#SelfiesWhileDriving: A Dangerous Phenomenon

Everywhere you look, people are taking “selfies” – from sporting events to graduation ceremonies. But the reckless act of taking a self-portrait while driving can endanger you, your passengers and others on the road.

 

The selfie fad is so new that statistics linking it to traffic accidents don’t yet exist. However, the U.S. Department of Transportation cites more than 3,300 deaths every year caused by distracted driving. Taking a selfie is a distraction from driving – reaching for your phone, opening the camera app and taking a photo. Distracted drivers are three times more likely to get into a crash, yet 80% of drivers admit to using their phone while driving.

The rise in driving hashtags

Hashtags that refer to driving tell part of the story. The following driving-related hashtags are among the most common on Twitter and Instagram – accounting for thousands of posts this year alone:

 

#Driving: 40 million+ posts

#Drivinghome: 80 thousand+ posts

#Drivingtowork: 16 thousand+ posts

#Drivingselfie: 21 thousand+ posts

#Drivingselfies: 5 thousand+ posts

Selfies while stopped are still unsafe

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Russ Rader noted that taking a selfie even while stopped at a traffic light is dangerous. “It is still distracting,” he said, “and driving requires your full attention.”

 

A common accident involving vehicles stopped at a red light or traffic sign is a rear-end collision. While you can’t control the actions of the driver behind you, taking a selfie can distract you from moving quickly enough to avoid being hit. It also can delay your response once the traffic light turns green – causing you to hit the vehicle in front of you.

 

Plus, in states that have deemed it illegal to use a cell phone while operating a vehicle, you could be ticketed.

Ad focuses on the potential selfie aftermath

Toyota’s “Don’t Shoot and Drive” campaign uses Instagram to call out the dangers of taking selfies while driving. For impact, it uses images of a totaled car edited in various Instagram filters.

 

When you’re behind the wheel and you’re holding a phone, you’re a distracted driver. And no conversation, text or selfie is worth the risk.

Distracted Driving

Mental Distractions Behind the Wheel Are Real and Dangerous

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety partnered with researchers at the University of Utah to conduct groundbreaking research on mental distraction, also known as cognitive distraction, demonstrating that hands-free technologies in the car dangerously divert motorist attention.

 

MENTAL DISTRACTION – WHAT WE KNOWMental distractions dangerously affect drivers behind the wheel.  Just because a driver’s eyes are on the road and hands are on the wheel does not mean they are safe – hands-free is not risk-free.

 

MENTAL DISTRACTION – WHAT IT MEANSAttention is key to safe driving, yet many technologies cause drivers to lose focus of the road ahead. Hands-free features, increasingly common in new vehicles, create mental distractions that unintentionally provide motorists with a false sense of security about their safety behind the wheel.

 

MENTAL DISTRACTION – WHAT IS AAA DOINGAAA is dedicated to promoting road safety and reducing driver distraction through research, public education and collaboration with automakers to reduce the impact of mental distraction.

 

 

Winter Driving Tips

Severe weather can be both frightening and dangerous for automobile travel. Motorists should know the safety rules for dealing with winter road emergencies. AAA reminds motorists to be cautious while driving in adverse weather. For more information on winter driving, the association offers the How to Go on Ice and Snow brochure, available through most AAA offices. Contact your local AAA club for more information.

 

AAA recommends the following winter driving tips:

 

Avoid driving while you’re fatigued. Getting the proper amount of rest before taking on winter weather tasks reduces driving risks.

Never warm up a vehicle in an enclosed area, such as a garage.

Make certain your tires are properly inflated.

Never mix radial tires with other tire types.

Keep your gas tank at least half full to avoid gas line freeze-up.

If possible, avoid using your parking brake in cold, rainy and snowy weather.

Do not use cruise control when driving on any slippery surface (wet, ice, sand).

Always look and steer where you want to go.

Use your seat belt every time you get into your vehicle.

 

Tips for long-distance winter trips:

• Watch weather reports prior to a long-distance drive or before driving in isolated areas. Delay trips when especially bad weather is expected. If you must leave, let others know your route, destination and estimated time of arrival.
• Always make sure your vehicle is in peak operating condition by having it inspected by a AAA Approved Auto Repair facility.
• Keep at least half a tank of gasoline in your vehicle at all times.
• Pack a cellular telephone with your local AAA’s telephone number, plus blankets, gloves, hats, food, water and any needed medication in your vehicle.
• If you become snow-bound, stay with your vehicle. It provides temporary shelter and makes it easier for rescuers to locate you. Don’t try to walk in a severe storm. It’s easy to lose sight of your vehicle in blowing snow and become lost.
• Don’t over exert yourself if you try to push or dig your vehicle out of the snow.
• Tie a brightly colored cloth to the antenna or place a cloth at the top of a rolled up window to signal distress. At night, keep the dome light on if possible. It only uses a small amount of electricity and will make it easier for rescuers to find you.
• Make sure the exhaust pipe isn’t clogged with snow, ice or mud. A blocked exhaust could cause deadly carbon monoxide gas to leak into the passenger compartment with the engine running.
• Use whatever is available to insulate your body from the cold. This could include floor mats, newspapers or paper maps.
• If possible run the engine and heater just long enough to remove the chill and to conserve gasoline.

Tips for driving in the snow:

• Accelerate and decelerate slowly. Applying the gas slowly to accelerate is the best method for regaining traction and avoiding skids. Don’t try to get moving in a hurry. And take time to slow down for a stoplight. Remember: It takes longer to slow down on icy roads.
• Drive slowly. Everything takes longer on snow-covered roads. Accelerating, stopping, turning – nothing happens as quickly as on dry pavement. Give yourself time to maneuver by driving slowly.
• The normal dry pavement following distance of three to four seconds should be increased to eight to ten seconds. This increased margin of safety will provide the longer distance needed if you have to stop.
• Know your brakes. Whether you have antilock brakes or not, the best way to stop is threshold breaking. Keep the heel of your foot on the floor and use the ball of your foot to apply firm, steady pressure on the brake pedal.
• Don’t stop if you can avoid it. There’s a big difference in the amount of inertia it takes to start moving from a full stop versus how much it takes to get moving while still rolling. If you can slow down enough to keep rolling until a traffic light changes, do it.
• Don’t power up hills. Applying extra gas on snow-covered roads just starts your wheels spinning. Try to get a little inertia going before you reach the hill and let that inertia carry you to the top. As you reach the crest of the hill, reduce your speed and proceed down hill as slowly as possible.
• Don’t stop going up a hill. There’s nothing worse than trying to get moving up a hill on an icy road. Get some inertia going on a flat roadway before you take on the hill.
• Stay home. If you really don’t have to go out, don’t. Even if you can drive well in the snow, not everyone else can. Don’t tempt fate: If you don’t have somewhere you have to be, watch the snow from indoors.

Connecticut Commissioner Offers Advice on Preparing for Winter Storm

As the Northeast and New England states brace for a major blizzard, Connecticut Insurance Commissioner Thomas Leonardi is offering policyholders tips on preparing for the storm and filing claims if there is property loss.

“One of the most important things consumers can do right now is take stock of what they have. Take the time now to make a home inventory or update an existing one,” Commissioner Leonardi said. “This will be extremely helpful should the need arise to file a claim. Do not hesitate to contact the insurance department if you have questions or complaints.”

Commissioner Leonardi offered the following advice on what types of damages may or may not be covered. The commissioner said, however, that policies may vary in coverage. He recommended that consumers contact their insurance agent or the state insurance department with questions about the specifics of their policies.

• Snow removal: Homeowners insurance does not cover injuries to the homeowner during snow removal. However, snow removal professionals should be covered under their own liability policies.

• Ice dams: Interior or exterior damage caused by an ice dam on a roof is generally covered. However, many policies do not pay for ice dam removal.

• Frozen pipes: Most policies cover pipe replacement and water damage. However, coverage may not apply if the homeowner turned off the furnace for the winter without winterizing the home.

• Tree Damage: In general, the policyholder of the property that is damaged by a falling tree – not the tree owner – should file the claim with his or her insurance company. The insurance policy covers the cost to remove the tree from the damaged property and the resulting damage, minus the deductible. If the tree damaged a covered structure, the claim would be made on the homeowner’s policy. If the tree damaged a vehicle, the claim would be made on the auto insurance policy.

• Storm power outages: An all-risk policy generally pays for damage caused by loss of power and appliances damaged by the outage. Check the policy to see if it covers spoiled food. Most policies will not pay for shelter when the homeowner loses power for extended periods of time unless there is damage to the home that causes it to be uninhabitable.

• Renters: Landlord’s insurance will pay for winter damage to building. It will not pay for damage to personal contents, which must be covered by the renter’s own insurance.

Before the storm, the commissioner recommends the following steps for consumers:

• Keep the policy and other important documents together in a safe place.

• Review the policy to understand the coverage – call the company or agent with questions.

• Create or update the home inventory. Take photos of the possessions and Note model and serial numbers. Assemble original sales receipts and/or appraisal documents.

After the storm, consumers are advised to take following steps if damages have been sustained:

• Call the insurance company’s 24-hour claims phone number as soon as possible; provide policy number and other relevant information and documents.

• Take photographs/video of the damage. Make repairs necessary to prevent further damage, but do not make permanent repairs until the insurance company inspects the damage.

• Save all receipts from temporary repairs.

• Keep a diary of all conversations, e-mails and other correspondence with the company.

Knowing How Much Coverage Is Right For You

When deciding how much insurance to buy, think about what assets you're protecting. When you purchased auto insurance, did you put a lot of thought into the limits you chose, or did you go with the minimum limits available without thinking beyond that? While choosing to purchase the minimum limits allowed in your state is perfectly legal, you should take a few minutes to determine whether those limits are enough. What is your financial situation? Can you afford to buy more than the minimum limits? How much can you afford to pay out of pocket if the need arises?

It's also important to consider your assets when deciding how much coverage is right for you. Your assets may include your house, vehicles, bank accounts, investments — even your wages. All of these can be fair game in a lawsuit if you don't have cash on hand to pay for damages you're liable for.

By definition, auto insurance protects you from accidents, theft and other unforeseen and unplanned circumstances. When you choose insurance, you're choosing protection so you don't have to pay for those damages out of pocket. That's why you should consider your assets to determine how much protection you need.

Why Do Your Assets Matter in Auto Insurance?

Though it doesn't happen often, if your auto insurance limits are exhausted in a covered loss, you personally could be responsible for any remaining bills that aren't paid by your insurance. If you don't have the money on hand to pay these bills, your assets could be at risk.

If your insurance limits are not sufficient to cover damage to property or personal injuries you're liable for, people involved in a claim with you can pursue you personally by filing a lawsuit for payment of their injuries and damages beyond what your insurance limits cover. If you lose the lawsuit, your assets could be at risk.

A lawsuit also can affect you in the long run if you're required to disclose it on a job or credit application, not to mention the possibility of garnished wages until you pay off the judgment.

What Events Can Exhaust Your Insurance Limits?

Several types of situations could exhaust your insurance limits — especially if you have the minimum required amounts. For instance, multiple-vehicle collisions or damage to several pieces of property can add up fast, and minimum limits may not cut it.

Consider the type of vehicle you may collide with in an accident, too. If you damage a luxury or high-end vehicle and you only have $10,000 in Property Damage coverage, your limits could be exhausted quicker.

Also, while Bodily Injury limits of $20,000/$40,000 may seem like a lot, they could be too little in accidents that involve multiple injuries. Medical bills, lost wages and other damages you're liable for can amount to more than those limits— and fast.

Higher Insurance Limits Can Lower Financial Fears

To protect yourself from heavy financial burdens, the best thing to do is consider your assets, your budget and your personal needs to determine the right amount of auto insurance for you. If you choose higher-than-minimum limits, you may spend slightly more up front, but this cost can pay off if you ever actually have to use your insurance coverage.

Actual-Cash Value vs. Replacement Cost

Standard replacement-cost provisions on Commercial Property forms often offer the insured the option to accept settlement on an actual-cash-value (ACV) basis, but the insured can later opt to receive the replacement-cost amount.

 

This can cause some confusion.

 

The policy usually provides a time period for notifying the carrier that the insured intends to make a claim for the replacement cost. The insured must actually make the repairs before the replacement-cost amount is paid. But the amount of time given to make the repairs is generally some variation on “as soon as reasonably possible” after the loss or damage.

 

How soon is that?

 

There is no absolute answer to how long it should take to make the repairs. The only set time limit is how long the insured has to notify the insurer of the replacement-cost claim. “Couch on Insurance 3d” states that the reasonable time “turns upon the circumstances of the case and is ordinarily a question for the jury.” So, the answer is a subjective one.

 

Sometimes what seems like a straightforward answer to a question leads to more complex issues. For example, an insured recently asked us the following regarding a claim on a Businessowners form:

“Our insured is considering accepting an ACV settlement on some of the soft-metal hail-damaged fascia and gutters on his building. If the policy continues as written with replacement cost and the building sustains damage that necessitates replacement of these same items, will the company, under the language of the policy, still be required to pay for the full replacement cost of the materials that have already been paid for under this prior loss?”

 

Our immediate response was that if the insured experiences a subsequent, separate loss, then the full replacement cost of the damaged property should be paid.

 

As we continued discussing the scenario, though, another issue arose that threatened to make the solution a little more complicated. The ISO Businessowners form contains the following language in the loss-payment section:

“You may make a claim for loss or damage covered by this insurance on an actual-cash-value basis instead of on a replacement-cost basis. In the event you elect to have loss or damage settled on an actual-cash-value basis, you may still make a claim on a replacement-cost basis if you notify us of your intent to do so within 180 days after the loss or damage.”

 

It seems pretty clear that, in the situation that our client presented, a separate loss the insured wants to adjust on a replacement-cost basis after the 180-day time limit outlined in the loss-payment section would receive the full replacement cost.

 

But what if the insured suffers hail damage and accepts an ACV settlement and thirty days later suffers hail damage again to the same property? If the insured submits a claim for replacement-cost coverage at that point, would the carrier consider it within the 180-day period and pay only the difference between the ACV settlement already received and the replacement cost?

 

Our first reaction is that our original answer to the question stands, regardless of the 180-day time period. However, we are curious if anyone has run into this situation—and if so, how it was handled? The fact that our client was concerned that the insured would not receive full replacement-cost coverage for a different loss implies that someone may have experienced similar situations before.

Letting Your Child Drive Someone Else's Car

Consider several factors before you allow your kids to get behind the wheel of someone else's car — or before someone gets behind the wheel of your car.

 

With school back in session, more students will be driving to and from school during the morning and afternoon hours. Parents know they can't monitor their kids at all times, but they can work with their kids to set ground rules before young drivers hit the road. One of these rules: What cars your kids can drive. Before you let your child drive someone else's car, or before someone outside the family drives your car, consider these factors.

 

Whose Insurance Applies?

If your child's friend drives your car and wrecks it, whose insurance covers the damages? The answer varies depending on the state you live in. In most states, insurance coverage follows the car— not the person driving it — in the event of an accident. However, if damages resulting from the accident exceed the amount allowed by your policy, then the driver's insurance may be considered as secondary or supplemental insurance to the insurance on the car.

 

For instance, let's say your policy has $10,000 in property damage liability coverage. Your daughter lets her friend drive your car to her mom's house 30 miles away. In the process, she causes a three-car collision, which results in $20,000 of damage to the other vehicles and property.

 

In most states, the insurance you have on your car will cover the damage, but since you only have $10,000 of coverage, the friend's insurance policy may kick in and pay for the remaining $10,000 of damage. However, in some states, you could personally be held responsible for any remaining damages beyond your insurance limits if your child's friend doesn't have car insurance, even though you or your child weren't driving at the time of the accident.

 

It's also possible that if your insurance company pays for damage in an accident, they may pursue the friend's insurance company to pay back the damage. They won't attempt to recover any money that you pay out of pocket, though. Again, this is both situational and based on your state's laws, so there's no single answer to the question. Your best option is to check with your insurance company to find out how insurance works in your state.

 

Before your child's friend drives your car, make sure you and your child think about the following:

· Whose insurance will pay for the damage?

· Who will ultimately be responsible for paying any out-of-pocket expenses?

· If your insurance pays, are you willin  to take the risk, including possibly paying more for insurance when your policy renews? If not, you may want to rethink letting anyone outside of your family drive your car.

Should You Update Your Policy?

If you know your child's friend drives your car regularly, it may be best to add that person to your auto insurance policy. Similarly, if your child regularly drives a roommate's vehicle, it may be best to add your child to the roommate's policy.

 

Often, insurance companies may require that you add a driver or car to your policy if the person or car isn't already on it. This helps ensure that proper coverage is afforded in most situations.

How to Know if You Have Enough Auto Insurance

When is the best time to find out if you have enough car insurance? Most people wait until they're pulled over on the side of the road following a vehicular accident or after a careening tractor-trailer scares you into checking the coverage in your policy.

Does it really make sense to pay more for maximum coverage? And what does it really mean to be underinsured anyway?

Some of this isn’t up to us, because most states require you to have at least some auto insurance. Still, it’s worth looking at a couple of areas where vulnerability can be particularly high: liability insurance (in case you hurt or kill someone else) and the uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage.

Then, we can see what our odds are of needing to make a claim and how comfortable we are making bets accordingly.

First, the facts. The approximately 210 million licensed drivers in the United States had an estimated 5,419,000 crashes that police took reports on in 2010, the most recent year that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has data. Those crashes killed 32,885 people and injured 2,239,000.

For every 100 million vehicle miles that people traveled, there were 75 injuries, including those to pedestrians, and there were 1,066 injuries for every 100,000 licensed drivers. How costly were those injuries? When accidents happen and the disputes wind up in court, they don’t tend to generate enormous payouts. According to a service called Jury Verdict Research, the median jury award for liability cases in 2010 for vehicular accidents was just $19,806.

That said, outsize awards are common enough (topping out at just over $13 million that year) that the average award was $181,197. And according to ISO, an insurance risk information service, about 5 percent of bodily injury claims in 2010 were for more than $100,000 while about 2 percent reached $300,000.

The odds of running into people with no insurance at all to pay for your claims against them are probably higher than you think. The Insurance Research Council’s most recent estimate, from 2009, is that 13.8 percent of all United States drivers have no insurance at all. In Florida, it’s 23.5 percent, and in Michigan it’s 19.5 percent.

ISO estimates that about 20 percent of people who do have insurance purchase just the minimum liability coverage in case they hurt someone else. Their policies may pay out as little as $25,000 in many states. That’s why Kirby Francis remains glad six years later that his parents had $500,000 in underinsured motorist coverage back when someone crossed a highway line in Oregon and plowed into him head-on while he was driving home from college.

The other driver, who ended up dead in a canyon 200 feet below the road, had just $50,000 in coverage. By the time Mr. Francis punched his way out of his burning vehicle, with a lacerated spleen, a broken tibia, and his elbow in six pieces, he was in need of $130,000 in operations and other medical care, including radiation treatments for his arm that his health insurer wasn’t going to pay for. He also said that he received a $200,000 settlement for his troubles, beyond the reimbursement for medical costs that mostly went to his health insurance company.

So we begin with these basic facts, and then there are other people’s stories. But in the end, there’s just you and me, and if we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll acknowledge the specific risk factors that leave us particularly vulnerable. We may drive drunk, tired, quickly, at night or with a mobile phone in one hand.

Perhaps there are children in the back who are distracting, maybe even an entire car pool full of ones whose parents would sue pretty quickly if they were injured on your watch. Or your children have just learned to drive. Or you’re starting to make the same mistakes behind the wheel that you did 60 years ago.

So what would it cost to lock in better coverage? The industry-supported Insurance Information Institute figures it costs about $200 extra annually per vehicle to take your liability limit from $50,000 to $1 million per accident. Gonzo drivers with sketchy records may pay more. Raising your uninsured and underinsured coverage by similar amounts could cost less than half that amount.

Taken together, that’s not an enormous amount on a percentage basis on top of what may be an annual insurance bill of $1,000 or more.

Still, many of us will tell ourselves all sorts of stories about why this isn’t necessary. For instance, we may figure that no one is going to come after us beyond whatever minimum amount our insurance policy will pay. But if you’re at fault and don’t have enough insurance, the job of plaintiff’s lawyers is to track down both the assets you have now and the ones you may accrue later. They may keep an eye out for any future windfall long after any judgment and then try to use it to satisfy whatever you still owe.

Or perhaps we think we’re suckers for buying more insurance, since those same lawyers will then inflate claims in order to extract money from both the insurance company and our assets.

Prevent a Parking Lot Accident This Holiday Season

During the holidays, when millions of shoppers flood stores and malls, the frequency of parking lot accidents goes up by about 20%, according to the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers Association. To help protect your car from dings, dents and fender-benders, try these parking lot accident prevention tips:

Check it twice. Use your eyes and mirrors—and ask your passengers to look around, too—to make sure your path is clear before you pull or back out of a parking space.

 

Drive slowly. This way, it’s easier to avoid cars that are speeding, cutting across the lot or pulling out of parking spaces.

 

Take a hike. Park farther from store entrances, where it’s generally less crowded, to prevent dings and scratches from other car doors or shopping carts. If it’s dark outside, park wherever you feel safest, like a well-lit area.

 

If—despite your best efforts—you’re involved in a parking lot accident, report it to police and your insurer immediately, even if it seems minor. This way, you’re protected in case the other party doesn’t have insurance or files a claim.

 

If you’ve hit a parked car or other property, and can’t find the owner, securely attach a note with your name and contact information to it, then notify the police and your insurer.