PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla.--(Business Wire)--A new online auto insurance agency seeks to change the way parents
purchase auto insurance for teen drivers - a transaction that often
costs hundreds of dollars more than necessary.
"Adding a teen to your existing policy is the path of least
resistance. It's easy for the consumer and easy for your agent - maybe
too easy," said Chris Heidrick, president of TOGA Insurance. "In too
many cases, these add-on policies are more expensive than they need to
be. Rather than simply grin and bear it, we encourage families to
perform an Auto-Insurance Tune-up whenever they experience the life
event of adding a new teen driver."
Rating auto insurance is complex, each company does it differently
and after a year or two, consumers can no longer be sure their
insurance is still the most affordable option, Heidrick said. That's
why a few minutes of comparison-shopping is likely to reap rewards for
families, especially during significant changes such as the addition
of a teen driver.
"TOGA specializes in insuring new drivers as well as experienced
drivers," Heidrick said. "Our Web site provides customers with rates
from several well-known companies, expert advice on their coverage as
well as tips on how drivers can reduce the risk of an accident."
TOGA Insurance, which stands for The Online General Agency, will
initially write auto insurance in Florida but will offer new products
in new geographic areas by mid 2008. TOGA is affiliated with its
sister company, the National Safety Commission, which provides online
education services for new drivers and drivers who receive traffic
tickets and was recently recognized by INC magazine as the
second-fastest growing education company in America. Leveraging this
relationship, TOGA will offer insurance products from a number of
carriers, including Progressive, Infinity and Fidelity, to the more
than 400,000 online customers of LowestPriceTrafficSchool.com who use
National Safety Commission services during critical driving events
that create new insurance needs. TOGA will also serve other Florida
consumers who are simply looking for ways to save money on auto
insurance premiums.
In a country where, tragically, auto crashes are the No. 1 cause
of death for teenagers, TOGA's partnership with the nation's leader in
traffic safety education is vital element of the company's
risk-management program, said Col. Chris Knight, former director of
the Florida Highway Patrol.
"As a former law enforcement officer - and also as a parent of a
teen learning to drive - I firmly believe that helping to teach safe
driving habits must be a key mission of any organization that brings
new drivers onto our roads," Knight said. "TOGA's relationship with
the National Safety Commission's award-winning traffic safety
education programs is a valuable asset to parents."
TOGA is also planning to seek strategic partnerships with other
organizations whose online services fit with TOGA's 'immediate
solutions for immediate needs' model.
"Just as consumers have turned to online options for other
products and services, they are doing so for insurance," Heidrick
said. "By offering needed insurance products to customers as they
apply for a license or deal with traffic citations, we'll be there for
our customers where and when they need us."
Heidrick is an insurance veteran who has held senior management
posts at both Fireman's Fund and Marsh & McLennan, and he has brought
in a team of other top executives from Fireman's Fund and MetLife to
TOGA.
Ken Underwood, CEO of SIHcorp, TOGA's parent company, said that
TOGA's business model would set a new standard for customer
convenience and in targeted auto insurance marketing.
"We're here to serve consumers and create a customer-friendly
process of getting the right insurance, at the right price, at the
right time," Underwood said. "We're very pleased to be open for
business with some of the best minds in the insurance industry and
we're looking forward to an exciting 2008."
For more information, please visit www.TOGA.com or call
1-800-TOGA-TOGA.
TOGA and National Safety Commission Inc. are fully owned
subsidiaries of SIHcorp, which controls strategic positions in online
education, entertainment, insurance and numerous additional web-based
services.
Statements in this press release or in other SIHcorp
communications may relate to future events or SIHcorp's future
performance. Such statements are forward-looking statements and are
based on present information SIHcorp has related to its existing
business circumstances. Everyone is cautioned that such
forward-looking statements are subject to inherent risk and that
actual results may differ materially from such forward-looking
statements. In particular, SIHcorp may not enter into or may exit
definitive agreements with and or related to carriers, other products
and geographies.
For TOGA Insurance, Ponte Vedra Beach
Ryan Banfill, 850-222-1996
Copyright Business Wire 2008
