by California Casualty | Auto Insurance Info, Safety |
Undoubtedly, when the roads are covered in snow and/or ice the best option is to just stay hunkered down at home. However, for the majority of us, that’s not an option. In fact, 70 percent of US roads are located in snowy regions. and each year over 116,000 people are injured driving in the snow and ice.
Accumulation on roadways reduces tire friction and vehicle maneuverability and greatly increases the risk of accidents. So, as winter approaches and you make the necessary preparations to your vehicle, make sure you remember these winter driving safety tips to ensure you arrive at your destination safely.
- Decrease your speed and leave yourself plenty of room to stop.
- Allow at least 3 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 brakes.
- Turn on your lights.
- This will make you more visible to other motorists.
- Keep your windshield clean.
- Once it has defrosted, keep the windshield wipers on to wipe away all falling snow and avoid it freezing over again.
- Use low gears to keep traction.
- Drive especially slow on hills to avoid rolling backward.
- Steer into a skid to avoid a crash.
- This means if your rear wheels are going right, gently steer in that direction.
- Keep an emergency kit in your car.
- This should include a first aid kit, flashlight, water, blankets, and snowmelt or sand/kitty litter.
- Be on the lookout for black ice.
- Black ice is barely visible and makes roadways, bridges, and overpasses extremely slick
- Don’t pass snow plows.
- 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 won’t have problems.
- Even 4-wheel drive automobiles can have issues on ice and snow!
If your rear wheels skid…
- Take your foot off the accelerator.
- Steer in the direction you want the front wheels to go.
- 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 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 your front wheels skid…
- Take your foot off the gas and shift to neutral, but don’t try to steer immediately.
- As the wheels skid sideways, they will slow the vehicle and traction will return. As it does, steer in the direction you want to go. Then put the transmission in “drive” or release the clutch, and accelerate gently.
Stay warm & be careful out there!
This article is furnished by California Casualty, 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, Safety |
No doubt, one of the best parts about the Holiday Season is gathering and spending time with close family and friends, but when you are the host it can become a bit stressful. With the holidays coming up soon, here are a few last-minute tips to help you and your home...
by California Casualty | Calcas Connection, In Your Community |
Working with you at schools, higher ed campuses, law enforcement offices, fire stations and hospitals provides us many opportunities to give back. Staff members at our Service Centers, Home Office and our Partner Relations team live in your communities, and we all pitch in to help with various fundraisers and recognition events.
We recently celebrated the extraordinary care that nurses give to others with $1,000 Nurse’s Night Out awards that went to Ohio RN Marie C. and Oregon RN Dina D. Both are members of their respective nurses associations. With holiday shopping and travel, both nurses said the money comes at a great time.
Marie (second from left) receiving her Nurse’s Night Out award
Dina (center) receiving her Nurse’s Night Out award
Our Illinois Field Marketing Manager, Katie Dunn, was given a great honor this fall by the Illinois Firefighters Association. As a token of appreciation for all the dedication she has shown to IFA and their members’ safety, they presented Katie with a white helmet naming her an honorary fire chief of the IFA. “Katie is always there to support the IFA in its efforts to make the fire service better for the men and women who wear the uniform,” remarked Terry Ford, VP of the IFA. “Her tireless energy, dedication and willingness to help with IFA programs and events demonstrate her caring for our members.”
Alina with Louis Manzione, President of the Independent College Fund of New Jersey
Another prestigious honor was given to Accounts Relations Manager Alina Fayerman. Alina works incredibly hard for the New Jersey groups that California Casualty serves and was named this fall to the Board of Trustees of the Independent College Fund of New Jersey. Alina, who received a scholarship from the fund when she attended Drew University, will actively give back by helping with marketing expertise and support for the state’s independent colleges and universities.
California Casualty employees also participated in charity events, giving back to their communities. One was the very moving “Out of the Darkness” walk to prevent suicide. California Casualty Senior Field Marketing Manager, Sherry Hanacek, joined hundreds of people on a drizzly, cold September morning. She was supporting past president of the Oregon Volunteer Firefighters Association Dave Butler and his wife, Anita, who suffered the loss of their son. Dave organized the walk, which raised more than $20,000 for the cause.
At our Colorado Springs Service Center, the November fundraiser was for Silver Key Senior Services. Every day can be difficult for elderly shut-ins, but the holidays can be especially tough. Hundreds of pounds of food, kitchen necessities, and personal care items (enough to fill a pickup truck) were collected and donated to help seniors in need. The donations will supplement Silver Key’s food pantry and home-delivered meals program.
And through our many visits to schools across the nation, we created a new Music and Arts Grant program to aid creativity in schools, such as choir, band, dance, film, theater, computer arts and graphics, or any K-12 curriculum that employs art for learning. After we reviewed nearly a thousand applications, 139 public schools in 31 states received a total of $34,000 to help provide music, instruments, and art and performance necessities. Some of those included:
- Purchasing special adaptive instruments for the Special Education Center at Mark Twain School in Garden Grove, CA, that serves special needs and medically fragile students
- Supplying watercolor sets for third-grade students at Homer Davis Elementary School in Tucson, AZ
- Reestablishing the art program to third graders at Arcadia Elementary School in Deer Park, WA
- Providing adaptive instruments and technology to expand the music therapy program for students at the ACES Village School in North Haven, CT
- Buying an additional camera to allow more students to participate in the photography program at Filer High School in Filer, ID
The entire list of Music and Arts grantees can be found at www.calcas.com/-/2019-music-and-arts-grant-recipients.
Public K-12 schools needing funding for an arts or performance program can apply for the 2020 Music and Arts Grant from California Casualty at www.calcasmusicartsgrant.com.
TAKEAWAY: Follow the many ways California Casualty celebrates all that you do at our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/CaliforniaCasualty.
Read Next:
How We’re Listening and Learning From You
Ways To Protect Your ID When Shopping Online
Here’s Free Help If You’re A Victim Of ID Theft
by California Casualty | Behind the Scenes, Calcas Connection |
Your satisfaction is very important to us. We want to work better for you, and we’re asking you to help us accomplish that goal.
For years, we have been measuring your customer service experience, and you have repeatedly given our Customer Service team a 99% satisfaction rating. The Service team celebrates when you tell us that we are meeting your expectations. When you say that we didn’t, they have reviewed their procedures, resulting in new programs, such as our call-back option to avoid long hold times during high call volumes, along with more online opportunities to manage your policies.
You’ve also aided our Claims department, which has implemented new technology to accentuate your customer experience. A major improvement has been the new electronic transfer of funds, providing customers much quicker financial assistance when there is a claim.
We feel it’s crucial that we maintain that level of service, and your insight is invaluable. That’s why California Casualty offers ongoing surveys to customers like you. What you think about what we are doing right, and where we fall short, makes a difference. All the feedback you provide is added to our Net Promoter Score.
The Net Promoter Score helps us stay focused on what you think is important. We review and share your open-ended comments with all levels of the company. You give us a benchmark of what we do right over time, and your constructive criticism helps effect change that benefits customers.
So far, we have completed 15 Net Promoter Score surveys.
“While the trend in the score over time gives some directional information, the real value of the survey is the specific written comments we receive. These highlight the things that we do well, but also show some of the interactions where we could have improved,” said California Casualty CEO and President, Joe Volponi.
Many of those sentiments from the Net Promoter Score are echoed in California Casualty’s Trustpilot reviews. Free and open to all, Trustpilot is considered the most powerful review platform with a mission of bringing people and companies together to create ever-improving experiences for everyone. Trustpilot has recorded more than 71 million reviews, connecting consumers to businesses and improving business engagement and collaboration with consumers.
Your 1,456 reviews of California Casualty on Trustpilot have provided us a real-time measure of what you are thinking. While a majority have been positive, others have assisted us in fixing areas where we fell short in giving you the ultimate customer experience. We invite you to read our Trustpilot reviews and give one of your own at www.trustpilot.com/reviews/calcas.com.
While more than 90% of you have told us that you would recommend California Casualty to family members or colleagues, we still are not satisfied.
We have recently added new ways to measure how we are living up to our promise to give you a great customer experience.
We are now asking you to take a short survey after talking with a Customer Service advisor, determining if we resolved your issue and if you would refer us to others. We are also asking anyone who contacts our Sales team if they were satisfied and if we met their expectations.
If you took part in one of these surveys, thank you.
Engaging with you – listening and learning – is all part of our effort to deliver the best insurance experience that our valued customers and group partners deserve. You work hard to make our communities better, and we appreciate all that you do.
We are an insurance company that cares. That means we are part of people’s lives when the worst happens, and how we handle the task is what makes us different.
TAKEAWAY: Please help us improve by completing the survey offered after contacting California Casualty. You can also find our Trustpilot reviews and connect with us via social media at our blog page, www.mycalcas.com.
Read Next:
Ways To Protect Your ID When Shopping Online
Here’s Free Help If You’re A Victim Of ID Theft
We’ve Got The Heat To Help, And Love Giving Back
by California Casualty | Auto Insurance Info, Finances |
Did you know there is actually a way to save money on your insurance policy?
These 10 Auto Insurance Tips could help you save and keep more money in your pocket each month:
Combine your insurance.
Insurance companies like California Casualty offer discounts when your home or renters insurance is combined with your auto insurance.
Increase your deductibles.
Sure, the amount you will pay will be a little more if something happens to your vehicle, but the amount you’ll save each month could add up to much more, especially if you are incident-free for a number of years. Just make sure you have an emergency fund to cover that higher deductible.
Check for good driver/good student discounts.
Speaking of incident-free, when’s the last time you had an accident or a moving violation. Most insurance companies will give you a good driver discount, but make sure you tell them. The same goes for students who get good grades.
Take a defensive driving course.
When’s the last time you refreshed your skills? You may qualify for a discount after showing proof that you have completed a safe driving program.
Check insurance costs when buying a new vehicle.
Many vehicles will cost you less; others will increase your premiums. It depends on numerous criteria from the power of the engine, its safety rating and the loss history of the vehicle.
Clean up your credit.
Many companies look at your credit score and how well you do in paying your bills. The better your credit score, the better rate you are likely to receive. Clean credit also helps when you want to buy a new car, rent or buy a home, etc.
Cut your driving.
Ride a bike, join a carpool or move closer to work. How many miles you drive each year can affect your rates; the less you drive, the greater the possible discount.
Pay your premium in full each year.
Not only can you get a discount but you will avoid monthly service charges.
Get a policy review.
Has your commute changed? Did you install a security device? Did you get married? All of these can lower your rates. Talking with your insurance advisor at least once a year is the best way to make sure you get the discounts you’re entitled to. Follow this insurance coverage checklist.
Compare your current insurance to California Casualty.
We are pretty certain that when you stop and compare benefits and prices, California Casualty will be right there with the best of them. Why? We are a 100-year-old, policyholder owned company that provides auto and home insurance to educators, firefighters, LEOs and nurses with exclusive benefits not available to the general public.
Related Articles:
Insurance Tips for Newlyweds
It’s Time for a Policy Review
4 Ways to Save with a Teen Driver
This article is furnished by California Casualty, 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.
