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(NAPSI)-−Hybrid vehicles may help to save more than the environment. They may also mean savings for drivers when it comes to auto insurance.
For example, on the heels of recently signed legislation aimed at reducing California's greenhouse emissions by 25 percent by the year 2020, one insurance company has introduced a program to help support that goal.
California hybrid owners can now take advantage of a 10 percent discount on auto insurance offered by Travelers. Experts say any vehicle is considered a hybrid when it combines two or more sources of power. Hybrid cars run off a rechargeable battery and gasoline.
The company is the first to offer a discount to hybrid drivers on a national level and has been steadily rolling out the discount state by state. It has recently made the discount available in New York, Maryland, Florida, Washington and Texas, bringing the total number of states in which the discount is offered to 42, in addition to the District of Columbia.
Commonly known as an eco-conscious state, California has registered 52,619 new hybrid vehicles in 2005. At a distant second, Florida registered 10,470 hybrids, followed by Texas, New York and Virginia. Los Angeles tops the list of hybrid-driving cities with 22,922 new hybrid cars registered, followed by San Francisco with 15,828. New York, Washington, D.C. and Boston complete the top five.
"The new legislation aimed at reducing greenhouse emissions shows California is taking noticeable measures to improve the environment," said Peter Betts, Travelers regional vice president for California. "We hope our discount offer for hybrid owners will help support an eco-friendly action plan for California and its residents."
The Web site www.hybridtrav elers.com offers up-to-date information on federal and state tax benefits for hybrid drivers and other community incentives, such as discounted or free parking. Visitors can also share their stories about being "hybrid travelers," access an insurance agent locator and obtain policy information.
The discount for hybrid drivers is the latest in a long series of firsts for the company that wrote the first automobile insurance policy in 1897. Other firsts include the first policy covering electronic data processing liability in 1961, and the first insurance company to offer consumers protection against identity fraud in 1999.
Travelers understands that life and business are inherently dynamic and that the best way to serve agents and policyholders is to deliver insurance that evolves to stay in synch with life and business as they change.
Visit www.hybridtravelers.com for more information on being in synch.