Travelers personal lines, a member of St. Paul Travelers , today announced plans to implement a 10 percent discount on auto insurance to hybrid vehicle owners in the United States beginning in February 2006.

As of August 2005 U.S. roads saw 328,157 registered hybrid vehicles. Most were in California, followed by Virginia, Washington and Florida. Los Angeles tops the list for most hybrids by city, followed by San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and New York. According to company data, hybrid owners insured with Travelers are typically married, age 41-60 with both genders represented equally.

Until recently, hybrid ownership was confined to those attracted to new technologies and the environmentally conscious. Rising gas prices over the past few years, however, have fueled interest in the cars among general consumers. The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which saw gas prices as high as three dollars a gallon, contributed to this growth trend. Governments at all levels provide numerous tax breaks for hybrid owners, and some localities offer other incentives, such as access to high occupancy vehicle lanes.

For more information on Travelers' hybrid car insurance discount, visit http://www.hybridtravelers.com/.