HAPPY THANKSGIVING
Thanksgiving 2025
Thanksgiving Day 2025 will be celebrated across the United States on Thursday, November 27, 2025.
As one of the most beloved national holidays, Thanksgiving isn’t just about roast turkey and mashed potatoes—it’s a celebration of gratitude, togetherness, and community spirit. 'Connected' will resume on Monday, December 1st.
HOLIDAY TRAVEL
Record 73 Million Drivers Expected on Roads for Thanksgiving - CollisionWeek
Wintry weather conditions could complicate travel across multiple regions in the U.S. during the holiday.
AAA projects 81.8 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home during the Thanksgiving holiday period from Tuesday, Nov. 25 through Monday, Dec. 1, setting a new overall record with 1.6 million additional travelers compared to last year.
Nearly 73 million of those travelers, or 90 percent, will drive to their destinations, representing an additional 1.3 million vehicles on the road compared to Thanksgiving 2024. That figure could increase further if some of the 6 million expected air travelers switch to driving following recent flight cancellations.
Why Thanksgiving Breaks Insurance Systems
On travel, trust, and why this single week should change how U.S. insurers think about value.
Just as another year passes by, we all have a lot to be thankful for, celebrate, and reflect on. The same applies to the ever-dynamic insurance industry. From ravishing potluck dinners to nostalgic reunions with loved ones, the season brings mass travel, a spike in drunk-driving incidents hidden under the veil of celebration, baggage mishaps, and a flood of claims. And the real food for thought is this: Is your insurance software system built to keep up when your customers are on the move? Read along.
We are bringing data to the table that depicts why exactly insurers should ditch legacy systems off the table like a cold turkey.
We have carefully compiled some real data truths that can be a complete eye-opener for the insurance leaders, holidaying through the Thanksgiving season.
- Nearly 82 million Americans are expected to travel during Thanksgiving 2025, marking the highest holiday travel volume in recent years.
- Behavioral risks rise with higher travel volumes from 2019 to 2023, analyses show a sharp rise in drunk-driving fatalities during Thanksgiving windows, totaling 868 deaths.
- According to Statista, in 2024, U.S. airlines reported a significant number of mishandled-baggage incidents. Find more data trends in the 2024 SITA Global Baggage Report.
- Amtrak saw double-digit early booking growth for 2025 Thanksgiving routes, adding another reason for risk and service expectation.
When 80-plus million people move together, small delays become systemic problems. Delayed flights outgrow missed connections and surge claims; baggage mishandling multiplies into thousands of unhappy customers; roadway incidents cluster into severe loss.
Predict & Prevent
Thanksgiving No. 1 Day of the Year for Cooking Fires in U.S.
Thanksgiving is the No. 1 day of the year for home cooking fires in the U.S., and leaving food unattended is the leading cause of those incidents, the Red Cross reported.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, cooking accounts for 80% of Thanksgiving Day home fires and 40% of related injuries.
Embedded Insurance
Embedded Insurance Approaches Tipping Point | Insurance Innovation Reporter
As embedded insurance moves from experiment to expectation, auto dealers, OEMs, fintechs, and InsurTechs redefine how coverage is quoted, bound, and embedded at the point of decision.
Almost exactly one year ago we published our thought leadership article Embedded Insurance: Major Disruptor Can Bridge Huge Coverage Gap
In it, we pointed out embedded insurance isn’t new and the wide ranging, “at point of sale” opportunity is significant. Purchasing life insurance at the airport before flight departure was a perfect example of “version 1.0” of embedded. We also shared a Forrester forecast that “the embedded insurance market is expected to grow from $156.06 billion of gross written premiums in 2024 to more than $700 billion by 2029, a CAGR of thirty-five percent.”
More recent forecasts indicate the market could reach $1.1 trillion in global gross written premiums (GWP) by 2033, representing about fifteen percent of total GWP.
“Embedded insurance is becoming a growth engine for global financial services, a trajectory which reflects a customer- and technology-driven reshaping of how protection is bought, sold, and experienced” according to the latest Open and Embedded Insurance Observatory Report.
The report points out that the opportunity does not belong to banks and fintechs alone. Competition from adjacent industries is intensifying. Regulatory attention is beginning to focus on these models, which will require flexibility. Legacy IT systems are still a limitation for many incumbents, while data privacy and trust remain mission critical.
A continuously evolving segment is auto insurance, added at point-of-sale together with a car purchase or lease. While not a new concept, real-time insurance quotes now allow coverage to be added or switched alongside financing and other add-ons—all at the dealership before driving off the lot. Numerous and growing insurer/car brand alliances, whether with or without driving data sharing, have popped up throughout the automotive industry. Such household purchases are major life change moments, with an opportunity to switch insurers, hence the constant attention.
Stephen Applebaum and Alan Demers
Telematics, Driving & Insurance
Do Customers Really Understand What Telematics Means? -
It’s a valid question, given this recent research by Consumer Intelligence
New research from Consumer Intelligence highlights a significant disconnect between the insurance industry’s use of terminology and consumer understanding, with over one in three (38%) UK drivers reporting unfamiliarity with the term “telematics” a concept the industry has been promoting for more than two decades.
The finding underscores a broader challenge facing telematics adoption: even as the underlying technology becomes increasingly app-based and accessible, consumer comprehension of what insurers are selling remains stalled. While the industry often uses “black box” as a more recognizable alternative, many modern telematics policies operate through mobile applications, yet insurers continue to rely on technical terminology that confuses rather than clarifies.
The Communication Paradox
The Viewsbank.com survey of 742 nationally representative UK drivers conducted in October 2025 reveals the scale of the knowledge gap. With 38% of drivers unfamiliar with “telematics,” the industry faces a critical opportunity to reassess how it communicates these products at the point of sale. This communication failure has real consequences.
When drivers encounter telematics related policy requirements post-purchase, such as installing a monitoring app or black box device, many report feeling blindsided. In fact, just under one in five (18%) drivers have been asked to take monitoring-related steps after purchasing, with just over one in six of those (17%) claiming they were completely unaware these requirements existed before buying their policy.
Claims
Three ways to fix the broken insurance claims journey
Customers typically enter the claims process at one of the most stressful points in their lives, and the industry’s traditional approach has often added friction rather than relief.
Poor communication, unclear next steps and manual workflows all heighten anxiety, resulting in dissatisfaction and, ultimately, churn.
To address these core pain points, Ushur investigates three practical steps insurers can take to modernise the claims journey and deliver clearer, faster and more reassuring experiences.
News
State Farm Files for 6.2% Auto Rate Reduction in California - CollisionWeek
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company has filed for a 6.2% auto insurance rate reduction in California, the latest in a series of rate cuts the insurer has implemented across multiple states.
The filing, submitted to the California Department of Insurance, would take effect Feb. 23, 2026, pending regulatory approval. The reduction applies to personal auto insurance policies.
“This rate reduction reflects our ongoing commitment to provide quality coverage and increasingly competitive rates for our customers,” said Dan Krause, State Farm senior vice president. “We remain committed to helping build a sustainable insurance market for all Californians.”
State Farm attributed
Research
LexisNexis reports Q3 shopping growth ‘hot’ in Q3 | Repairer Driven News
Shopping for auto insurance remained high through Q3, with the quarterly year-over-year (YoY) shopping growth rate registering as “hot” at 6.4%, according to the latest U.S. Insurance Demand Meter from LexisNexis Risk Solutions.
The shopping rate was down from 9.4% in Q2. New policy growth came in “warm” at 2.8%, down from 3.6% in Q2.
Policyholders aged 66 and older exhibited the highest growth rate, outpacing younger cohorts with a 10% increase YoY in shopping growth.
“The accelerating shopping activity among consumers aged 66 and older is a signal insurers can’t afford to overlook,” wrote Jeff Batiste, LexisNexis U.S. auto and home insurance senior vice president and general manager, in the report. “Policyholders who once remained loyal and inactive are increasingly entering the market. With annual shopping rates rising in recent quarters, carriers should ensure their segmentation strategies are precisely aligned with underwriting appetite.“
Aggressive driving ups auto insurance costs, AAA study shows | Insurance Business America
Majority of drivers have engaged in some form of aggressive driving in the past year
A recent study from the *AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has highlighted the growing impact of aggressive driving on auto insurance claims and premiums.
The research found that 96% of drivers admitted to engaging in some form of aggressive driving in the past year, while exposure to aggressive behavior increases the likelihood that other drivers act similarly. Risky actions, including speeding, tailgating and cutting off other vehicles, contribute to more frequent and severe accidents, directly affecting insurers' loss ratios.
Nearly one in 10 drivers admitted to deliberately violent actions, such as bumping another car or confronting other motorists, further raising the risk of costly claims. Insurers have seen the financial consequences, including auto insurance claims and expenses.
New female crash dummy aims to make cars safer for women
For decades, car safety tests were built around the body of an average man from the 1970s. Now, federal officials are taking a step to better protect women behind the wheel.
The U.S. Transportation Department has approved a new female crash test dummy called THOR-05F, designed to better reflect how women's bodies respond in a car crash.
Government data shows that female drivers are 73% more likely to be seriously injured and 17% more likely to die in vehicle crashes compared to male drivers.
"Better understanding the unique ways in which women are impacted differently in crashes than men is essential to reducing traffic fatalities," Jonathan Morrison, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), told The New York Times.
The newly approved dummy is described by officials as more "durable, accurate and lifelike" than previous models.
It includes more than 150 sensors and better represents differences in female anatomy, including the neck, collarbone, pelvis and legs.
If adopted into official safety testing, the THOR-05F could replace the Hybrid III, a crash test dummy based on a man who was about 5 feet 9 inches tall and 170 pounds.
While NHTSA began including female dummies in testing in 2011, those models were usually placed in the passenger seat or back seat, not the driver's seat, even though women make up more licensed drivers than men by about 3 million.
The new dummy is meant to be tested directly in the driver's seat, where most serious crashes occur.
However, its use is not guaranteed by the car industry. Lawmakers are pushing to have the dummy used by federal regulators.
Commentary/Opinion
A conversation with the CEO of Liberty Mutual | McKinsey
Liberty Mutual Chairman and CEO Tim Sweeney says innovation is not just a nice to have. He shares how the 113-year-old insurer has created a culture of exploration.
According to Liberty Mutual Chairman and CEO Tim Sweeney, the property and casualty insurance industry has not historically been a hotbed of innovation.
But to Sweeney, it should be an existential priority for insurers. McKinsey Senior Partner Tanguy Catlin sat down with Sweeney, at ITC Vegas to understand why innovation is a priority, the pillars of the company’s culture of innovation, and how it’s approaching and implementing AI.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.