Paper’s Days are Numbered in London
There will surely be one final claim handwritten on parchment found tucked in a dusty cubbyhole somewhere, but paper is going the way of the farthing in the London company market. The percentage of new claims submitted each month electronically is now close to 90%, up from 70% at the start of 2012, the International Underwriting Association reports. Meanwhile, the portion of existing claims that are still being processed on paper has fallen to one-third from two-thirds at the start of last year.
Proof of Insurance Goes Paperless Too
Here’s a trend that could help drivers avoid annoying tickets and clear out space in traffic court: electronic proof of insurance coverage, or e-Card. Last year, five states moved to allow motorists to use their cell phones to show proof of insurance coverage, and 22 other states legislatures are considering the switch this year, the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America says. That means no more fumbling through the glove compartment to sort through the last five years of insurance cards without coming up with the current one. Just remember to keep your smart phone charged.
TV Remotes to go the way of the Dodo Bird?
Just as we’ve gotten used to swiping and tapping our mobile devices to control them, along comes technology that promises to let us do all that without actually touching the screen. Gesture recognition technology from companies such as EyeSight Technology and PointGrab will let us sit back and point, swipe and flip our fingers to control our gadgets. It could eliminate the TV remote. Say you want to mute the TV, just make the sshh sign with a finger to your lips. Now, if we could only do that with some people we know.
