Yesterday I told you about my wife’s bad day which included sliding off the road, well last night she told me that she slid about 100 feet and almost hit a car. She was exiting the freeway in Provo and the traffic on the off ramp was all stopped. Luckily her car stopped in time and she avoided an accident but we shouldn’t rely on luck so I’m going to review some winter driving safety tips.
Probably the best advice I can give you is to avoid driving in the snow whenever possible. If you can survive a few more days without going shopping than it’s best to put it off until the road conditions improve. If you must make a trip though here are some safety tips to think about:
Slow down! Drive slower and leave extra space to stop, don’t drive as close to other cars as you normally would.
Lights. Turn on your lights so other vehicles can see you better through the snow.
Brake slowly. Don’t stomp on the brake or you’ll slide, instead gently tap the brake until you slow down. Holding the brake down may lockup your tires sending you into a slide.
Avoid using cruise control.
Make sure your windshield stays clean and wipe off your lights before driving to ensure others see you.
Don’t pass snow plows. The roads in front of them will be pretty bad, it’s better to take it slow and drive behind them.
Use lower gears to help keep traction.
Use caution on bridges and overpasses as these freeze more quickly than regular roads due to the cold air blowing above and below the road.
Just because you have a Jeep or big truck doesn’t mean you can drive at normal speed limits. Your car may not be as tough as you think and 4 wheel drive doesn’t make you stop any faster so if another car skids out in front of you you’ll be in trouble.
Be Patient! Put aside your road rage for a few days and drive a little slower. Let people in your lane and try to be just a little more courteous than normal. We’re all in a hurry and none of us want to be driving 15 M.P.H. on the freeway.
You also may want to call your insurance agent to make sure your auto insurance policy has towing coverage and rental car reimbursement. The towing would be to get you out of the snow and the rental car coverage would be just in case you’re involved in a car accident. If you need a car to get to work than you should have this coverage. Hopefully these tips will help keep you a little safer this winter.
My wife is a nurse and she was out visiting patients last Friday in the Salt Lake area. She stopped at an assisted living home and after making her rounds she returned to her car and noticed a back tire was flat so she called me. She was panicking because she was supposed to be at another patients home in 15 minutes. I was at my office in Lindon and wouldn’t make it to her in time so I called a tire company and they sent a truck out to replace the bad tire. This is how her day started and it only got worse from there.
On her way home from Salt Lake City she was driving down I-15 and hit traffic in Lehi which brought her to a stop. When she finally reached the American Fork exit she breathed a sigh of relief because she was almost home. That is when she hit a patch of ice and slid off the road into a field. She called me again to tell me how dumb she felt and as I was on the phone with her when 6 cars pulled over to make sure she was okay.
She sat in her car as the strangers pushed with everything they had, than one of them asked her “are you sure the emergency brake isn’t on?” She looked down and noticed that it was on so those Good Samaritans were standing in a foot of snow pushing her car with the E brake on. She released it and they pushed her car back onto the road and she made it safely home. All she wanted was a warm cup of hot cocoa but someone hit a power pole down the street and knocked out our power so she came home to a cold dark house. A horrible ending to a horrible day.
What’s the point of this story and what does it have to do with auto insurance? I just wanted to thank the good people that pulled over to help my wife. I hope that the next time I see someone stuck in the snow that I will take a few minutes to help them out. Christmas is over but that doesn’t mean we can’t still be charitable. Try to make someones day today by helping them out. Also, make sure you have towing coverage on your insurance policy just in case no one stops when it’s you that’s stuck in the snow. = )
Winter is here and that means a few things; Christmas, ski season, snowmen, hot cocoa and an extra 5 minutes every morning waiting for your car to warm-up. I’ve been speaking with some of my clients and gathering different ways they use to deice their windshields. Some of them are very creative but not necessarily good for your car. I’ll give you a list of the methods they use and then give you the recommended way to do it.
Here are some of the deicing methods I’ve heard of recently (Do Not Try These):
Pouring hot water on windshield to melt the ice. Bad idea because when the hot water meets the frozen glass the glass may crack.
Tapping the ice with a hammer/screwdriver/icepick or any other hard object you can find. Bad idea because you may chip or shatter the windshield.
Using a lighter or propane torch to melt the ice. Bad idea because it’s dangerous and may crack or melt the glass.
Using a credit card to scrape the ice. Not bad for the glass but you’ll probably break your card.
Using a key, knife or other sharp object to scrape the ice. Bad idea because you’ll end up scratching the glass.
Pour a mixture of water and vinegar on the windshield so that it freezes to the glass before the snow does, preventing ice. Bad idea because vinegar eats into the windshield (bonus points for creativity though).
So what is the best way to clear your windshield? There are deicing products available for purchase and some work better than others to shorten the deicing time. The best thing to do is plan to spend an extra 5 minutes warming up the car. Turn your defroster on to a medium setting and allow it to gradually warm the glass, than use a plastic ice scrapper to remove the ice. I know this isn’t the magical time-saving answer you were hoping for but this is the safest way to remove the ice. Hopefully this helps a little, just remember the snow only lasts a few months and than we’ll all be complaining about the ridiculous Utah heat.
I love when my clients call in and ask questions because it provides me with lots of good topics to write about. You may not believe this, since insurance is such a fun and exciting subject, but it’s not always easy to come up with good subjects to write on that will actually be beneficial. I had someone call my office yesterday and ask me some questions about flood insurance and his septic tank.
The quick and easy answer is that your basic homeowners insurance policy will not cover damage caused by a backed up septic tank. The insurance company is there to insure you against unexpected losses and if you just failed to perform your routine maintenance you will not be covered. Sometimes you may be doing everything your supposed to and it may still back up after a bad rain storm so what do you do. Most insurance companies have a special coverage called “Water Backup” that provides extra coverage for damage caused by water backup.
If you have a basement in your home and you store things down there than you should talk with your agent to see if you need this coverage. In most cases it will not cost much and you will be very glad you have it when you need it. We don’t see many floods in Utah and unless you live near a lake or river it should be very inexpensive to add this valuable coverage. If you live in the Salt Lake or Provo area give us a call and we can review your current coverages.
We live in one of the most beautiful states in the country. Every year thousands of tourists fly into the Salt Lake airport and head off to explore the different attractions. Some come for the red rocks in the south, some come to see Temple Square, others come to watch a BYU football game in Provo, but we’re mostly known for our snow. It started snowing yesterday and I know of more than a few people that are ready to hit the slopes.
Skiing or snowboarding, whichever you choose, can be a ton of fun but every year people get injured up on the mountains. If you don’t believe me check out some of the ski crashes on YouTube. So what happens if you drive a truck for a living and you break your legs skiing? Is your employer going to keep paying you even though you’re not able to perform your job duties? I doubt it, if they do let me know who you work for so I can apply. You may have accidental death and disability insurance (ADD) through your employer, do you remember checking that tiny box when you first started your job. That is good to have but most employer ADD policies will only cover you for accidents that happen on the job so your ski accident most likely will not be covered.
So what do you do when you’re unable to work and earn a paycheck? How are you going to pay your mortgage, utility bills, or even buy groceries? I’m not trying to scare you into calling me and buying insurance, I just want to paint the picture so you can fully understand. There are policies available that will cover you 24/7 for accidents. They will help pay for hospital bills as well as give you a portion of your regular income to help you cover your normal bills. You’ve probably seen t.v. commercials with that annoying duck paying people’s bills. Well, they aren’t the only company that offers that and at The Ray Group we have access to multiple different companies so we can find the policy that best fits your needs.
If you’re not a skier you may still want to consider and accident insurance policy. Do you own a snowmobile, ATV, jet-ski or dirt-bike? These are also sports where you are more likely to be injured and we can help you find the right policy to ensure your family and assets are protected. If you have questions about accident insurance give us a call or fill out the form on our website and we can review your situation with you.
The minimum requirements for auto insurance in Utah will be changing on January 1st, 2009, will your rates go up? Currently the state minimum requirements are $25,000/$50,000/$15,000. That means you have $25,000 of coverage per person and up to $50,000 total per accident with $15,000 of coverage for property damage. So if you hit a car with 2 passengers in it and they each have exactly $25,000 of medical bills than your auto insurance policy will take care of it. But if you hit a car with 2 passengers and one of them has $30,000 of medical bills and the other has $20,000 you will be responsible for $5,000. The auto insurance policy would pay for $25,000 to the person with $30,000 in bills and $20,000 to the other person.
That $5,000 difference would come out of your pocket and if you didn’t have cash to pay for it you will most likely be sued. This is why your insurance agent is always bugging you to increase your coverage levels, we want you to have adequate protection. I know most people think we’re trying to nickle and dime you to death but we really do have your best interest in mind. If you don’t believe me just turn on your television and count how many personal injury attorney commercials you see in 1 hour. T.V. ads aren’t cheap and those attorneys aren’t paying for them just to see themselves on t.v.
Utah’s congress met in Salt Lake City and passed a bill to raise the minimum insurance requirements to $25,000/$65,000/$15,000. If you currently carry the state minimum coverage levels than your auto insurance policy will automatically be adjusted to the new minimum levels. You will see a slight increase in your premium, but for most it shouldn’t be too big. This would be a great time to speak with your agent about raising your other coverage’s on your auto insurance policy (See Annual Financial Reviews). I believe that the state minimum is not enough and I advise all of my clients to carry higher levels. If you have questions about your policy give us a call even if you’re not a Ray Group client yet.
How often do you speak with your insurance agent? If you’re like most people you probably only speak to him a few times a year when your policy premium goes up. Maybe you call him once a month to make a payment over the phone on your auto insurance policy. But how often do you talk with him about your coverage levels, your assets or your risk tolerance? If you’re not meeting with him at least once a year for an annual checkup you may not have adequate protection.
I had a client call in yesterday and tell me that her husbands utility trailer had been stolen, and it was full of tools he needed for work. I carry their home, auto and life insurance but not their business insurance. The insurance agent that carries their business insurance failed to hold annual reviews with them and never added the trailer to their policy. She called me to see if there was anything I could do to help her.
I explained to her that her homeowners insurance policy would cover some of the loss but no where near all of it. Her homeowners policy had $1,000 of coverage for tools and another $1,000 for the trailer if it was on premises but unfortunately for her it was at her brother-in-laws house so there was even less coverage. Basically after all was said and done she could have received a $200 check if she filed a claim but than her premium would go up for the next 3 years.
I felt very bad for her and I am meeting with her later today to review her business insurance for her so that something like this doesn’t happen again. I had talked with her about switching her business insurance to my agency but she didn’t want to because it was $100/year cheaper at this other place. They are now missing over $17,000 in tools, the Lehi police did find the trailer but it was empty.
If your agent is not meeting with you at least once a year you should find a new agent. We would love to give you a comprehensive review of your insurance portfolio and offer suggestions or advice to assure you’re properly protected. Visit us online at www.raygroupinsurance.com or call us at 801-796-6161. We are in the Provo area but have many clients in Salt Lake County and would love to meet with you at a convenient location for you.
This is a funny video clip from the movie Groundhog Day. There are probably a lot of insurance ’salesmen’ out there that can be very annoying like Ned. Our goal at The Ray Group is be insurance professionals and to treat every client the way we expect to be treated.
Just so you know we are licensed to sell life insurance everywhere in the state of Utah so whether you live in Ogden, Salt Lake City, Provo or Saint George we can help. Enjoy the video and give us a call if you have any questions about life insurance or read our previous blog on life_insurance_basics.
It’s Cyber Monday following Black Friday and the trunk of your car is full of the Christmas presents you woke up at 3 a.m. to buy. If someone were to break into your car and steal the presents would they be covered by your auto insurance? I bring this up because last year at about this time I had a client call in to tell me that the back window of his car was busted out and the gifts in the back seat were stolen as he was inside of a store shopping. I felt horrible imagining this father approaching his car only to find that all of his kids Christmas presents were stolen.
On a side note I actually woke up at 5 a.m. this year so that I could get to the American Fork Big 5 and buy my first gun. They had a great sale and I was astonished at the crowds. Later in the day I went to the University Mall in Provo to check out some of the sales and the crowds there were even bigger. I did finish most of my Christmas shopping and it feels good to know that I’m pretty much done a month early.
Now that I’ve given you a moment to think about the above scenario do you have an answer? Would your automobile insurance cover stolen Christmas presents? The answer is no. Most automobile insurance policies will only cover the car itself and any stock parts (you can buy extra coverage if you’ve added a stereo system or T.V./DVD system). This means that the broken window or door lock will be covered by your policy but the presents will not. Does that mean you have to go apply for a new credit card and stand in those long lines again?
Not necessarily, if you have a property insurance policy than your gifts may be covered. You should talk with your insurance agent about what your policy does and does not cover but I will give you some general rules. If you have a homeowners, renters or a townhome/condo insurance policy than your things will most likely be covered. Most property insurance policies will cover your personal property even when it is not in your home. Some policies will have limitations such as only covering up to 80% of your personal property limits when off premises. This means if you have $100,000 of personal property coverage you would only get $80,000 of coverage for losses occuring outside of your home. So for most of us it will be more than enough to cover stolen Christmas presents. The things you will need to think about are saving receipts and the cost of your deductible.
If you call your insurance company and tell them you just had $25,000 of Christmas presents stolen out of your car and you don’t have a reciept they may question you (see Insurance_Fraud). On the other hand if you had $400 of Christmas presents stolen you may not want to file a claim because of your deductible. Most homeowners insurance policies have a $500 deductible (see Glossary) so you would be paying for the entire loss either way. If you have a renters or townhome/condo policy you probably have a lower deductible ($100-$250) so it may make sense to file a claim but you will need to wiegh out the long term costs. Will your policy premium increase if you file this claim? In most cases the answer is yes so you need to decide if the loss was large enough to warrant filing a claim. This is something your agent can discuss with you but ultimately it will be your choice.
I hope that this helps explain this situation a little better and I really hope that you never have to worry about this. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you have about your insurance policies at www.raygroupinsurance.com.
I know I’ve already blogged about the holiday season but I really wanted to take a moment today and leave a quick message. I am sitting on my sisters couch in Eagle Mountain (just west of Provo) enjoying the company of my family. I am so grateful for the wonderful people that are in my life, especially by beautiful wife and kids. They all have contributed so much to shape me into the person that I am today. Since I just ate way too much food and can’t really move right now I thought it would be fitting to blog about health insurance today. I might need to be resuscitated in a minute if I pass out.
Health care is a big issue in our country today and with Obama’s election I think we will hear a lot more about it in the coming months. I don’t know what is in store for our country’s health care system but I do have some statistics about the current system. Health care costs rose 6.7% in the U.S. during 2007 and I will have the 2008 numbers as soon as they are released. In Utah 6.8% of children had no insurance in 2004. We have a lot of options for insurance in our state, most people carry insurance through their employer. If you are self employed, unemployed or if your employer doesn’t offer insurance there are options for you.
If you are not currently insured and want to know about your options visit our website or give us a call. Someone from our agency would love to explain all of the options available to you and help you figure out the best choice. If you are an employer or if your employer doesn’t offer health insurance please ask us about our group plans.
Someone just pulled out the pumpkin pie and whipped cream so I am going to sign off. Please enjoy this special day and remember to express your gratitude for your friends and family.