by California Casualty | Auto Insurance Info, Safety, Travel |
The holidays are HERE, and unfortunately so is the holiday traffic. As millions hit the road to travel near and far this holiday season roadways will quickly become overly congested, traffic delays more frequent, and holiday road rage will start to set in for many drivers.
If you are like the thousands of Americans hitting the road this season, follow our holiday traffic safety tips below.
1.Plan Head
Before you hit the road make sure your vehicle is properly maintained and ready for the trip. Plan out your route ahead of time, and if it’s possible, avoid driving through areas you know will be jammed with holiday traffic. Before you head out it’s also a good idea to check the forecast and plan ahead for inclement weather. Don’t forget to pack your emergency car kit!
The more traffic, the higher the chance for an accident. It’s important not only to drive safely, but also to keep an eye on other drivers. In holiday traffic jams always expect the unexpected, watch for drivers cutting you off, slamming on their breaks, speeding up and slowing down, etc. Be prepared for anything, and always stay attentive behind the wheel.
3. Avoid Distractions
Distracted driving causes thousands of fatal traffic accidents every single year. Add in holiday traffic and distracted driving becomes even more dangerous and deadly. We know it can be hard to avoid common distractions like your phone, especially when you are driving long distances by yourself, but it’s important for your safety that you keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel at all times.
4. Keep Your Cool
If someone makes a decision that makes you angry when you are driving, try not to let it affect you. This may be hard, but getting angry doesn’t solve anything. Road rage is a form of distracted driving because you cannot think clearly. If you start to feel yourself becoming angry or anxious try listening to music, taking deep breaths, and remember there is nothing you can do about other driver’s decisions or to make traffic move quicker- so stay calm.
5. Watch for Animals
Deer move with cold fronts. This means as the temperature continues to drop and as we get closer to the end of the year, the likelihood of seeing or hitting a deer increases. Hitting a deer, or any other animal, can total your vehicle, hinder your plans, and even cause serious injury (or death). Stay alert and watch for animals, especially if you choose to travel in rural areas at night.
If you plan on making multiple stops or staying at any hotels during your trip, be sure to follow our Traveling Safely During the Pandemic guide.
Safe travels and Happy Holidays! 🙂
This article is furnished by California Casualty. We specialize in providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
by California Casualty | Homeowners Insurance Info |
Extreme weather events are becoming more severe and frequent. If you live in a region that gets snow and ice, these events can easily cause damage to your home, racking up losses and repair costs.
Here are some of the common ones to prepare for, coverage considerations, and how to prevent damage in the first place.
Frozen Pipes
One of the most common sources of wintertime home damage is water damage from frozen pipes. Losses are usually covered under your homeowner’s policy; however, keep in mind that some claims are denied if negligence is found (e.g. proper home temperature wasn’t maintained).
Protect against water damage:
-
- Add extra insulation in attics, basements, and crawl spaces where pipes may be exposed to the cold.
- During especially chilly spells, turn faucets on just enough for a very slow drip.
- Shut off water to outside hoses and store them inside to protect them from extreme temps.
- Read our post for more tips on preventing frozen pipes.
Ice Dams
Ice dams form when snow melts on your roof and refreezes before siphoning off. Once formed, they continue to grow with further melt/refreeze cycles. Over time, ice dams can damage your roof, sometimes springing leaks that let water into your home. While your homeowner’s policy should help cover damage to your roof and home (check your policy for coverage limits and details), it probably won’t cover damage to any personal belongings.
Protect against ice dams:
-
- Remove snow from your roof regularly.
- Ventilate your attic so that hot air doesn’t get trapped, warm a spot on your roof, and melt snow that can easily become an ice dam.
- Turn down the heat in your home so as to prevent the roof warming that produces ice dams.
- Check out our post on winter roof care for more ice dam-prevention tips.
Hail Damage
Roofs and windows are especially susceptible to hail damage. Make sure you understand your coverage and any hail exclusion that may apply. After a storm, inspect your roof for damage right away – remember, if damage goes unnoticed it can cause roof leaks months later that may not be covered.
Protect against hail damage:
-
- Have your roof inspected every year in the fall and repair or replace missing or loose shingles or tiles.
- If your area is especially prone to hail storms, look into installing hail-resistant asphalt shingles.
  Â
Wind Damage
Severe storms oftentimes bring severe winds. Although sometimes damage can happen with wind directly hitting your home, usually the real danger lies in what the wind can blow into or onto your home.
Protect against wind damage:
-
- Keep up with trimming trees and branches that are leaning, weak, dead, or otherwise compromised or a threat to your home. Check out the top 7 signs of tree health issues here.
- Inspect your home’s exterior for loose siding, gutters, and shutters.
- Read all our tips on prepping for severe storms.
Injuries From Ice
Black ice is a slipping, injury, and accident risk wherever it forms – on roadways, driveways, walking paths, porches, decks, and steps. If a visitor slips and sustains an injury on your property and decides to sue, are you protected? Liability coverage is usually included as part of homeowners insurance and would kick in, in this case, to help with the person’s medical bills as well as your legal costs. That said, check with your agent to review your coverage limits and conditions.
Protect against black ice:
-
- Be vigilant about snow shoveling so that snow doesn’t melt and refreeze on high-(foot)traffic areas.
- Clear your gutters so that water goes down the spout like it’s supposed to, instead of onto walking paths.
- See our article for more black ice safety tips.
Roof Collapse
Roofs can collapse if the weight of ice or snow on them is too much to bear. Insurance may help cover the cost of repairing or replacing a damaged or destroyed roof. And if your house is uninhabitable as a result, it may cover additional living expenses and/or hotel. Check to make sure you understand what your policy covers, as well as all limits and terms.
Protect against collapse:
-
- Have regular annual roof inspections so you are aware of and can fix any issues that can cause structural vulnerabilities, weak spots, or problem areas.
- If snow is piled too high for you to remove, or if your home is taller than a single story, look into hiring a professional snow removal service.
- If you already have ice dams, get them removed professionally asap – ice dams can cause serious and costly damage.
Wintertime damage to your home can happen before you’ve even had time to think about it – and by then, it’s usually too late and you’re looking at losses, repairs, and the claims process. Protect your home before the storms roll in by making sure you’re covered and – even more important – have the kind of coverage you need.
This article is furnished by California Casualty. We specialize in providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
by California Casualty | In Your Community |
Every year, Impact Teen Drivers and California Casualty offer enrolled students, ages 14 to 22, the opportunity to win prizes for their original works (creative writing, video, graphic design, or music) showcasing creative solutions for preventing the #1 killer of their peers –reckless and distracted driving.
Distracted driving is anything that takes a driver’s eyes off the road, hands off the wheel, mind off driving, or keeps ears from being alert to surroundings. Commonly referred to as accidents, these crashes are actually 100% preventable.
The Create Real Impact contest is a proactive movement to reduce poor decision making and inattentive driving by 16 to 19-year-olds that has become an epidemic. Empowering messages from young people urging their peers to adopt safer driving attitudes and avoid the tragic result of bad choices behind-the-wheel can save lives.
The Fall 2020 Create Real Impact contest winners were recently selected.Â
Prizes are awarded by a panel of qualified judges based on the following weighted criteria: 25% concept/creativity; 25% execution of the idea; 50% effectiveness of the message emphasizing solution(s).
The following students will receive $1,500 Grand Prize educational grants for their entries:
-
- Jessie M., Sunbury, PA, in the music category for the work titled, “Some Things Change”
- Andre M., Halethorpe, MD, in the video category for “Don’t Drop the Ball”
- Erika A., Honolulu, HI, in the creative writing category for “A reverse poem of the preventable killer of teens – distracted driving”
- Mayumi D., Las Vegas, NV, in the graphic design category for the piece “No Distraction is Worth Risking Your Life”
Guohang (Henry) Z., Rowland Heights, CA, received $500 as the first runner-up for his video, “JUST DRIVE! (it’s free!)”
These students won for their works in Spanish:
-
- Fiorella M., Doral, FL, in the Spanish language category for the video “Create Real Impact- Como Prevenir Manejar con Distracciones” – a Judges Pick, receiving $1,000
- Alejandra B. Cheyenne, WY, for “Vale la pena?” – Honorable Mention Spanish Graphic Design, receiving $250
- Belen T., Salinas, CA, for “Informacion Para Padres De Conductores Adolecente” – Honorable Mention Spanish Video, receiving $500
These students had the most online votes for their submitted works. Each will receive $500 in grant funds:
-
- Maxwell R., Boston, MA, in the music category for “I Don’t”
- Gaby G., Bergenfield, NJ, in the video category for “Choose Today to Have a Tomorrow”
- Annaka T., Lemoore, CA, in the creative writing category for the piece “Anything can happen in a matter of a second”
- Alec B., Aptos, CA, for a graphic design submission titled, “It’s the mindset”
The 2021 Create Real Impact contest will kick off in January. Entries will be taken at www.createrealimpact.com. For more information on how to get schools and students involved, please contact info@impactteendrivers.org.
About Impact Teen Drivers
Impact Teen Drivers was founded in mid-2007 by the California Association of Highway Patrolmen, California Casualty, and the California Teachers Association. The organization has emerged as a leading non-profit organization dedicated to reversing the pervasive yet 100% preventable crisis of teens killed in car crashes. ITD’s mission is to develop, promote, and facilitate evidence-based education and strategies to save lives and reduce injuries and fatalities caused by reckless and distracted driving. To learn more visit www.ImpactTeenDrivers.org or send an email to info@impactteendrivers.org
This article is furnished by California Casualty. We specialize in providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
by California Casualty | Pets, Safety |
Halloween can be an extra-scary time for our four-legged family members. Our pets don’t understand why the doorbell keeps ringing or why strange creatures- that kind of resemble humans- keep yelling and trying to come into their house and yard. These factors and...
by California Casualty | Auto Insurance Info, Safety |
Stopping the texting habit can be really hard. We’re glued to our phones seemingly 24/7, and the alerts, dings, and chimes make them irresistible even when we’re behind the wheel.
This dangerous yet pervasive habit is causing some sobering statistics: 1.6 million crashes each year, with almost 390,000 injuries and more than 2,800 deaths.
Technology’s not going away anytime soon and self-driving cars are still off in the future – so how do we stop texting? Let’s look to psychology for some guidance – specifically, to some mental hacks to kick a habit.
How Habits Form
For a habit to become ingrained, a “habit loop” must first become established. This loop has 3 elements:
- This is the trigger that tells your brain to do something, like grabbing the phone when you hear a text chime. It’s often automatic—we don’t even realize we’re doing it.
- This is the behavior or action itself. Here, it’s picking up the phone and typing out a text reply.
- If there’s a reward after the behavior, it strengthens the habit loop. In this case, that might be an actual or anticipated reply, or the satisfaction of sending off that text that you keep meaning to send.
No wonder habits are so “sticky”—each step reinforces the next. Understanding how it works in your life is key to breaking the habit and forming a new one. It just takes a little self-awareness and a commitment to change.
Breaking the Habit Loop
By disrupting one or more components of the loop, you can transition to a life of text-free driving.
1.Review Your Cues: Figure out what’s making you reach for your phone.
-
-
- If you can’t ignore the sound alerts, turn your phone to silent and stash it out of sight (or better yet, out of reach).
- Install an app that silences your phone while you’re driving. These apps detect when your car is in motion and automatically silence it for the duration. Options include Not Disturb While Driving (iphones), Driving Detective for Android, or Google’s Android Auto.
- If your cue is boredom, practice mindfulness (a great skill for all aspects of life).
2. Refresh Your Routine: A few tweaks could make a big difference.
-
-
- Send texts before you leave, then put away the phone.
- If you have a passenger with you, have them be your thumbs.
- Sign off a conversation with X or #X, which means you’re driving.
- Let your 5 closest contacts know you’re changing it up. Most of our communications are just with them.
3. Reframe Your Rewards: Really contemplate the risks of texting while driving.
-
-
- Think back to a texting close call. Think through the worst-case scenario. Now write it down and keep it in plain view in your car. Read it every time you get in.
- Whenever you feel a temptation to reach for your phone, think of who would be devastated if you were to crash while texting.
- When not reaching for your phone, embrace the feeling of not being anxious and distracted.
Want to really kickstart your commitment? Sign The National Safety Council’s Just Drive pledge.. If you have young drivers at home, team up, and make the commitment together (and get safe driving tips for them here).
This article is furnished by California Casualty. We specialize in providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
