The St. Paul Companies' Construction Group Announces Partnership With SafetyFirst to Help Curb Construction Vehicle Collisions

    ST. PAUL, Minn.--Sept. 25, 2001--The St. Paul Companies has teamed up with SafetyFirst to help construction policyholders with their efforts to curb construction auto losses. The program, designed to spot the small group of drivers in auto fleets who take risks while behind the wheel, has been shown effective by six independent insurance carrier studies. The service is provided through the SafetyFirst company of Cresskill, NJ, to eligible policyholders of The St. Paul's Construction Group.
    SafteyFirst has been shown to reduce accident frequency by an average of 22 percent. The program is a natural fit with The St. Paul's dedication to providing tools and programs to its policyholders to help prevent injuries, lost time and rising claim costs.
    "We're always looking for ways to help our customers and we are able to have a distinctive approach, in part, because of partnerships with organizations such as SafetyFirst," said Tony DePadua, president of construction for The St. Paul Companies. "SafetyFirst is a service that provides our customers with a way to reduce accidents and ensure safer roads for everyone."
    Experts from the safety, insurance and technology fields who are devoted to reducing auto collisions have identified SafetyFirst as an industry leader. SafetyFirst handles the program's enrollment process by contacting selected policyholders to determine their interest in joining the program. Once the customer has elected to participate, SafetyFirst provides the needed materials, resources and information to get the process started.
    The SafetyFirst system applies uniquely numbered decals placed on the rear of commercial vehicles to solicit motorist comments on any risk taking behaviors that may occur. SafetyFirst's 24/7/365 call center processes motorist observation reports and sends them to the fleet for review and investigation.
    "It's not about fault finding," said Paul Farrell, director of sales and marketing for SafetyFirst. "It's about helping hard working drivers spot and correct risky habits before anyone gets hurt.
    According to Dan Coulthard, SafteyFirst operations manager, "The focus of the program is getting the driver's side of the story on what actually happened on the road that day."
    Most drivers take great care with their driving duties. In fact, a majority of drivers (about 80 percent) never receive a negative call report. Drivers who get more than one report are the smallest grouping of drivers at a fleet operation. "About eight out of 100 drivers receive multiple reports," said Coulthard.
    SafetyFirst also provides assistance to fleet management teams and to the drivers in the form of numerous reference guides, safe driving bulletins, and training programs on how to conduct positive coaching sessions with drivers. The program is being offered to The St. Paul's construction clients who have more than 20 vehicles and an interest in reducing their loss activity by coaching their drivers on proper technique.

    The St. Paul's Construction Group is part of The St. Paul Companies. Headquartered in Saint Paul, Minn., USA, The St. Paul Companies provides commercial property-liability insurance and non-life reinsurance worldwide. The St. Paul reported 2000 revenue from continuing operations of $8 billion, total assets of $35.5 billion, and is ranked No. 222 on the Fortune 500 list of largest U.S. companies. For more information about The St. Paul's construction products and services, visit the company's web site, www.stpaul.com.