A little safety information on Fireworks!

Today I wanted to share a little information I found from the NFPA regarding Fireworks and their danger. To read the full article and associated video please follow the link to http://www.nfpa.org/fireworks. Have a fun and SAFE 4th of July.

Fireworks

Each July Fourth, thousands of people, most often children and teens, are injured while using consumer fireworks. Despite the dangers of fireworks, few people understand the associated risks - devastating burns, other injuries, fires, and even death. The Alliance to Stop Consumer Fireworks is a group of health and safety organizations, coordinated by NFPA, that urges the public to avoid the use of consumer fireworks and instead, to enjoy displays of fireworks conducted by trained professionals.

NH fire officials, injured family recount fireworks incident

Patrick and Marci Foy, and their daughter, Olivia, were attending a family celebration in Pelham, NH, on July 3, 2012. They were among the more than dozen people injured during a consumer fireworks incident. Watch as the Foy’s give a first-hand account of their experience and the impact it continues to have on their lives.

 

Facts & figures 

• In 2011, fireworks caused an estimated 17,800 reported fires, including 1,200 total structure fires, 400 vehicle fires, and 16,300 outside and other fires. These fires resulted in an estimated eight reported civilian deaths, 40 civilian injuries and $32 million in direct property damage.
• In 2011, U.S. hospital emergency rooms treated an estimated 9,600 people for fireworks related injuries; 61% of 2010 emergency room fireworks-related injuries were to the extremities and 34% were to the head.
• The risk of fireworks injury was highest for children ages 5-19, and adults 25-44, in an atypical year of a very comparable risk across much of the population.
• On Independence Day in a typical year, far more U.S. fires are reported than on any other day, and fireworks account for two out of five of those fires, more than any other cause of fires.

Source: NFPA’s Fireworks report, by John R. Hall, Jr., June 2013

 

How hot does a sparkler burn? (See larger image)

There have been a lot of big auto accidents lately.....

For those of you in Central MN, you may have noticed a large number of major auto accidents recently in our region and into the metro area. My theory is it must have something to do with this incredibly long winter creating a greater strain of "Cabin Fever" and greater difficulty with the spring excitement of driving, but the cause of the increase isn't what I want to focus on today, it is to increase awareness that these things do occur. At any given time many of you who will read this could be cruising down the road and happen to be a part of one of these accidents, and what happens if through it all you are found to be liable, either partially or wholly? Does your current auto insurance provide you enough protection for that?

I don't know the specifics of your policy but thought this article was a good start to getting this to be a top of mind issue:

How much coverage do I need?

Almost every state requires you to buy a minimum amount of liability coverage. Chances are that you will need more liability insurance than the state requires because accidents cost more than the minimum limits. If you’re found legally responsible for bills that are more than your insurance covers, you will have to pay the difference out of your own pocket. These costs could wipe you out!

You may want to talk to your agent or company representative about purchasing higher liability limits to reflect your personal needs. You may also consider purchasing an umbrella or excess liability policy. These policies pay when your underlying coverages are exhausted. Typically, these policies cost between $200 and $300 per year for a million dollars in coverage. If you have your homeowners and auto insurance with the same company, check out the cost of coverage with this company first. If you have coverage with different companies, it may be easier to buy it from your auto insurance company.

In addition to liability coverage, consider buying collision and comprehensive coverage. You don't decide how much to buy. Your coverage reflects the market value of your car and the cost of repairing it.

Decide on a deductible—the amount of money you pay on a claim before the insurance company reimburses you. Typically, deductibles are $500 or $1,000; the higher your deductible, the lower your premium.

Thanks to the insurance information institute for this basic information regarding how much auto insurance you may need, now I urge you to contact your agent to learn more or if you bought you current policy online, give us a call and let us give you an insurance evaluation for your protection in the future. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask!

 

Summer is coming! We hope!!

Although this past week and by the looks of it, the one ahead, have been and continue to be more like mid January than mid April, summer will have to show up eventually. Even if it is for just a week or so in July!

So, my advice for this week while you are angry at the snow and ice continuing to be present this late in the year, convince yourself that summer is much closer and call to talk to your insurance agent about having your summer toys properly insured.

What could make it feel more like summer than making sure that beautiful big pontoon where you and all the kids make so many memories is protected properly? Okay, other than actually being out on it! Or, what could get you more excited for the wind blowing in your face while enjoying a windy road cruise on your motorcycle, than making sure it is insured and ready to go?

Okay, I am making the insuring of these items sound much more exciting than it may be, but it is extremely important, especially this time of the year when within a few days it may be nice enough to have them out and you don't want to wait to call your insurance agent then! So, I recommend, if you don't have your insurance set up for your summer toys, to give us a call this week and get it done, and talk to your agent about how that insurance can be left in place all year long as the companies are already adjusting the premium for the high usage times anyway.

Although it may seem far off if you look outside tonight, summer is coming soon and you want your toys ready to go! Make sure they are street or water ready and the insurance is in place! Now is the time!

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month

Beings April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month I wanted to share a blog started by one of our carriers in relation to this topic.

This information was shared by West Bend Mutual Insurance and is staggering to think about:

Did you know that the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration designated April as “National Distracted Driving Awareness Month”? For my daughter Hannah, April will be an exciting month because she will turn 16 and is scheduled to get her driver’s license. While my wife and I are looking forward to getting some of our free time back (no more chauffeuring), we are concerned about her safety and distracted driving.
Distracted driving is a serious and growing problem in our country. Distracted driving, as defined by dictionary.com, means “driving a vehicle while engaging in an activity that has the potential to distract the driver from the task of driving.” According to DISTRACTION.GOV, the official US government website for distracted driving, 3,331 people were killed in 2011 by distracted drivers. In addition, 387,000 people were injured. This equates to 9 people killed and 1,060 people injured per day! Inexperienced drivers under the age of 20 are the most likely to be involved in these crashes.

Please spread the word with your friends and family that distracted driving is not worth it and let's work together to provide safer roads for our newly licensed driver's as well as awareness how they can help keep the roads safe for all!

Are you prepared for spring?

Here is an article notifying the public about flood insurance for this spring, are you prepared?

The state Department of Commerce is warning Minnesotans to review whether they might need flood insurance as winter heads toward spring.The agency points out that flood damage is not covered under a standard homeowner's insurance policy.Warming temperatures along with heavy snowfall totals in February and early March make flooding a strong possibility in many parts of the state.Flood insurance is a special policy offered through the National Flood Insurance Program. Consumers can check with their insurance agent to see if it's available through them.Flood insurance has a 30-day period after purchase before it becomes effective. Homeowners should also be aware whether their home falls in a 100-year floodplain or a 500-year floodplain. However, that is not a requirement in order to purchase the insurance.

Give us a call today to let us help you plan for spring. 

End of year or New Year's Eve Party Plans?

Hey everyone, amazingly enough another year is coming to a close and it is time to finalize the plans for either this weekend or Monday night. (Or for some, the party through the entire thing!) These times are always great for celebration with family and friends and can typically be completely enjoyable without incident or tragedy with a little thought and preparation.

First of all, be smart with who you are serving alcohol; I know that many times parents feel it is okay to serve alcohol to minors in their own home but my personal advice is this isn't a great practice, not considering the legal aspect but also from an insurance aspect as if an incident may occur due to the illegal service, most, if not all homeowners policies exclude acts that are performed illegally that result in liability claims.

Secondly, be smart with the amount of alcohol served! If you are allowing someone to consume more than their fair share of alcohol, it may cause problems with their attitude first off, but then it may create liability issues as well! If someone does happen to drink too much at your home, make sure to help arrange a designated driver, taxi or even let them spend the night.

This time of  year is meant to celebrate the past and be excited about the future, make the right choices so that it is purely a celebration!

From the staff at Advantage 1 Insurance, have a SAFE and Happy New Year's Eve and get ready for an exciting 2013!

Winter driving troubles! (Especially around the holidays!)

Last weekend South Dakota and Minnesota experienced a snow storm that reminded me of ones from my childhood! Lots of snow and wind and many nearly impassable roads.
Now, we all know the dangers of driving during these storms, but what about afterwards? This week has given us mild temps to induce slushy roads and large gravel and sand covered snow piles along roadways and in the middle of intersections, along with people driving the speed limit or greater to get all their holiday errands done. This creates a large number of a really ugly color tan vehicles with very minimal visibility driving at high speeds with visions of sugar plums and credit card bills in their head! It is a disaster waiting to happen! So please take extra care of keeping your windows clean and extra caution watching out for others and their bad habits!
Stay safe this holiday season and arrive at your destinations safely!