safety or booster seat with safety belts. In our busy lives, anytime we get to spend with our children should be cherished, spend it wisely and make it fun and memorable.

Unlike territories further north, the Caribbean doesn’t enjoy four nice seasons that blend seamlessly into each other as they come and go each year. While other countries are treated to the sounds of children playing in the leaves on a cool autumn afternoon, our handymen are hard at work hammering in boards and sawing off tree limbs in preparation for visits from certain unwanted ‘friends’ we’ve made over the years. Who remembers the visit we got from comrade Ivan in 2004? Boy, did he leave a mess! Let’s not forget others like Dennis in ’05, Dean in ’07 and Nicole in ’10. Together the four of them cost Jamaica over 700 Million US dollars in damages; not to mention the costs throughout the Caribbean.

Despite the Caribbean’s bull’s eye position in the Atlantic, we’ve certainly proven our resilience in standing up to guys like Ivan and Dean. Luckily for us, hurricanes are one of those disasters you can actually prepare for. Can you imagine what it’s like leaving for work one sunny morning and hearing your house has been gobbled up by some random tornado? We should be thankful we have the opportunity to get ourselves ready and take measures to protect our lives, the lives of our loved ones, as well as our property.

In prepping for hurricanes, here are some of the key things we’d like you to consider:

1. Check the conditions of your home/property insurance. It’s important that you know what you’re covered for and make any necessary adjustments.
2. Make an inventory of possessions and document condition of property. Photograph your vehicle, house and all the rooms and other insured property to avoid claim complications.
3. Develop and rehearse an emergency family communications plan. Who will call whom? Where will we meet should we become separated? How will we make contact should phone lines go down? Pay close attention to these questions as families often get separated during disasters.
4. Know your evacuation route. If it becomes necessary to leave, be sure to have your route – as well as a few alternatives – plotted before-hand.
5. Clear your yard and drains of debris. Prune trees limbs that are close to your house and be sure to park cars and other mobile property in a safe place, away from anything that may fall on or impact them.
6. Place all important documents (birth certificates, passports, deeds, etc) in a water-tight plastic bag or container and keep them close.
7. Fill your car with gas before a hurricane to ensure mobility.
8. Stock up on water and non-perishable foods. Refill prescriptions needed.
9. Prepare an emergency food and supply kit with extra batteries, clean water and first-aid supplies; don’t forget your pets.
10. Stay aware! Pay attention to media announcements and be sure to have a list of emergency shelters near you, complete with contact numbers and addresses.

At ICWI we know there’s no greater value than human life and we encourage everyone to keep the safety of themselves and their loved ones the highest priority and to be proactive in safeguarding all property. Hurricanes are no surprise; so don’t be caught off-guard!