Practice Safe Winter Driving Techniques
Practice Safe Winter Driving Techniques
Winter is finally on its way out of here in Fairfax and Loudoun Counties. Not long ago, winter brought us ice, snow, slippery roads, and poor visibility. Winter driving is necessary and nothing can be done to avoid it.
While the best advice is to not drive at all, that's not an option for most of us here in Virginia (South Riding & Chantilly area zips incl. 20151, 20152 and 20105). If you must drive, here are some simple precautions you can take to minimize the risk of accidents and injuries:
- Decrease your speed and leave yourself plenty of room to stop. You should allow at least three times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you.
- Brake gently to avoid skidding. If your wheels start to lock up, ease off the brake.
- Turn on your lights to increase your visibility to other motorists.
- Keep your lights and windshield clean.
- Use low gears to keep traction, especially on hills.
- Don't use cruise control or overdrive on icy roads.
- Be especially careful on bridges, overpasses and infrequently traveled roads, which will freeze first. Even at temperatures above freezing, if the conditions are wet, you might encounter ice in shady areas or on exposed roadways like bridges.
- Don't pass snow plows and sanding trucks. The drivers have limited visibility, and you're likely to find the road in front of them worse than the road behind.
- Don't assume your vehicle can handle all conditions. Even four-wheel and front-wheel drive vehicles can encounter trouble on winter roads.
If you should lose traction:
- Take your foot off the accelerator.
- Steer in the direction you want the front wheels to go. If your rear wheels are sliding left, steer left. If they're sliding right, steer right.
- If your rear wheels start sliding the other way as you recover, ease the steering wheel toward that side. You might have to steer left and right a few times to get your vehicle completely under control.
- If you have standard brakes, pump them gently.
- If you have anti-lock brakes (ABS), do not pump the brakes. Apply steady pressure to the brakes. You will feel the brakes pulse — this is normal.
If you should get stuck:
- Do not spin your wheels. This will only dig you in deeper.
- Turn your wheels from side to side a few times to push snow out of the way.
- Use a light touch on the gas, to ease your car out.
- Use a shovel to clear snow away from the wheels and the underside of the car.
- Pour sand, kitty litter, gravel or salt in the path of the wheels, to help get traction.
- Try rocking the vehicle by shifting from forward to reverse, and back again. Each time you're in gear, give a light touch on the gas until the vehicle gets going.
For more information contact Khalid Umerani, NOVA Insurance Group, here in Chantilly / South Riding, Va. 20151 at http://www.south-riding-insurance.com or http://www.loudoun-insurance.com
Labels: Auto Insurance in South Riding / Chantilly, Fairfax Auto Insurance, loudoun auto insurance, Safe Winter Driving in South Riding / Chantilly
Save Premiums by Raising Policy Deductibles
Save Premiums by Raising Policy DeductiblesAs money gets increasingly tight, consumers are trying to save wherever possible, especially here in Fairfax and Loudoun Counties in Virginia. Insurance policies are one place that people typically look to cut costs. But, are there ways you can save when it comes to insurance without jeopardizing your coverage?
Many insureds believe so. One method of cutting back on your insurance premium costs is to reduce the dwelling or liability limits on your homeowner's policy here in Virginia (Fairfax & Loudoun County Zips incl. 20151, 20152 and 20105). Similarly, you could also request a reduction in the liability limits on your auto insurance policy.
However, not only do these methods fail to save you money in the long run, they also make you increasingly vulnerable to risk. Consider how much you could lose if a judge decided against you in a liability suit, or someone was hurt in your home (especially in the South Riding / Chantilly areas!).
A wiser course of action is to increase your policy deductibles. On a homeowner's policy, raising your deductible from $250 to a $500 could realize a premium savings of 10 to 15 percent. You could also consider raising the deductibles on the physical damage section of your auto insurance to save money on the premium. Having a $500 deductible on both comprehensive and collision can save you as much as 30 percent. A $1,000 deductible may result in even more savings. (Contact us at
www.south-riding-insurance.com or
www.loudoun-insurance.com for more details)
Many insureds argue that if they do need to file a claim, they won’t have $500 to cover the newly increased deductible. While $500 may sound like a large amount of money to get together, it is actually only $250 more than you would have needed if you still had the original $250 deductible. Keep in mind that with the savings benefit you will get from a higher deductible, you should be able to save that extra $250 in less than 2 years.
For those larger savings, consider a graduated approach. If you are not financially able to go from paying a $250 deductible to paying $1,000 deductible, raise your deductible to $500 now, and put the money you save into a dedicated savings account for the purpose of accumulating money to increase your deductible again. When you have saved enough in the account, increase the deductible to $1,000.
Raising your deductible will definitely save you money over the long-term. More importantly, it will not put you at an increased financial risk. For more information contact Khalid Umerani, NOVA Insurance Group, here in Chantilly / South Riding, Va. 20151.
Labels: Auto Insurance in South Riding / Chantilly, Fairfax Home Insurance, Home Insurance in South Riding / Chantilly, Insurance Policy Deductibles, Insurance Premium Savings, loudoun auto insurance
Ensure the Right Coverage for your Jewelry
Ensure the Right Coverage for Your Jewelry Men and women alike often own expensive pieces of jewelry, such as diamond rings, designer wristwatches, bracelets, and necklaces. Not only are these pieces attractive to thieves, they are subject to several other perils as well. Because of the sentimental and monetary values associated with jewelry, proper insurance coverage is of great importance.
A standard homeowner's insurance policy here in Virginia (Fairfax & Loudoun Counties) will pay for jewelry damaged by fire, smoke, vandalism, windstorm, and several other causes. Coverage is also available for stolen jewelry, but only for a maximum of $1,500 or $2,500. This limit applies collectively to all items of jewelry, furs and gemstones stolen at the same time; it does not apply separately to each item. It will not pay for pieces that are lost or that mysteriously disappear. In the event of a loss, the insurer will pay only the cost of replacing the item less depreciation.
Because of these limitations, people who own valuable pieces of jewelry should consider purchasing separate coverage, either as an add-on to their homeowner's policy or as an individual policy. With this coverage, the policy lists specific items and the amounts of insurance on each. (Contact us at
www.south-riding-insurance.com or
www.loudoun-insurance.com for details).
The policy covers items of jewelry but does not include unmounted gems; gold, silver and other precious metals; and silverware, flatware or goldware. The owner may be able to insure some of these items separately. The insurance will pay for loss from all causes other than war, nuclear disaster, actions of the government, and maintenance of the property. The owner must choose one of two options for determining the property’s value in the event of a loss. The first is the same as in the homeowner's policy – actual cash value, which means the insurer will pay the least of:
The item’s replacement cost minus depreciation;
The cost of repairing it;
The cost of replacing it; or
The amount of insurance shown on the policy for the item.
The second is called “agreed value,” which means that the insurer will pay the full amount of insurance shown on the policy for the item if it's lost or damaged. This option may cost more but provides more certainty for the owner.
Jewelry owners may also select optional coverages. One option gives the owner a premium credit for items stored in a bank vault. If the owner wants coverage to apply outside the bank vault, she must notify the insurer in advance and pay an additional premium. Another option gives a future spouse, whom the policy would not ordinarily cover, insurance for his or her interest in engagement or wedding rings. Under the third option, the insurer will pay the value of a complete set of items, such as a pair of earrings, even if the loss affected only one item in the set. The owner must surrender the surviving items in the set to the insurer.
Owners of expensive jewelry should consider having it appraised by a reputable jeweler at least every three years. They should also take common sense steps to safeguard it against theft, the most common cause of loss for jewelry. Finally, they should meet with their insurance agent (Khalid Umerani, NOVA Insurance Group, here in Chantilly / South Riding, VA 20151) for a coverage review every couple of years to ensure their insurance is adequately protecting them from loss to their valuables.
Labels: Fur Insurance, Jewelry Insurance in Chantilly / South Riding, Valuable Items Insurance 20152, Watch Insurance in Chantilly / South Riding
