Driving Agreement For Your Kids

According to the Michigan State Police, Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death and injury for young drivers. In 2008, drivers 16 – 24 years of age constituted 14 percent of all drivers yet were involved in 36.3 percent of all crashes and 31.6 percent of fatal crashes. Along with night driving and number of passenger restrictions, one of the most important tools that parents can use to help keep their young drivers safe is an enforced Driver Safety Agreement. It is important that the agreement is reviewed and discussed not only before it is enacted, but periodically throughout their early driving experience. Below is a sample agreement.

My Driver Safety Agreement

Driving is a privilege that I may lose by violating this agreement or may have suspended for other reasons such as (but not limited to) unsatisfactory school grades and violations of family trust.

I will obey any curfews or restrictions imposed by my driver’s license.

I will obey all traffic laws and speed limits.

I will not drink and drive, or use illegal drugs, or drive if I am taking ANY medication that may affect my driving.

I will not ride with anyone whom I know or suspect is under the influence of alcohol or drugs (legal, or illegal).

I will not permit any open or empty containers of alcohol, or transport anyone who I know or suspect may be carrying illegal drugs in any vehicle I operate.

I will not ride in any vehicle where I know there are empty or open containers of alcohol or where anyone who I know or suspect may be carrying illegal drugs.

I agree not to drive with or transport anyone who is in possession of any weapon.

I will always wear my seatbelt and shoulder harness. I will not ride in any vehicle in which there are more people than seat belts.

I will make certain that I can always hear emergency vehicles and traffic sounds.

I will drive defensively.

I will avoid being a distracted driver, particularly avoiding texting or operating a cell or smartphone

I will not transport passengers unless they are properly secured by a seatbelt.

I will always wear a helmet if I am driving or riding on a motorcycle. I will not transport a passenger unless he or she also wears a helmet.

I will drive in a manner that respects the safety of myself, my passengers, other drivers and pedestrians.

I will ignore peer pressure. While driving, I am in control. I can stop and ask others to leave my vehicle and, as a passenger, I can ask a driver to stop and let me out.

I will not drive unless I feel safe and certain of my ability.

I will be especially alert during dangerous conditions such as rain, snow, sleet, wind, heavy traffic, fog, unlit roads, construction zones, and accident scenes.

I will always lock every door and take the keys when I leave the vehicle. I will park in areas where I believe the vehicle will be safe from damage or theft.

I will obey the driving instructions of my parent(s) and of law enforcement officers.

Additional Conditions Required By My Parent(s):

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

I have read, understood and I will comply with this agreement.

Signed______________________ Witnessed_________________________

Date:_______________________

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COPYRIGHT: Insurance Publishing Plus, Inc. 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2006

Allstate Drops Homeowners Who Insure Autos Elsewhere

Some North Carolina residents who insure their residences through Allstate are finding themselves dropped by the company for refusing to bundle their home and auto coverage.

Allstate Insurance Co. has informed 45,000 homeowners that it will non-renew their homeowner’s policy unless they also purchase a commercial or private automobile insurance from the insurer by Dec. 15, 2011.

Allstate spokesperson Tracy Owens, speaking from the insurer’s Southeast Regional Office in Atlanta, said the decision came about after an intensive review of the insurer’s North Carolina book of business.

“We wanted to be sure that we could manage our risk both now and in the future and protect the other 400,000 households we insure,” Owens said.

According to documents filed with the North Carolina Department of Insurance, Allstate indicated that it would non-renew 30,400 standard homeowners policies, 10,500 landlord packaged policies, and 4,900 mobile homes policies.

Owens said that although Allstate has decided it must drop the policies, it is providing another coverage option from the Universal North America Insurance Co.

Allstate has reached an agreement with Universal whereby it will provide a quote for 26,150 of the affected homeowners. The Denver, Colo.-based Universal also is slated to submit a quote to 9,300 of the 10,500 landlords losing their Allstate coverage.

In a separate deal, the mobile home owners will have an opportunity to find coverage through the American Modern Insurance Group.

North Carolina Department of Insurance spokesperson Kerry Hall said that as a matter of professional courtesy Allstate informed the department of its decision to non-renew the policies, although the insurer had no legal requirement to do so.

“From our perspective, what Allstate is doing is legal as long as it gives consumers a 30-day notice before cancelling the policy,” said Hall.

Source: Insurance Journal

It’s Deer (crash) Season

We don’t have hurricanes or earthquakes here in Northern Michigan, but we do have our own “natural disasters”; vehicle-deer crashes.  The Michigan State Police reports that each year, there are more than 60,000 reported vehicle-deer crashes in Michigan. About 80 percent of these crashes occur on two-lane roads between dusk and dawn, although the Grand Traverse County Sheriffs and Traverse City Police departments have reported car-deer crashes in our near the city limits.  The most serious crashes occur when motorists swerve to avoid a deer and hit another vehicle or a fixed object, or when their vehicle rolls over.

So many miles of road go through areas that contain or attract deer, such as fields and forested areas.  Naturally, when traveling, deer make no distinction about roadways, crossing the areas as needed. The result is usually either a “heart-stopping” near-miss or a vehicle and animal-rending crash…often fatal to the deer and serious to the auto and its driver.

There are a number of steps drivers can take to either avoid or minimize the harm associated with deer collisions:

• Watch for wildlife and reduce your speed while driving through areas near fields and forests, particularly at dawn or dusk (often, such areas have traffic signs that warn of deer crossings)
• If a deer is caught in your headlights and if you can do so safely, turn your headlights on and back on
• Try long horn blasts to frighten the animal off the road (this also works for any other animal)
• When braking, apply them firmly and maintain your path of travel. It may seem that swerving makes since, but the maneuver will either further confuse a deer, or cause a loss of vehicle control and a collision with an off-road object or another vehicle.
• Deer do not travel alone, so expect more whenever you see a deer
• Always be sure to use your seatbelts
• Avoid distractions that take your eyes off the road

The chance for a deer collision is much greater from October through December because of deer mating and hunting seasons. If you do hit a deer, try to get your vehicle off the road and do not approach or touch an injured deer. It is safer to call for emergency assistance.

What is Lloyd’s of London?

Lloyd’s of London is an organization that has provided insurance worldwide for more than 300 years. The organization has a reputation for handling either very expensive or exotic types of insurance. Surprisingly, Lloyd’s is neither an insurance company nor, for most of its history, a corporation. It is made up of more than 3,000 active members. There are well over 10,000 inactive members. Memberships consist of the underwriters, the insurance brokers who bring them business, and the investors known as “names.” The underwriters accept insurance business on behalf of syndicates (groups of “names”).

The history of Lloyd’s begins at Edward Lloyd’s coffeehouse in 1688, where he attracted a clientele of merchants, particularly ship owners with vessels and cargoes needing protection. Mr. Lloyd’s establishment quickly evolved into a meeting place where businessmen sought brokers to place insurance with wealthy, reputable men. Character and integrity were important because the persons (called underwriters) who agreed to invest in the ships and cargoes put their personal fortunes at risk in order to pay their share of any claim. If a ship’s voyage was successful, the underwriter would share in the profits.

Note: The term underwriter came from the practice of persons agreeing to insure a ship and/or its cargo by placing his signature under the name of the vessel he was willing to sponsor.

Lloyd’s of London has long been identified with British history and the growth of worldwide commerce. It is an international insurance market, located in London, whose members cooperate with each other, compete with each other and, of course, compete against other insurance organizations. There are four major markets at Lloyd’s: Marine, Non-Marine, Aviation and Motor. Lloyd’s also has a smaller market that handles short and long term life insurance.

Insurance is not placed with the Corporation of Lloyd’s, a society incorporated under Act of Parliament of 1871. The Corporation provides the premises, shipping information services, administrative staff and other facilities that enable the Lloyd’s market to transact insurance business. The actual insurance transactions are handled by thousands of Lloyd’s members. About one-third of the membership is actively engaged in the market. The remaining members provide capital, but do not actively place business in any of Lloyd’s insurance markets. Only the underwriting members may accept insurance business on behalf of a syndicate.

Historically, a policyholder with a valid claim could be certain that the claim would be paid, whatever the cost to the member who accepted the risk. Formerly, every underwriting member was responsible up to the full extent of his personal assets for his share business. If his personal assets were not enough, Lloyd’s would make any deficit out of its reserve funds.

Today, Lloyd’s liability is more conventional, limited in the same manner as traditional insurance companies. The change was necessary due to its long-term problem in handling losses associated with asbestos claims. Lloyd’s created a separate entity to handle that large source of loss and many organization members became inactive (no longer writing new business) in order to meet their payment obligations.

While the number of active memberships have substantially decreased; they are made up of, primarily, corporate entities, so Lloyd’s capacity to write business in the global marketplace is still substantial and makes it likely that Lloyd’s will continue to be an important part of the insurance market.