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Flood Safety Awareness Week

SOLACE Insurance is reaching out to you, our homeowner client, in observance of National Flood Safety Awareness Week to help you protect your property from the most deadly weather related hazard. The average person can be swept off their feet in just 6 inches of moving water and a car can easily be carried away by just two feet of flood water. FEMA advises that 20% percent of flood insurance claims come from outside high-risk areas.

Tips & Tools You Can Use The National Flood Insurance Program's (NFIP) FloodSmart Campaign is working with FEMA and NOAA to encourage home and business owners to take the steps necessary now to guard against the risks of flooding.

FloodSmart.gov: Visit FloodSmart.gov's homepage to find important spring preparedness and flood insurance information and outreach tools.

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Our agency culture committee has recently organized a tour of the Pinellas PACE center for girls.  PACE is considered a model program for intervention and prevention of risky behaviors in adolescent females.  We closed our office for an hour on 2-10-12 to learn about this organization, how they assist young ladies in our community, and how we can get involved.  Solace Insurance Culture Committee has added PACE to the list of organizations to support this year and will orchestrate agency participation in their upcoming events.  To see how you can get involved http://pacecenter.org/pinellas

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Be informed! Your policy includes Catastrophic Ground Cover Collapse whether or not you have the sinkhole loss coverage endorsement.

HERE IS THE COMPARISON:

CATASTROPHIC GROUND COVER COLLAPSE

1) The abrupt collapse of the ground cover;

2) A depression in the ground cover clearly visible to the naked eye;

3) Structural damage to the building including the foundation; and

4) The insured structure being condemned and ordered to be vacated by a government agency authorized by law to issue such an order for that structure.

Contents coverage applies if there is a loss resulting from catastrophic ground cover collapse.

Structural damage consisting merely of the settling or cracking of a foundation, structure or building does not constitute a loss resulting from CCGC.

*AII policies include this coverage

SINKHOLE LOSS COVERAGE

This peril means the settlement of systematic weakening of the earth supporting such property only when such settlement or systematic weakening results from movement or raveling of soils, sediments or rock materials into subterranean voids created by the effect or water on limestone or similar rock formation.

"Sinkhole Loss" means structural damage to the building, including the foundation, caused by sinkhole activity.

Contents coverage shall apply only if there is structural damage to the building caused by the sinkhole.

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Fast friendly courteous and more than willing to go the extra mile. A pleasure to speak with and she made the transition a simple matter. Diane answered every question I had and helped me with my decision making and gave me the ability to have a chance to look over my options and not feel pressured in any way.

Rich (Satisfied Customer)

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Drivers who are distracted by talking on a cell phone or dialing numbers while they are driving are causing more and more accidents. Some municipalities have banned using cell phones while driving because it has caused such a major problem. If you must talk while you drive, the safest way is to have a hands-free cell phone cradle installed in your car so you can speak while driving with two hands. Even so, remember to stay aware of what is going on around you on the road. It's easy to get so engrossed in conversation that you miss exits or don't notice what other drivers are doing. Better yet, wait until you have arrived at your destination or pull over to the side of the road to begin your cell phone conversations.

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Call the police after even minor accidents

If you have a camera (phone), take pictures of all damage

Make a note of who (how many) people were in the other vehicle – did anyone get in the vehicle after the accident?

Most set-up accidents occur at low speeds, and often in turn lanes, so be leery of any vehicle that cuts you off in the turn lane, or passes you only to turn when your signal is activated

Report the claim and give a statement ASAP

Never admit fault

Be certain to log the other driver's name, DL #, license plate #, and insurance policy info right away – especially if the other party is trying to avoid waiting on the police

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Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, accounting for more than one in three deaths in this age group. Among teen drivers, those at especially high risk of crashing are:

Males: From 2000 to 2006, the number of male drivers and passengers ages 15 to 19 who were killed in crashes was higher (12,479) than the number of female drivers and passengers who were killed (6,579).

Teens driving with teen passengers: Driving with teen passengers increases the crash risk of unsupervised teen drivers. This risk increases with the number of teen passengers.

Driving at night: The crash risk for teens driving at night is nearly twice as high as the crash risk during the day.

Newly licensed teens: Crash risk is highest during the first year that teens are eligible to drive.

Teens buckle up far less frequently than adults do. In fact, in 2006 the majority (58%) of young people 16 to 20 years old involved in fatal crashes were unbuckled. In 2005, 10.2% of high school students reported they rarely or never wear seat belts when riding with someone else.

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For the past three years, Florida had the highest number of questionable auto claims resulting from staged accidents in the nation. With 1,446 in 2009, Florida represents 30.1 percent of the national total; its number is twice as much as New York which was 765. These numbers, of course, only include proven instances of fraud. We believe much more fraud exists, and is the source of rising costs for everyone. Tampa, Miami, Orlando and Hialeah areas rank in the top 10 worst cities in America in rates of questionable auto claims. Florida Division of Insurance Fraud estimates that Floridians are paying approximately $400 more each year for auto insurance because of fraud. Visit www.InsuranceFraudUncovered.com and take action - write your local legislators and urge them to act on this important issue.