Navigating Foggy Conditions: Tips for Safe Driving

Here at SBIA, we understand the importance of safe driving practices, especially in challenging weather conditions like fog. Here are some valuable tips to help you stay safe on the roads when visibility is reduced:

• Reduce Your Speed: Decrease your speed to adjust for limited visibility. Fog can obscure obstacles and other vehicles, so slowing down gives you more time to react to any potential hazards.

• Use Low Beam Headlights: Switch on your low beam headlights, even during the daytime. High beams can reflect off the fog and impair visibility further. Additionally, using fog lights if your vehicle is equipped with them can help improve visibility close to the ground.

• Stay Alert and Focused: Keep your attention on the road ahead. Avoid distractions such as using your phone or adjusting the radio. Listen for sounds of other vehicles to help gauge your surroundings.

• Increase Following Distance: Maintain a greater distance between your vehicle and the one in front of you. Fog can make it difficult to judge distances accurately, so leaving extra space reduces the risk of rear-end collisions.

• Use Road Markings as a Guide: Follow the lines on the road to stay in your lane. If necessary, use the edge of the road or roadside reflectors as reference points to help you navigate safely.

• Signal Early and Clearly: Use your turn signals well in advance of any turns or lane changes. This gives other drivers more time to react to your maneuvers, reducing the risk of collisions.

• Avoid Sudden Stops or Turns: Abrupt maneuvers can surprise other drivers and lead to accidents, especially in low-visibility conditions. Brake and accelerate gently, and make smooth, gradual turns.

• Stay Informed: Check weather reports and traffic updates before heading out. If foggy conditions are anticipated, consider delaying your trip or taking an alternate route if possible.

• Know When to Pull Over: If the fog becomes too dense or you feel unsafe driving, find a safe place to pull over and wait until visibility improves. Use hazard lights to make your vehicle more visible to other drivers.

By following these tips, you can reduce the risk of accidents and arrive at your destination safely, even when faced with foggy conditions. Remember, it's always better to prioritize safety over speed when driving in challenging weather. Safe travels!

Ready your Vehicle for Winter

With the arrival of winter, its time to remember the importance of winterizing your vehicle for the upcoming colder months.

As you know, winter weather presents numerous challenges on the road, like icy conditions and reduced visibility. Properly preparing your vehicle can help ensure your safety and minimize the risk of accidents or breakdowns.

Here are a few tips to help you to do just that:

• Fill up your tires. As the temperature drops outside, so does the tire inflation pressure. That’s why you should check your tire pressure more regularly in the winter months and ensure each tire is filled to the vehicle manufacturer’s recommendation (which you can find in your owner’s manual).

• Have your battery tested. Cold weather can strain your vehicle’s battery. In fact, when temperatures go below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, car batteries lose 35% of their strength. With that in mind, it’s crucial to have your battery tested before winter weather or temps hit to ensure it’s in good condition.

• Replace windshield wipers and washer fluid. Windshield wipers are essential to your safety if you happen to be caught in icy conditions. You may want to consider temporarily installing winter wipers, which can better handle ice or snow. At the minimum, however, replace any worn windshield wipers, and make sure your windshield washer fluid is at appropriate levels.

• Make an emergency kit for your car. It’s always good to have all the essentials in your vehicle in case of a breakdown or emergency. Supplies you may want to stock your car with include:

o Ice scraper

o Jumper cables

o Flashlight

o Blanket

o Cell phone charger

You can visit the United States Department of Transportation website for more winter weather driving tips. And if you have questions or concerns about your auto coverage or other insurance needs, don’t hesitate to reach out to our office!

Leave the RMV headaches to us... We offer in-house RMV services!

Who has time to stand in line at the RMV? And even if you do have the time… who wants to? No one! Let us do the standing in line for you. For our Massachusetts auto clients, we offer several MA Registry of Motor Vehicles services. Contact us today and we’ll take care of everything from assisting with the paperwork to the waiting!

Many of our clients take advantage of “one-stop shopping” for their auto-related errands. And while we cannot handle all transactions associated with the RMV - such as driver’s license transactions, we can process most of your vehicle or license plate needs.

• New Plates

• Plate Transfers

• Plate Renewals

• Plate Returns

Our registry runner service will save you plenty of time and headache. Plus, we’ll make sure you have all the necessary paperwork in order before it goes to minimize failed transactions.

For more information on our Mass registry services, please contact our office!

March is National Umbrella Month!

March is National Umbrella Month!

What is personal umbrella insurance and do I need it?

Umbrella insurance works very much like an umbrella you would use to keep the rain away. It extends the protection your home or auto offers. A personal umbrella policy provides liability insurance over and above your primary insurance policies, such as homeowners and auto. It’s used when you are found liable for a claim that exceeds the limits of your underlying policies.

Let’s tackle a few questions about umbrella insurance coverage as we celebrate National Umbrella Month!

So what does umbrella insurance cover?

• Bodily injury liability covers the cost of injuries to another person

• Property damage liability covers the cost of damage or loss to another person's tangible property

• Other personal liability covers other actions a policyholder could be sued for, such as:

  • Slander (an injurious spoken statement)

  • Libel (an injurious written statement)

  • False arrest, detention, or imprisonment

  • Malicious prosecution

  • Mental anguish or shock

What are some examples of when you may need an umbrella policy?

• You cause a 10-car accident and your auto insurance property damage coverage isn’t high enough to replace all 10 accident victims' vehicles. Nor is your personal liability coverage high enough to pay for their medical bills.

• You send sandwiches to your son’s school for a field trip lunch. Several students develop food poisoning and their parents sue you.

• Have a pool in your backyard? Say you host a backyard BBQ and a neighbor who can’t swim ends up in the deep end. Your homeowners insurance liability limit alone might not be high enough to cover all of the medical or legal costs from this incident.

• Your child gets in a fight at school and breaks another kid’s arm. The parents of the injured child sue.

So do I really need umbrella insurance?

As a general rule, you should purchase umbrella insurance if the total value of your assets, including ordinary checking and savings accounts, retirement and college savings and investment accounts, and home equity is greater than the limits of your auto or homeowner's liability. The idea behind this advice is that you want to have enough liability insurance to fully cover your assets so you can’t lose them in a lawsuit.

A second piece to consider is “Am I at risk of being sued?” and the answer here is that while yes, everyone is, especially in the lawsuit happy world we live in, however some may be more at risk than others. If you own property and rent it out, if you employ household staff, have a trampoline or a hot tub, or swimming pool, if you often host large parties, have teenage drivers, or if you are a well known public figure, all of these types of activities can put you more at risk.

Ok, so what is it going to cost me?

Compared to other types of insurance, umbrella coverage is quite affordable. As far as the “Bang for your buck” factor goes - umbrellas are tough to beat! The Insurance Information Institute says most $1 million policies cost $150 to $300 per year. You can expect to pay about $75 more per year for $2 million in coverage, and another $50 per year for every extra $1 million in coverage beyond that. Most insurance companies’ umbrella liability policies start at $1 million in coverage, with higher limits available.

Why is umbrella insurance so cheap? It’s partly because you have to carry plenty of homeowner's and auto insurance before an insurance company will issue you an umbrella policy. You’ll need to carry certain liability coverage available under your homeowner's and auto policies before you can purchase an umbrella policy.

What doesn’t an umbrella policy cover?

• Damage to your own property. Remember, it’s a liability policy, so it will only cover you if you’re held responsible for damage to someone else’s property.

• Damage that you or a covered member of your household cause on purpose. If you deliberately pushed your party guest down the stairs, umbrella insurance wouldn’t cover the costs of the lawsuit or judgment (and neither would your homeowner's insurance).

• Liability incurred in business or professional activities. You’ll need business liability insurance to cover these incidents.

If you have questions about your liability coverage and whether or not you need umbrella insurance, please contact our office. We’d be happy to review your current policies and situation to help you weigh the costs and potential benefits of this coverage.

Deer Season and Auto Insurance

The frequency of deer related car accidents is at its peak from October through December each year. November is hunting and mating season for deer, so we see an increase of animal movement which can translate to higher number of accidents. A deer can cause severe damage to your vehicle, and can even endanger the lives of you or your passengers.

About 1.5 million deer, elk and moose are struck each year, causing more than $1 billion in insured losses and affecting about one in 169 drivers, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

So are you covered if you hit a deer?

Collision vs. Comprehensive Coverage - Physical Damage to the Vehicle

If you do strike an animal, damage to your car will be covered only if you have comprehensive insurance. Comprehensive insurance is a coverage that helps pay to replace or repair your vehicle if it's stolen or damaged in an incident that's not a collision. If you lease your vehicle or have a car loan, your lender likely requires you to have this type of coverage. Comprehensive coverage is strongly recommended for all drivers.

Collision coverage won’t pay for damage caused by hitting an animal. However, collision could apply if you swerve to miss an animal and hit something else instead, such as a fence or pole.

While both types of physical damage coverage will add additional premium cost to your auto policy, you can lower the cost by increasing your deductible (the amount of money you'll pay out of pocket before your insurance company pays the rest of the claim). This value can be adjusted based on your needs and what you feel comfortable with being able to cover in the event of an accident.

What can you do to help avoid a deer accident?

• Deer are most active from dusk until dawn, be extra careful when driving during these hours and stay alert.

• Be extra careful when driving in areas known to have many deer.

• Deer often move in groups, so if you see one animal, slow down and look for others.

• Use high beams at night unless there is oncoming traffic.

• Do not swerve if you see a deer. Doing so could send you off the road or into oncoming traffic.

Unfortunately, deer can run out in front of you without warning, and at times the accident is unavoidable. What can you do if you hit a deer?

• Safely move your vehicle off the road and turn on your hazard lights. Call the police. If possible, take pictures of the scene and any injuries to passengers or damage to the vehicle, for insurance purposes.

• If the animal runs away after the accident, get a picture of hair or blood on the car to show that a deer was involved. Use this evidence to have the accident processed under comprehensive coverage.

• Get contact information from any witnesses, especially if the animal runs off. If witnesses are able to wait, ask them to report what they saw to the police.

• Even if you think the damage is minimal, check to be sure your vehicle is safe to drive. Look for tire damage, broken lights, fluid leaks or loose parts. You may need to call a tow truck.

• Do not approach the deer, even if you think it’s dead. A wounded animal could injure you.

While a deer accident could happen any time, you’re more than twice as likely to hit a deer in October, November or December than in other months of the year. Use caution this season while driving, and contact our office to ensure that you have sufficient physical damage coverage on your vehicle.