News
2025 Traffic Death Estimates & 2024 FARS | NHTSA
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today announced that traffic deaths fell to record lows in 2025. With an estimated 36,640 traffic fatalities in 2025—a 6.7% decrease from 2024—the nation saw its second-lowest traffic fatality rate in recorded history at 1.10 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.
Under Secretary Duffy, the Department is restoring safety to our roads by strengthening partnerships with law enforcement, cracking down on unqualified truckers driving big rigs, and making newer and safer cars more affordable for American families.
“President Trump and I are committed to keeping American families safe on our roads. In the past year alone, we’ve partnered with our incredible law enforcement officers to get dangerous foreign truck drivers off the roads and educate the public about the dangers of distracted driving, drunk driving, and driving without a seat belt. We’ve also worked with auto manufacturers to stand up our Freedom Means Affordable Cars initiative to make buying new, safer cars more affordable. At this Department, the safety and success of American families drive our work,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy.
“Under President Trump and Secretary Duffy, American roads are safer. The Trump Administration has a strong relationship with our law enforcement partners responsible for keeping our communities safe. NHTSA is doing our part by doubling down on safety strategies that reduce risky driving behaviors before they cost lives,” said NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison.
Q1 Auto Sales Decline 6% as Aluminum Shortage Hits Ford F-Series, Hybrid Records Continue
The vehicles arriving in collision repair bays are getting older, more complex, and increasingly likely to carry a hybrid powertrain. Q1 2026 auto sales data, reported by major automakers April 1–2, adds another layer: the overall new-vehicle market contracted roughly 6% year over year, which means fewer late-model vehicles are entering the fleet at a time when the ones already in shops demand more from technicians on every repair.
That dynamic aligns with findings in CCC Intelligent Solutions' Crash Course 2026 report, released March 31, which found that the share of repairable claims for vehicles six years old or newer fell to 58.3% in 2025, down nine percentage points from 2020.
The average age of vehicles on U.S. roads reached 12.8 years last year and is projected to hit 13 in 2026, according to S&P Global Mobility data cited in the report. Meanwhile, 28.3% of repairable estimates now include calibrations, and total loss frequency reached 23.1%.
For shops, Q1 sales results signal where the fleet is headed — which brands are growing, which models are constrained, and how the powertrain mix is shifting.
U.S. new-vehicle sales totaled approximately 3.7 million units in Q1 2026, down roughly 6% compared to Q1 2025. The year-ago quarter was inflated by a tariff-driven buying surge that pushed March 2025's seasonally adjusted annual rate above 18 million units, making the comparison unusually tough across nearly every brand.
Trump targets State Farm over handling of LA wildfires
President Donald Trump took to Truth Social earlier this week to criticize insurance companies' handling of the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires — specifically targeting State Farm.
In his post on the social media site, Trump said he had just met with "political representatives of the tragedy that took place in California concerning the burning of once beautiful homes," though he does not specify who the people he met with were.
His post continues, "It was brought to my attention that the Insurance Companies, in particular, State Farm, have been absolutely horrible to people that have been paying them large Premiums for years, only to find that when tragedy struck, these horrendous Companies were not there to help!"
The president said he asked EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin for a list of the companies that "acted swiftly, courageously and bravely" to make their clients happy and fulfill their legal obligations in the aftermath of the disaster.
"The names of some surprise me," his post continued, "but in the World in which we live, nothing really surprises me! State Farm, and others, should get their act together, and treat people fairly. The Government is looking into this matter as we speak!"
Financial Results
Moody's: P&C earnings were up in 2025
U.S. property and casualty insurers saw a sharp increase in earnings last year, thanks to stronger underwriting results and an increase in investment income, according to a new report from Moody's.
Moody's analyzed a group of 20 property and casualty insurers and found they generated net income of $69 billion last year, up from $53.4 billion in 2024.
Better underwriting performance and slightly lower catastrophe losses helped boost profitability. The group had $19 billion in catastrophe losses in 2025 compared to $20.8 billion in 2024.
Investment income was also up. Insurers generated roughly $40 billion in net investment income, up 13% from 2024, as their portfolios continued to grow and maturing fixed income securities were reinvested at higher market yields.
The group increased its net premiums written by just over 5% to $411.6 billion in 2025, due largely to premium increases and higher policy counts for some personal lines insurers. Progressive alone comprised 40% of the group's premium growth.
The group's weighted average combined ratio was 88.4%, an improvement from 91.7% in 2024.
Moody's expects the industry to generate solid, but likely lower, returns in 2026. Rate increases are slowing, but the industry is well-capitalized, reinsurance buyers are benefiting from lower rates, and AI is expected to generate efficiencies and revenue growth going forward.
Telematics, Driving & Insurance
Pay-per-mile is no longer a niche product. It is a competitive line
Pay-per-mile is no longer a niche product. It is a competitive line.
Auto insurance premiums are up nearly 18% year over year heading into 2026. That pressure is pushing policyholders toward carriers who can price them on what they actually do — not what a rating table assumes they do. Nationwide's SmartMiles is now available in 44 states. Allstate's Milewise is expanding. Metromile, now part of Lemonade, has carved out an entire market segment on the model.
The carriers who cannot offer this product are not just leaving revenue on the table. They are leaving policyholders at the door.
The question is not whether pay-per-mile matters. It is whether your Guidewire program is built to deliver it.
Guidewire PolicyCenter built the first pay-as-you-go auto program in Canada.
Guidewire has noted publicly that without InsuranceSuite, one Canadian carrier could not have built what became the first pay-as-you-go auto insurance program in that market. That is not a pilot. That is a production program running on a platform most of you already own.
The gap between carriers who have activated this capability and those who have not is almost entirely a configuration and product design gap not a technology gap.
Guidewire PricingCenter changes the speed equation.
Guidewire launched PricingCenter at Connections 2025, a unified application connecting pricing strategy to execution designed to let carriers adjust rates in real time, analyze impact before release, and deploy changes in weeks rather than months. It connects directly to PolicyCenter, Advanced Product Designer, Data Studio, and HazardHub. For carriers building usage-based products, this is the infrastructure that makes dynamic rating viable without a custom build.
Guidewire's CEO framed it directly: market disruptions become opportunities to innovate when pricing and rating are unified. Pay-per-mile is exactly that disruption.
LinkedIn blog: by Damyyan Eafford, Director of Business Development, BlitzenX
Announcements
New Federal Credential Backs Collision Engineering Program, Giving Shops Access to Career-Ready Technicians - Autobody News
Federal credential boosts the alliance's two-year hybrid program as the industry faces a projected shortage of more than 100,000 collision technicians.
New Federal Credential Backs Collision Engineering Program, Giving Shops Access to Career-Ready Technicians
The Collision Engineering Career Alliance has earned U.S. Department of Labor recognition for its apprenticeship model, giving graduates a federal credential and giving collision repair shops access to a stronger pipeline of career-ready technicians.
Collision repair shops struggling to find career-ready technicians now have a stronger hiring pipeline to draw from.
The Collision Engineering Career Alliance has received formal recognition from the U.S. Department of Labor for its apprenticeship training model, which grants graduates a federally issued credential. It gives shops access to technicians who have completed a rigorous, standardized two-year program combining classroom instruction with paid, hands-on shop rotations.
The St. Louis-based nonprofit announced in March that the Department of Labor approved its National Guidelines for Apprenticeship Standards. The designation means students who complete the alliance's two-year program will earn a Collision Engineering Technician Certificate directly from the federal government, in addition to an associate degree.
The certification also establishes a replicable framework other institutions can use to launch their own programs in compliance with federal workforce law, according to the alliance.
Against that backdrop, the Collision Engineering Career Alliance's president, Mary Mahoney, said that the federal recognition changes how the program positions itself with colleges, employers and public-sector workforce partners.
Delos Says It Has Expanded Eligibility by 1M California Homes in Wildfire-Stressed Areas
Delos Insurance Solutions says it has increased access to its insurance by more than 1 million homes in wildfire-stressed locations across California in the past 12 months with new capacity.
The property insurance MGA said it is also able to go into more areas due to its sophisticated wildfire model. The company’s increased confidence in its wildfire risk model led to 270,000 homes in the five counties surrounding the Eaton and Palisades fire footprints in Southern California becoming eligible. Model enhancements were aided by the injection of refined high resolution wind data as well as other datasets related to suppression efficacy and urban conflagration potential, according to Delos.
Commentary/Opinion
Car insurance is rising faster than almost everything - TheStreet
Key Points
- Car insurance premiums rose about 55% since 2020, far outpacing other major expenses.
- Increases driven by expensive car repairs, labor shortages, high used car values, and litigation.
- Proactive comparison shopping and coverage adjustments are key to managing future premium costs.
There’s a good chance your car insurance just got more expensive and it has nothing to do with your driving record. Since 2020, the cost of insuring your vehicle has surged roughly 55%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In that same window, groceries climbed about 25%, rent rose around 22%, and gasoline ended up roughly 15% higher. Even when all three are combined, they still fall short of the costs of car insurance alone.
This isn’t just general inflation at work; repairs cost more, there aren’t enough mechanics, injury payouts have nearly doubled, and massive jury verdicts are pushing insurers to charge more across the board. The rate of increase is slowing down, but premiums aren’t coming back down anytime soon.
InsurTech/M&A/Finance💰/Collaboration
Enlyte Completes Acquisition of PartsTrader
Investment strengthens PartsTrader’s open procurement platform across the collision repair ecosystem
Enlyte, a leader in technology, networks and services for the property and casualty industry, announced today it has completed its acquisition of PartsTrader, a leading parts procurement marketplace for auto insurers and collision repairers.
The acquisition unites two complementary businesses within Enlyte’s Auto Physical Damage portfolio. PartsTrader will be a wholly owned subsidiary of Enlyte and continue to operate as an independent entity alongside Mitchell's Auto Physical Damage division. Both organizations will maintain their distinct identities while benefiting from the collective strength of the Enlyte portfolio.
“Today Enlyte takes a major step in our ongoing commitment to provide the auto physical damage claims and collision repair industries with comprehensive, innovative solutions designed to improve outcomes,” said Alex Sun, CEO of Enlyte. “This acquisition represents a strategic investment, unlocking long-term value for our customers by helping them enhance efficiency, expand workflow enablement and enjoy customer-controlled data usage across ecosystems.”
Cyber Risk
Average Smart Home Faces 30 Cyberattacks a Day - Mercury Insurance Shares How to Stay Protected
With connected homes under constant digital threat, simple safeguard can reduce both cyber intrusions and real-world losses.
Connected homes are becoming the norm, with millions of Americans relying on Wi-Fi networks, mobile apps and smart devices to manage everything from door locks to thermostats. Mercury Insurance (NYSE/NYSE Texas: MCY) is reminding homeowners that as convenience increases, so does exposure - and that basic cybersecurity practices can help reduce both digital and physical risks.
'Smart-home technology is incredibly useful, but it also expands the number of entry points into your home - not just digitally, but physically,' said Dustin Howard, Head of Info Security at Mercury Insurance. 'The good news is that many of the most effective protections are simple, proactive steps that homeowners can take today.'
Smart-home adoption continues to accelerate, with recent studies showing that roughly 70% of U.S. households now use at least one connected device. From video doorbells to smart garage doors, these tools provide visibility and control - but if not properly secured, they can also create vulnerabilities that bad actors may exploit.
What are the insurance implications of Meta's massive liability lawsuit?
Meta Platforms, the parent company of social media sites Facebook and Instagram, is defending itself against thousands of lawsuits that allege its social media platforms cause serious harm to children. The majority of the cases were consolidated into two cases in California. In Delaware, where Meta is incorporated, Meta's insurers are seeking a declaration that they have no duty to defend Meta in those cases.
The California cases have been brought by three types of plaintiffs: individual families suing on behalf of their kids, school districts and local governments, and 43 states.
The suits allege that Meta deliberately designed its platforms to exploit psychological vulnerabilities and maximize user engagement, intentionally targeting minors in the process. The alleged consequences for young users include addiction, depression, and self-harm.
Following the lawsuits, Meta turned to its insurers, including Hartford Casualty Insurance Company, Sentinel Insurance Company, and several companies under the Chubb umbrella, and asked them to cover its defense costs. Most of the insurers denied coverage.
Meta's insurers filed suit in Delaware seeking a declaration that they owed no duty to defend Meta, while the California litigation was still ongoing. Meta sought to stay the Delaware suit until the California suits were resolved or transfer the case to California, but the court denied both motions.
Podcast Sponsor
Audio Version - 'Connected: The Podcast' --- Sponsored by Pulse Podcasts
The ‘Connected’ Podcast by Alan Demers and Stephen Applebaum, is a condensed audio version of the day's ‘Connected' newsletter, a daily scan of all the happenings in the world of Insurance & InsurTech News.
Pulse Podcasts: Introduce a new way for your audience to hear your voice! We are a podcast creation service that helps businesses turn their written content, like blog posts and news articles, into beautiful podcasts. Our platform writes the script, records the voices, and mixes the audio to create engaging content for your audience. It's affordable and has super-fast turnaround!
LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE BELOW