Archive for February, 2012

CT Car Insurance: Teen Driver Issues

Tuesday, February 28th, 2012

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers in the U.S. The higher risk level surrounding younger drivers helps explain why Connecticut car insurance is more expensive for those under 20.

Research indicates teenagers are over-represented in road accidents, and that they have three times the risk of fatal crash involvement than all other age groups. There is no single reason for this but rather a number of driver behaviors contributing to crashes for younger drivers – these include immaturity and speed combined, inexperience, not using seat belts, distractions (such as cell-phones, passengers and loud music), driving while drowsy, night driving, and drug use.

To help combat this, the NHTSA has developed a program aimed at promoting healthier driving behaviors amongst teens including increased use of seat belts, graduated driver licensing and reducing teens’ access to alcohol. The program provides a number of tools and resources that can be found at their website.

Reducing the rate of crashes among our younger drivers is very important, and benefits the wider community as well as younger drivers. It should help to save lives, save money, and hopefully help reduce the cost of Connecticut car insurance premiums and expenses in the process.

Toget a quote on your car insurance, visit our Get A Quote page or give us a call at 860 684 2721

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Can you legally drive without insurance in CT?

Tuesday, February 21st, 2012

NO! Almost every state requires you to have auto liability insurance. All states also have financial responsibility laws. This means that even in a state that does not require liability insurance, you need to have sufficient assets to pay claims if you cause an accident. If you don’t have enough assets, you must purchase at least the state minimum amount of insurance. But insurance exists to protect your assets. Trying to see how little you can get by with can be very shortsighted and dangerous. The insurance industry and consumer groups generally recommend a minimum of $100,000 of bodily injury protection per person and $300,000 per accident since accidents may cost far more than the minimum limits mandated by most states.

If you’ve financed your car, your lender may require comprehensive and collision insurance as part of the loan agreement.

To find out a price for your auto insurance, give us a call at 860 684 2721 or visit our Get A Quote page.

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What does CT homeowners insurance policy covers?

Wednesday, February 15th, 2012

A standard homeowners insurance policy includes four essential types of coverage. They include:

  1. Coverage for the structure of your home.
  2. Coverage for your personal belongings.
  3. Liability protection.
  4. Additional living expenses in the event you are temporarily unable to live in your home because of a fire or other insured disaster.

1. Structure of your house

If your house were ever to be damaged by fire, hurricane, hail, lightning, or other disaster listed in your policy, this part of the policy will pay to repair or rebuild your home. Damages caused by earthquake, flood, or routine wear and tear are not covered. When purchasing coverage for the structure of your home, it is important to buy enough to rebuild your home.

2. Your personal belongings

This part of the policy includes off-premises coverage. This means that your belongings are covered anywhere in the world, unless you have decided against off-premises coverage. Your furniture, clothes, sports equipment and other personal items are covered if they are stolen or destroyed by fire, hurricane or other insured disaster. Most companies provide coverage for 50% to 70% of the amount of insurance you have on the structure of your home. So if you have $100,000 worth of insurance on the structure of your home, you would have between $50,000 to $70,000 worth of coverage for your belongings. The best way to determine if this is enough coverage is to conduct a home inventory.

3. Liability protection

Liability covers you against lawsuits for bodily injury or property damage that you or family members cause to other people. It also pays for damage caused by your pets. So, if your son, daughter or dog accidentally ruins your neighbor’s expensive rug, you are covered. However, if they destroy your rug, you are not covered. Liability limits generally start at about $100,000. However, experts recommend that you purchase at least $300,000 worth of protection. Some people feel more comfortable with even more coverage. You can purchase an umbrella or excess liability policy which provides broader coverage, including claims against you for libel and slander, as well as higher liability limits. Generally, umbrella policies cost between $200 to $350 for $1 million of additional liability protection.

4. Additional living expenses

This pays the additional costs of living away from home if you cannot live there due to damage from a fire, storm or other insured disaster. It covers hotel bills, restaurant meals and other expenses, over and above your customary living expenses, incurred while your home is being rebuilt. Coverage for additional living expenses differs from company to company. Many policies provide coverage for about 20 percent of the insurance on your house.

If you have any questions regarding your homeowners policy, give us a call at 860 684 2721 and we will help you understand it better.

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CT Workers Compensation Tips

Friday, February 10th, 2012

When an employee gets hurt at work, the headache that this can cause for the firm can be tremendous, unless your business has the right type of CT workers comp coverage. And don’t think workers comp claims are only for companies that deal with construction or other types of manual labor. An employee can slip in your office’s kitchen and injure his or her back, and be out for two weeks. This can happen to any business!

For the sake of this blog though, we’ll deal primarily with contracting and construction firms. So what can you do to avoid employee injuries? Here’s some tips that are easy to follow, and could save your employees immensely.

  • Use proper safety equipment, eye protection, ear plugs, steel toe footwear.
  • Machinery has proper safety measures, guards in place, emergency shut off.
  • Lifting techniques, safety belts, team lifting.
  • Make sure employees are alert, not overtired to prevent accidents while operating machinery.

If your company follows these simple tips, then their chances of employee injuries are going to be pretty low. Nothing is for certain, and freak accidents can happen at any moment, but taking these few safety precautions can greatly increase your chances of a safe work environment.

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