According to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), flooding is this country’s most prevalent natural disaster. In the years between 1995 and 2004, flood losses in the U.S. averaged $867 million annually. There are about 4.7 million citizens who have taken advantage of the government’s flood insurance protection, however large numbers of at-risk Americans still refuse to find coverage. After hurricane Katrina last summer, when nearly 80% of New Orleans was underwater, it is surprising that people would not seek such coverage, since their homeowner’s policies do not insure them against floods.
Americans love to hear about point systems. After all, many involve us earning desirable rewards, discounts, and freebies. However, not all point systems are about earning something desirable.
Many renters mistakenly believe that they don’t need renter’s insurance or view it as an expensive luxury. However, insurance needs aren’t negated just because one happens to be renting their home.
Child safety experts have always emphasized the vulnerability of young children in the event of a crash. Parents are continually schooled in the media about the proper use of car seats and booster seats. The federal government even established guidelines for parents of young children; recommending that parents place infants up to 20 pounds in a rear-facing child seat and toddlers weighing between 20 to 40 pounds in a child seat with a harness. Children weighing more than 40 pounds who aren’t at least 4 feet 9 inches tall should be in a booster seat.
Wherever you find disaster, you almost always find someone attempting to profit. Following hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the summer of 2005, thousands of water-damaged vehicles showed up in car lots all across the southern United States, many with no visible problems. They were sold outside of the hurricane’s heavy-hit areas, to avoid suspicion of flood damage. Though in excellent physical condition, these refurbished cars could still be prone to problems, which is why concealing their disastrous history is against the law.
In case you haven’t noticed, winter has arrived and with it comes ice, snow, slippery roads, and poor visibility. Winter driving is necessary and nothing can be done to avoid it.
According to the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud, a division of the Insurance Resource Council, one in five Americans or 45 million people say it is okay to defraud an insurance company in certain circumstances. Furthermore, according to a 2008 Four Faces study by the IRC, consumer tolerance of of specific insurance schemes has increased over the past ten years.
When transporting children in your vehicle (whether they are your own children or others), it is important to ensure that they are properly restrained. Remember that cars are designed to comfortably and safely seat adult-sized passengers, and child restraints are designed to compensate for this.
There are many dangers that can contribute to car accidents, but driver fatigue is by far one of the largest. Falling asleep behind the wheel is a serious problem, causing more than 100,000 accidents per year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. For most of these fatigue-based crashes, the culprit is monotony on the road. Interstates and high-speed or long, rural highways, for example, are the most frequent areas where drivers fall asleep. Studies done by the NHTSA have proven that driving with fatigue is equally if not more dangerous than driving intoxicated, with very similar results: impaired reflexes, blurred vision, inability to stay focused, etc. The NHTSA has estimated that drivers falling asleep at the wheel cost about $12.5 billion annually in insurance claims and medical costs.
At long last, your loan package has been approved, your closing date is just days away, everything you own has been packed, and all that remains is a quick call to your insurance agent to line up a homeowner’s policy. That’s when the bad dream can begin.