Most motorcycle problems are caused by the nut that connects the handlebars to the saddle.*
~Author Unknown
Picture this: An open road. A desolate landscape stretching out in front of you. (Let’s say somewhere in Monument Valley, Utah.) The wind is at your back. The tank is full.
Then this thought spoils the moment: Do I have (enough) insurance?
To prevent a moment-spoiling tragedy, make sure you’ve got the insurance part figured out before you gas up the hog and light out for the open road.
Know the law
The first thing to do is check the laws in your state. While most require a minimum amount of liability coverage, there is quite a bit of state-by-state variation when it comes to two-wheeled transportation.
Insurance options
Some insurers sell separate policies just ...
Part One in an Ongoing Series on Home Winterization
State Farm, by way of the Insurance Journal, has a good heads up on winterizing your home’s pipes.
Pipes freeze and burst, State Farm says, when outside temperatures drop below 20 degrees.
The damage from even a minor break in your pipes can be devastating: “A one-eighth inch (3-millimeter) crack in a pipe can spew out more than 250 gallons of water a day.”
Here are a few verbatim tips from State Farm, handily organized into list format by yours truly:
Disconnect outside garden hoses.Wrap exposed pipes with insulating sleeves or tape.Seal foundation cracks that let arctic air freeze pipes in crawlspaces.
If the mercury is dropping fast and you want some quick, temporary fixes, State Farm ...
Dear InsureMe Insurance Blog Reader:
In lieu of our normal weekly Wrap Up, the InsureMe A/V Squad is offering a Thanksgiving Day special.
The video features InsureMe employees giving thanks for many things, from family and friends to bushy beards and the Geneva Conventions.
It’s heartwarming, funny, and because of the royalty-free soundtrack, a little cheesy. (We couldn’t get the rights to any Vince Guaraldi songs.)
Anyway, we hope you enjoy the video, and from the InsureMe team, we wish you a happy and safe Thanksgiving.
Cheers,
InsureMe
The kind of car you drive affects your insurance premium. If you drive a muscle car, the chances are good your insurance costs will be higher than if you drove a station wagon.
In general, a safer car means a lower premium. (Unless you drive a really safe Bentley or Rolls, in which case the value of your car might offset any safety savings. Luxury cars are more expensive to insure.)
On Tuesday, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recognized 13 cars for their safety features. Four cars, seven sport utility vehicles, and two minivans earned “Top Safety Pick” distinction.
The institute says this year’s crop of cars underwent an even more rigorous evaluation process. The ratings were based on performance in high-speed front-, side- and rear-impact crash tests.
In addition to giving ...
According to today’s Times, car manufacturers, highway safety officials and the group Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) want to require first-time drunk driving offenders to install a device known as an "ignition interlock" in their cars. It’s a gizmo that detects alcohol and, if necessary, immobilizes a wannabe drunk driver’s car.
New Mexico and Maryland already mandate interlocks for first time offenders, and the results have been immediate and impressive. After a year those states saw an 11.3 and 17.8 percent drop in alcohol-related driving deaths.
Those are remarkable stats because the annual drunk-driving fatality rate had been almost immovable for the past ten years, despite ever harsher punishments for driving under the influence.
According to Mark Rosenker, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, “Punishment doesn’t always do it.” The ...
Pale, stale and male.
You’re forgiven if you have those associations with the insurance industry.
Paradoxically, though, insurance companies produce some of the most entertaining television ads, ads that are far from pale, stale and male. (The Hartford and State Farm are exceptions. They seem bent on keeping with tradition.)
The Insurance Marketing Communications Association (that’s IMCA for those of you who know the organization only by its acronym) recently issued a release examining trends in insurance advertising.
IMCA says more insurers are abandoning the fear-mongering tactics of old ads.
Insurance companies developing new brand positions or ad campaigns seem to be using other messages besides "fear of risk" to communicate with consumers. Many insurance companies are trying to build long-term relationships with their ...
Who stole my identity?
Savvy cyber thieves working in a dank basement that doubles as a meth lab?
or
A moderately resourceful and totally unscrupulous family member who used my social to start a credit card?
When we think about identity theft, we often imagine the former, but according to a recent story in the New York Times, “[The] identity thief is often found in the family photo.”
While I hesitate to throw another log on the media’s ID theft bonfire, I found this story to be one of the more level-headed examples of ID theft reportage out there.
The Times says that while most identity thieves aren’t identified, nearly half that are turn out to be family members, friends or in-home employees.
Times reporter John Leland tells a harrowing story in which ...
