Vacation is a time to escape for a little rest and relaxation, but it’s also the time thieves increasingly break into empty homes. According to recent claims data from insurance company Travelers, theft increases during the summer months largely because more people are away. But it’s not only criminals you have to worry about while you are kicking back, you also have to be concerned about…
Read More »How to Prepare Your Home Before Your Vacation
In this article, insurance experts, including Travelers Personal Insurance Vice President Elaine Baisden, recommend reviewing your policies annually and whenever you experience a life event, such as attending college, making a major purchase like a car or new home, getting married, having a child, changing jobs, renovating a home, or caring for an elderly parent. Download this article
An insurance company does not have to cover a Rapid City woman for a crash because her policy expired 12 hours before she hit four boys on their bicycles, the South Dakota Supreme Court ruled.
Tamara Bradford pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular battery for the September 2007 crash and was sentenced to eight years in prison. Authorities said her blood-alcohol level was three times the legal limit for driving when she hit and injured the boys, who were riding their bicycles or standing along the road.
After a lawsuit was filed on behalf of the boys, Alpha Property and Casualty Insurance Co. declined to cover Bradford for the crash. The Supreme Court said Bradford’s insurance policy had expired just after midnight on Sept. 23, 2007, about 12 hours before the crash, because she had failed to pay a premium due the day before the accident.
According to a recent statewide poll commissioned by the Coalition for Auto Insurance Reform (CAIR), an overwhelming number of Michigan voters believe their auto insurance premiums are too high and support no-fault reform legislation that would lower their auto insurance costs. The poll revealed that voters are concerned about the high cost auto insurance – 70 percent said their auto insurance premiums were too high. The belief that auto insurance rates are too high is shared by voters across all age groups, political parties and beliefs, especially among the following demographics: 88 percent of Detroiters 75 percent blue collar workers… Read More »No-Fault Auto Insurance Reform
A 100-car “naturalistic” driving study conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) says that fatigue is a cause of 20% of car crashes, rather than the 2%-3% previously estimated based on surveys, simulator studies and test tracks. Plus, the study found, 18- to 20-year-olds account for significantly more fatigue-related crashes than any other age group. Adolescents’ sleep patterns shift to later hours; however, the school day still tends to start early, resulting in daytime sleepiness. Older drivers can face similar issues with late nights and early work times, but have more experience coping with moderate fatigue – although, not… Read More »100-Car Naturalistic Driving
On March 5, Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin signed a settlement agreement with homeowners insurance companies allowing an overall statewide average rate increase of 7 percent, varying by territory and form, beginning July 1. The insurance companies, represented by the North Carolina Rate Bureau, had requested an overall statewide average rate increase of 17.7 percent on Oct. 1, 2012. The difference between the requested and settled rates amounts to $237 million in savings to policyholders. As Department of Insurance experts spent months studying the insurance companies’ request, it became apparent that some increase was justified, largely due to the steadily rising… Read More »NC: Agreement Reached on Homeowners Insurance Rates
Each year, millions of Americans become victims of a car crash that causes mess on their day (and often their body and vehicle.) Auto accidents are stressful situations that can lead us to reveal more of our personal information to strangers than necessary. Even small fender benders can cause long-term pain if a friendly exchange of info leads to a compromise of one’s most sensitive personally-identifying data. A recent survey taken by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) revealed that many of us don’t know the proper steps to take after an accident, and most of us share too… Read More »Identity Theft Risks After an Auto Accident
Fifteen of 17 booster seats introduced in 2012 earn the top rating of BEST BET from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, evidence that more than ever, manufacturers are designing seats to provide good safety belt fit for booster-age children.
The improvements mean that BEST BET boosters now outnumber seats in any of the three other categories for the first time since the Institute released its inaugural booster ratings in 2008. Boosters are supposed to improve how adult lap and shoulder belts fit children so the belts can properly restrain them in crashes. BEST BET boosters correctly position belts on a typical 4-to-8-year-old child in almost any car, minivan or SUV.
“Booster manufacturers have risen to the Institute’s challenge to improve seat design, giving parents more choices than ever when shopping for a booster that will provide a good, safe fit for their children,” says Anne McCartt, Institute senior vice president for research.Read More »Booster Seats Safety Improved in 2012
Okay, we have said enough about the distracted driving. The cell phone use laws being adopted by the U.S. states are describing how and when the mobile phones can be used while driving. But what about pedestrians distracted with their smartphones? Can we blame them for major increase of fatal accidents involving pedestrians? Apparently yes. According to a recent report from the U.S. Department of Transportation, 4,280 pedestrians were killed and an estimated 70,000 were injured in traffic crashes in the United States in 2010 — a 4% rise from the number reported in 2009. On average, a pedestrian was killed every two hours… Read More »The Danger of Distracted Walking
Consumers do not think it is fair for auto insurers to use level of education, occupation and lack of previous insurance in setting prices. That’s according to findings from a national survey of more than 1,000 consumers released by the Consumer Federation of America (CFA), which opposes insurer use of the these and other factors it says are unrelated to driving and has urged state regulators to restrict their use. CFA said that most major insurers use these types of non-driving factors and said these factors greatly increase premiums for low and moderate income drivers, often by more than 100… Read More »Non-Driving Insurance Factors Questioned