Declarations – South Central

Eyes on the Road

“Distracted driving can cause a lot of accidents.”

—Louisiana State Sen. Dale Erdey, R-Livingston, who sponsored Senate Bill 147, which was approved by the Senate transportation committee. It would add accessing, reading and posting to social media sites, such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, to the no-no list while driving, closing a loophole in the law that prohibits texting while driving. “Texting, social networking, it’s all about taking your eyes off the road,” Erdy said.

Seeking Recovery

“SCA does not believe that any prior occurrences in its litigation history with Lance Armstrong bar its attempts to seek recovery through legal channels today.”

—SCA Promotions spokesman Jeff Dorough responds via email to the Associated Press after Lance Armstrong asked a Texas court to dismiss a lawsuit by the Dallas-based specialty insurer that seeks to recover more than $12 million in bonuses SCA paid the cyclist for winning the Tour de France. SCA says it was cheated into the 2006 settlement because Armstrong, who now admits doping, lied when he testified under oath that he didn’t. Armstrong’s court filings argue that the settlement is legally binding and includes language that it cannot be appealed.

Illegal Acts Not Covered

“This whole debate about gun liability was triggered by the Sandy Hook event, also the event in Colorado, both of which were illegal and neither of which would be covered under any policy ever written in the history of the insurance industry.”

—Insurance Information Institute President Dr. Robert P. Hartwig refers to the mass shootings that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., and in an Aurora, Colo., movie theater last year, and to the many gun liability insurance measures that have been filed in state legislatures this year. Many in the insurance industry say that while the bills are well-meaning, mandatory insurance is not the way to address the problem of gun-related violence.