Car Seats & Installation

The other day we wrote about using a car seat after a car crash, but what about the day-to-day using a car seat.

Which car seat is right for my child?
What are the "proper" ways to install a car seat?
Who should install the car seat?
How long should a child be rear-facing?
When do you turn a child forward facing?
How long can my child use the car seat?
When should I replace the car seat?

Car seat issues are enough to make your head spin.

We, at Murray & MacDonald Insurance, are licensed insurance agents, we are not licensed car seat installers, testers, etc. We do know a thing or two about safety & car seats.

Today, we're going to share a few reference sites that may help you  answer some of your #carseatangst questions.

1) Which car seat is right for my child? This is a tricky one. It's personal preference, it's the car you drive, it's your lifestyle. Some people love the flexibility of an infant seat while their baby is young, others prefer to use a convertible seat that you don't take in & out.

2) What are the "proper" ways to install a car seat? The link in the question will direct you to a website called www.safercar.gov - they list the correct way to install a car seat with and without the latch.

3) Who should install the car seat? If you don't trust yourself, a car-seat technician can install it, find one here. But, if you are the care-giver on a regular basis, you should learn how to properly install the car-seat. This will give you peace of mind your little one is protected. There are many car seats out there that are much easier to install than they used to be!

For the last 4 questions from above, you should reference the manual. Many car-seats have an expiration date. The car-seats will also state if they are meant for rear-facing or forward-facing and for how long.

The recommendations from Safercar.gov are follows:

• Birth - 12 months - Your child under age 1 should always ride in a rear-facing car seat. There are different types of rear-facing seats: Infant-only seats can only be used rear-facing. Convertible and 3-in-1 car seats typically  have higher height and weight limits for the rear-facing position, allowing you to keep your child rear-facing for a longer period of time.
• 1 - 3 years - Keep your child rear-facing as long as possible. It's the best way to keep him or her safe. Your child should remain in a rear-facing car seat until he or she reaches the top height or weight limit allowed by your car seat's manufacturer. Once your child outgrows the rear-facing car seat, your child is ready to travel in a forward-facing car seat with a harness.
• 4 - 7 years - Keep your child in a forward-facing car seat with a harness until he or she reaches the top height or weight limit allowed by your car seat's manufacturer. Once your child outgrows the forward-facing car seat with a harness, it's time to travel in a booster seat, but still in the back seat.
• 8 - 12 years - Keep your child in a booster seat until he or she is big enough to fit in a seat belt properly. For a seat belt to fit properly the lap belt must lie snugly across the upper thighs, not cross the neck or face. Remember: your child should still ride in the back seat because it's safer there.

Check out the Facebook page and the Twitter page for more on Child Passenger Safety.

Here are a few videos on rear-facing car crash impacts vs forward facing:
Trygg Trafikk Youtube Video comparison of rear vs forward facing
Youtube video of child who was injured in an accident

Massachusetts' Low Auto Rates!

To say that insurance shoppers aren’t price sensitive in today’s economic turbulence would be a drastic understatement. The introduction of direct-writers into the insurance market has made purchasing car insurance easier and cheaper. Fortunately, for Massachusetts drivers, the state was recently graded as one of the cheapest states to purchase insurance.

Carinsurancequotes.com recently ran a comparison of car insurance rates relative to median household income across all fifty states and found some staggering results. Michigan drivers were paying, on average, 8 percent of their household income for insurance. In Michigan, 2010 median household income was $45,413 meaning drivers were paying, on average, $4,087.18 per year for car insurance. Louisiana was the second most costly state, with drivers paying a rate of 5 percent of median household income. Median household income in 2010 for the state of Louisiana was $42,505 meaning drivers paid $2,125.25 for insurance.

Massachusetts falls on the complete opposite side of the spectrum with a rate of only 1.434% of median household income. Massachusetts median household income for 2012 was $62,072, significantly higher than that of the aforementioned states. As a rate of 1.434%, Massachusetts drivers shelled out, on average, $890.11 for car insurance.

For price sensitive shoppers, it pays to live in Massachusetts!

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Using a Car Seat After an Accident

Have you been in an accident before? Chances are, you've been in one or witnessed one.
Here is a link to traffic accidents & fatalities over a 10 year period.

Accidents are scary and can cause serous injuries.

Have you been in an accident with a small child? A child in a car seat? Hopefully you haven't, but if you have...

What do you do? What happens?

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After the crash, the people get checked out for injuries and the car is brought to a body shop for repairs.

But what do you do about the car seat? It still looks good. Is it ok to use?


It depends, most likely not, according to Nation Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Below is what NHTSA says about using a car seat AFTER a crash:

"[A car seat should] be replaced following a moderate or severe crash in order to ensure a continued high level of crash protection for child passengers. Car seats do not automatically need to be replaced following a minor crash.

What defines a minor crash? A minor crash is one in which ALL (emphasis MMISI) of the following apply:

• The vehicle was able to be driven away from the crash site.
• The vehicle door nearest the car seat was not damaged.
• None of the passengers in the vehicle sustained any injuries in the crash.
• If the vehicle has air bags, the air bags did not deploy during the crash and
• There is no visible damage to the car seat.

Never use a car seat that has been involved in a moderate to severe crash. Always follow manufacturer’s instructions."

The question - will insurance cover it? Insurance will usually cover a car seat, however it depends from company to company. Check with your insurance agent if you have a concern. Our agency has not had a problem with insurance companies replacing a car seat that was involved in a moderate or severe crash.

Cycling Accidents: Who's liable?

Forcing cyclists and drivers to coexist on the roads without incident has long been a societal struggle. We have a hard enough time not crashing into each other, bringing cyclists into the mix creates yet another obstacle to safely avoid on the road. Of the biking accidents that occur annually, approximately 11% of those involve another vehicle. While this might not be alarming, maybe the pattern of where accidents occur will be. Of the 11% of bicycle and vehicle accidents that occur, 45% occur at intersections. These accidents can result from the biker or driver not paying attention, not knowing the rules of the road, or simply not seeing each other. Whatever the case may be, someone has to cover the medical expenses. If you are found to be responsible for the accident, you could be footing the bill.

Sometimes taking the extra precautions isn't enough. Wearing bright clothing, being vigilant of your surroundings, and riding defensively can drastically alter your chances of being involved in an accident. Yet, they're called accidents for a reason. Regardless of who is at fault, you need the assurance that your medical expenses will be covered if necessary.

Bicycles, from a legal perspective, are considered vehicle in nearly every state, hence they must abide by the locale's traffic laws. This means coming to complete stops at stop signs, following traffic signals, acknowledging right of way, among others. While a significant portion of bicycle vs. car accidents come at intersections with stop signs, some do occur because rider and drivers alike refuse to acknowledge right of way. If you are involved in an accident and you interfere with another vehicles right of way, you will most likely be held liable.

Intersections with stop signs account for nearly 20% of accidents occurring at intersections. Accounting for nearly half of that 20% are accidents where the cyclist has a stop sign and the car does not. If you misjudge the distance or speed, or both, of an oncoming car you could end up rocketing through their windshield. Give yourself plenty of time to get up to speed after stopping, there is no need to rush out in front of oncoming traffic. More often than not, you will be held liable for your own medical expenses if you speed out in front of traffic. The other half of these accidents are scenarios where the car has a stop sign and you have the right of way. The driver might not recognize the you, or may misjudge speed and distance, and pull out in front of the you. Provided that you're traveling with traffic an not against it, the driver's insurance company is going to foot the bill for your injuries. If you're riding against traffic (which is against the law) you or the driver may be held liable for the accident.

From an insurance perspective, there are ways to shield yourself from the burden on medical expenses and lost wages in the result of an accident. First and foremost, you should look to the at fault party's auto policy. The Personal Injury Protection provision of your or the driver's auto policy provides injury protection of up to $8,000 regardless of who is at fault for the accident. The provision will also cover up to 75% of gross weekly wages if you can't work as a result of your injuries. Another place to look for coverage would be the Bodily Injury to others provision. Compulsory in Massachusetts, this provisions provides covers for injuries to others through the use of you vehicle up to a $20,000 limit. If you own a car, you can also find coverage in the Uninsured-Underinsured provision of your policy. Though the policy is only applicable if the damages done to you exceed the other parties coverage limits, or if the party doesn't have insurance,there's no reason not to have the coverage considering its scope.

Never leave your fate in the hands of others on the road. As much as you might not want to hear it, you're not Lance Armstrong; so don't ride like it. Wear a helmet, be defensive, wear clothing that will allow drivers to distinguish easily between you and your surroundings, and always be on the lookout for obstacles. Basically, do everything short of strapping on shoulder pads and football helmet to ensure that you're safe on the road. Don't spend months laid up in a hospital bed because you didn't look both ways!

Dog Bite Liability

For most dog owners, the possibility of their dog biting someone may seem next to impossible. Many common dog breeds are tame, friendly, and docile but homeowner’s insurance underwriters are careful when determining what breeds of dogs to exclude from a policy.

In 2011, insurance companies paid out nearly $479 million because of dog bite claims, up nearly $76 million from the previous year. State Farm Insurance, one of the premier homeowner’s writers in the United States, paid out an estimated $109 million for only 3,800 claims; that is an average of nearly $26,000 per claim. The Postal Service racked up $1 million in medical expenses from dog bites last year. Dog bites are not a huge concern for the vast majority of homeowners, but the consequences can be very costly.

Fortunately, dog bites are generally covered under the personal liability provision of a homeowner or renter’s policy. Coverage limits for these types of policies can go as high as $500,000 and extend worldwide. Where dog owners might run into some problems are the breed exclusions. Insurance companies do not provide explicit exclusions for most dog breeds, considering their well-mannered, friendly nature. If you own an American Pit Bull Terrier, German Shepherd, Rottweiler, or Siberian Husky (to name a few), you might have trouble getting coverage. Companies may write in a specific exclusion to relieve them of liability, considering these dog breeds are stereotypically aggressive. On the other hand, some companies may deny cover for the homeowner because of the exposure that a dog bite presents.

Almost 4.7 million people are bitten each year and approximately 800,000 seek medical attention. Less than half require medical attention and approximately 16 die according to the Insurance Information Institute. I would venture to say that a good portion of the bites that require medical attention are minor to moderate, but the severe injuries present a serious, costly exposure clearly exemplified by how much State Farm paid out in 2011.

If your dog isn’t covered by your homeowner’s insurance, you should look into taking preventative measures! Training and socializing your dog can decrease the chances that your dog might bite someone else!

Small Business Saturday

Recently I came across an infographic on how small businesses can connect with their customers and communities. AT&T asked over 500 businesses. Look over the infographic and let us know if you agree with the infographic in the comments.

Happy Thanksgiving!

From our company

The Pilgrims were thankful. We are too. Thank you for your business.

Happy Thanksgiving!

May you and yours enjoy a wonderful day with family, friends, food and fun.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Hurricane safety tips

As storm Sandy approaches the mid-Atlantic and Northeastern U.S., we wanted to make sure you are aware of important steps to stay safe and avoid damage.

Safety for individuals
· Create or review a disaster plan. Plan an evacuation route in advance and determine where you will go if told to evacuate.
· Prepare a survival kit. Stock up on drinking water, non-perishable food, a first-aid kit and medicine for everyone including your pet. Include extra clothing, blankets, batteries, flashlights, a portable radio and cash.
· Secure outdoor objects such as garbage cans and lawn furniture.
· Review how to shut off utilities in an emergency.
· During a heavy storm, power off and unplug electronics and appliances.
· Locate important papers and documents, including your insurance policy and have them ready to take with you should you need to evacuate.
· Leave promptly if ordered to evacuate.
o Heavy rains have the potential to cause significant damage. Remember to:
o Close and lock all windows and doors.
o Remove window air conditioners.
o Remove valuable items from your basement.
o If it's not possible or practical to move some items, elevate them off the floor on pallets or concrete blocks.
o Clear exterior drains.
o Look for exterior drains at the bottom of basement stairs, in window wells, and anywhere sidewalks or driveways slope toward the foundation.
o Clear gutters of leaves and debris.
o This is also a good time to repair any damaged gutters.
o Make sure water can drain away from your foundation.
o Check that your downspouts have elbows and splash blocks to direct water away from the house.
o Check your sump pump.
o Pour water into the sump and verify that the pump is working properly. If it has a battery backup, test the battery backup by switching off the main power to the house at the circuit breaker.

Take extra precautions with portable generators.
· Generators should be properly grounded and should never be operated indoors, in garages, basements or near windows or doors. Since generators produce carbon monoxide (CO), make sure you have working CO detector in your home.
· Never plug a generator into a wall outlet, which can "backfeed" into your home's electrical system and endanger utility workers or anyone who comes near downed wires.
· Store generator fuel in an approved can away from the house, open flames and fuel-burning appliances such as natural gas appliances.

Safety for businesses
The following precautions can help protect people and property and guard against disruption of operations:
Review your business continuity plan and communicate emergency evacuation and business interruption instructions to employees. If you don't have a written plan, a template is available from the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (http://disastersafety.org/hurricane/). An emergency plan includes a detailed procedure for evacuation, a checklist for shutting down processes and protecting buildings, contents and equipment, and yard storage. Procedures should include salvage instructions to follow post-event.
Back up critical data and computer records off-site so that operations can continue after a disaster. Consider keeping a backup generator and plenty of batteries on hand so your business can continue to operate after a power loss.
As a storm approaches, quick actions should to be taken to install temporary protection features including:
Shutter or board up windows to protect them from flying debris
Clean out floor drains and catch basins to ensure maximum drainage
Anchor structures, trailers and yard storage so they are more likely to stay put in high winds
Fill emergency generator and fire pump fuel tanks
Shut down production processes safely
Shut off all flammable and combustible liquid and gas lines at their source
Shut off electrical power at the main building disconnect before the storm strikes
Once the storm has subsided and it is safe to return, a salvage team should be assembled and repair work prioritized, assuring proper supplies are available and safety procedures followed.
Claim Reporting
You may report claims in the folowing:
· Directly on line to your insurer: http://www.mmisi.com/claim.php
· Dial our central phone number: 800-800-8990
· Fax us at: 508-289-4111
· Email us at: murmac@mmisi.com
· Stop at our Bourne Office: 550 MacArthur Blvd Bourne, MA
· Stop at our Falmouth Office: 406 Jones Rd, Falmouth, MA


When leaving a message please:
· Identify your name,
· Location,
· Best phone number to reach you
· Email and,
· A brief explanation of damages
· We’ll contact as soon as possible

The Fisher Family's Story

Anther blog post by our intern Ben Whitney:
 
Every so often, an article comes up on Insurance Journal pertinent to topics I've written about before. I was fortunate enough to stumble upon a big-time article about Progressive Insurance and their response to a claim regarding the death of a policy-holder and an at-fault under-insured motorist.

In June of 2010, Kaitlynn Fisher, the sister of NY-based comedian Matt Fisher, was killed when her car was hit by an under-insured motorist with Nationwide. As of two weeks ago, the claim had yet to be settled. As his frustration with Progressive boiled over, Matt took to Twitter and Tumblr to share his sister's story. Her story drew national attention in a viral manner, as Matt's Tumblr post was shared nearly 12,000 times in a matter of days. 

Kaitlynn was killed as she passed through an intersection on a green light and was struck by an under-insured motorist that had run a red light. The motorist was insured for $20,000 in personal liability coverage. When a driver is found to be at fault, the insurer is responsible for paying the victim up to the limits of the coverage. Nationwide settled with the Fisher family almost immediately, granting them the $20,000 owed under their insured's policy. In Matt Fisher's eyes, this remittance was seen as an admission of fault, something Progressive may not have interpreted the same way. 

Kaitlynn Fisher was insured for $100,000 in under-insured motorist protection. With Nationwide paying out $20,000, this leaves Progressive on the hook for $80,000. Law states that Progressive is only required to pay out Kaitlynn's policy if the driver is proven to be at fault. Progressive refused to pay $80,000 to the Fisher family, and the law forbid them from taking Progressive to court, thus the Fisher family was forced to prove the other driver's negligence in court. This is where things start to get a little shady, in Matt's eyes. 

Matt argues in another Tumblr post that Progressive legally defended the seemingly at-fault driver to disprove his negligence, thus relieving them of the liability to pay the remainder in Kaitlynn's under-insured motorist protection. Progressive counter argues that they did no such thing, but Matt's eyewitness account has me believing otherwise. He writes, "At the trial, the guy who killed my sister was defended by Progressive’s legal team. If you are insured by Progressive, and they owe you money, they will defend your killer in court in order to not pay you your policy."

To the relief of the Fisher family, the motorist was found to be at fault (though they felt this was the case all along). Hereby Progressive is legally required to honor Kaitlynn's auto policy and pay the remaining difference between her under-insured motorist coverage and Nationwide's payment. I can assure you that Matt Fisher isnt going to hold his breath until they do.  

Circling back to my blog post about the risks businesses face today, Progressive took a huge publicity hit over $80,000, a serious risk to its reputation. Progressive could have easily mitigated this risk through a number of tactics. Rather than dragging out the legal process for more than two years, Progressive could have settled outside of court with the Fisher family. Matt states that Progressive never offered more than one third of the difference between Kaitlynn's under-insured protection and Nationwide's remittance to her family. Progressive continued to actively defend the driver, who took Kaitlynn's life, in court, not good publicity for a company looking to protect its clients. Progressive believed there was credible evidence that Kaitlynn was at fault for the accident, and thus employed their legal team to prove so. Rather than put the Fisher family through the hardship that is both losing their young daughter and enduring the grueling legal process to collect on her policy, they could have taken Nationwide's lead and paid their portion. For the year ended Decembver 31, 2011, Progressive posted a Net Income of $1.015 billion. That $80,000 payment is immaterial to that amount. I believe that Matt Fisher's frustrations are more than warranted, and the public outcry arising from his story will be a lesson learned for Progressive. 

Weekend Recipe: Chili on the Stove

Do Sunday afternoons in the fall make you think of pulled pork sandwiches, crockpot chili, chicken noodle soup, fires in the fireplace, and football?

I mentioned last week, one of my favorite parts of fall are the fall inspired recipes.
Today I'm going to share with you one of my favorites, Chili. It's yummy, health, easy to make, and easy to alter to your taste.

Get the ingredients {or pull them from your cabinet}, make a pot of chili and sit down to watch the Patriots play some football on Sunday afternoon. Cheers.

Chili con Carne

The Players

1 lb Ground Beef (or Ground Turkey)
1 onion diced {more or less depending on taste or what you have on hand, if it's vidalia, probably a half}
1 pepper diced (Red, Green, Orange, Yellow - your preference) {I like to use green to offset the red chili/tomato color, and if you only have 1/2 or 3/4 of a pepper on hand, use it. No problem.}
1 can black beans (15.5 oz) {no need to rinse them}
1 can diced tomatoes (28 oz) {I use Pomi in a box - I heard boxed tomatoes are healthier than canned?}
1 tsp salt {add to the ground beef; or more or less as needed}
1 cup beef bouillon {I make turkey stock from our Thanksgiving turkey and chicken stock from whole chickens we eat - I stockpile it in ziploc bags in the freezer for soups, rice, chili, etc - so it's ok if it's not beef bouillon}
2 tbsp chili powder {more if you like it spicy, I'm a mild salsa kind of person, to me it's just the right amount}
1 tsp cumin {gives it that delicious taco smell}
1 tsp curry {to taste, if you don't like curry, you can leave it out}
Chili peppers {just a few pieces of diced - depending on your tolerance for spicy foods, I usually omit this, personal preference}
Olive oil {2-4 tbsp - depending on how you cook}

The Play

Brown the beef with the salt {sometimes I add chili powder to the beef to really add flavor}.
In a dutch oven {or frying pan} heat olive oil and sauté the onion and pepper until soft {approx 5 min}
Add {to the dutch oven or pot} the diced tomatoes, canned black beans, browned beef - stir.
Add the boillon, chili powder, cumin, and curry - stir.
Add a little salt if you want.
Simmer on low heat for a few hours or cook on medium-high heat for 30 minutes {careful if you have a gas stove as low on a gas stove is higher than low on an electric stove}
Serve w/grated cheese and bread.
To make the chili deliciousness last longer, cook up some rice and serve the chili on top of rice and top with grated cheese.

*This recipe can be adapted for the crock pot. Brown beef, sauté onion & pepper in a frying pan and add to a crock-pot with the other ingredients.

Serves approximately 4 adults. Easily doubled.

Happy Eating!