Car Insurance & Road Rage
Courtesy of iii.org
Road rage incidents are not only dangerous, they are exempted from coverage by many auto insurance policies. Understand your risks and take precautionary measures to avoid being a victim—or a cause—of aggressive driving accidents.
Crowded highways and traffic backups at times cause drivers to lose control and become extremely aggressive. Road rage is a real problem that can lead to serious accidents or even incidents of violence on the road.
It's important to realize that road rage is listed as an exemption in many auto insurance policies. This is because any damage or liability stemming from aggressive driving isn't considered an accident but rather as having been caused by risky behavior.
Rather than risk paying the consequences of road rage—one of which may be not having your auto insurance claim paid—it's best to avoid a dangerous and costly aggressive driving incident in the first place.
If you encounter an aggressive driver on the road…
- Stay as far away as possible. Slow down or change lanes if need be, let the driver pass you and give yourself room at intersections to drive away.
- Record a description of the car and note the license plate number if possible so that you can report him or her to the police for the sake of everyone's safety.
- Do not engage with or challenge the offender in any way. Ignore the driver's rudeness and don't give into the temptation to react in kind or you might escalate the risky behavior.
- Put your safety first. If an aggressive driver starts to follow you, keep your doors locked, and head to the nearest police station. Never stop and confront an aggressive driver.
If you have a short fuse yourself stay cool and…
- Leave plenty of time to get where you need to go. When you're in a hurry, your patience is short and you are much more likely to become aggravated.
- Remember other drivers are not annoying you on purpose. People make mistakes or they might be driving more slowly for a reason—they might be lost, or their sight might be impaired by sun glare.
- Don't use hand—or single finger—gestures other than a wave to someone who lets you into your lane.
- Don't tailgate slow drivers. Hanging on another car's back bumper is dangerous. If the car in front of you has to stop short and you rear-end it, the accident would be considered your fault.
- Don't honk your horn insistently. Leaning on your horn is a bad practice. While it might make you feel better to express your frustration in a traffic jam, it won't make anyone go any faster, it's annoying to other drivers and passengers and it increases everyone’s stress level, which may lead to more aggressive behavior.
- Never stop to confront another driver. It could lead to a dangerous situation for all concerned.
How To Prevent Student Loss
Courtesy of iii.org
With burglaries constituting approximately 50 percent of all on-campus crimes, it's important for college students and their parents take steps to prevent theft, adhere to safety measures—and review their insurance coverage.
It's best to consult your insurance professional for the details of your family's specific coverage and where you might need additional protections, but here are some general guidelines:
- Students who live in a dorm are covered under their parents' standard homeowners insurance policies – That is, their possessions are protected by "off premise" coverage. However, some homeowners policies may limit this amount of insurance, so make sure you understand your own policy.
- Students who live off campus are likely not covered by their parents’ homeowners policy – Your insurance professional can tell you whether your homeowners or renters policy extends to off-campus living situations. If it does not, to protect student belongings, those living off campus may need to purchase their own renters insurance policy.
- Computers and smartphones may carry stand-alone insurance – If you're getting these items new, at the time of purchase you may be offered insurance or other protections against theft or loss. Also, check the credit card used for the purchase, to see what protections might be available.
- Consider a stand-alone policy specifically designed for students living away at college – This can be an economical way to provide additional insurance coverage for a variety of disasters.
- If your college-bound student is leaving the car at home, make sure to tell your insurance agent – Depending on how far he or she is going away to school, you might be eligible for a premium discount.
It's better to prevent a loss than to deal with the aftermath. To help prevent loss:
- Leave valuables at home, if possible – While it may be necessary to take a computer or sports equipment to campus, other expensive items—such as valuable jewelry, luxury watches or costly electronics—should be left behind or kept in a local safety deposit box. These items may also be subject to coverage limits under a standard homeowners policy, so if they must be brought to campus, consider purchasing a special floater or endorsement to the homeowners policy to cover them.
- Create a “dorm inventory” – Before leaving home, students should make a detailed inventory of all the items they are taking with them, and revise it every year. Having an up-to-date inventory will help get insurance claims settled faster in the event of theft, fire or other types of disasters.
- Engrave electronics with IDs – Permanently engraving a name and other identifying information on computers, televisions, smart phones and other electronic devices can help police track stolen articles.
Guard against theft or damage of personal belongings while on campus
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, burglaries constitute more than 50 percent of all on-campus crimes. In addition, carelessness can cause other types of damage. To help prevent losses, students should:
- Always lock dorm room doors, and keep the keys with you at all times – Know that most dorm thefts occur during the day, and even if you leave briefly, lock up. Share the theft statistics with your roommates, and get agreement that they'll do the same.
- Don't leave belongings unattended on campus – Classrooms, the library, the dining hall or other public areas are the primary places where property theft occurs, so keep book bags, purses and laptops with you at all times.
- Buy a laptop security cable and use it - A combination lock that needs decoding may be just enough to dissuade a thief.
- Be aware of fire hazards – Most campus fires are cooking related so be careful about the types of hot plates or microwaves you to bring to school, and how you use them.
Road Rage and Auto Insurance
Courtesy of iii.org
Road rage incidents are not only dangerous, they are exempted from coverage by many auto insurance policies. Understand your risks and take precautionary measures to avoid being a victim—or a cause—of aggressive driving accidents.
Crowded highways and traffic backups at times cause drivers to lose control and become extremely aggressive. Road rage is a real problem that can lead to serious accidents or even incidents of violence on the road.
It's important to realize that road rage is listed as an exemption in many auto insurance policies. This is because any damage or liability stemming from aggressive driving isn't considered an accident but rather as having been caused by risky behavior.
Rather than risk paying the consequences of road rage—one of which may be not having your auto insurance claim paid—it's best to avoid a dangerous and costly aggressive driving incident in the first place.
If you encounter an aggressive driver on the road…
- Stay as far away as possible. Slow down or change lanes if need be, let the driver pass you and give yourself room at intersections to drive away.
- Record a description of the car and note the license plate number if possible so that you can report him or her to the police for the sake of everyone's safety.
- Do not engage with or challenge the offender in any way. Ignore the driver's rudeness and don't give into the temptation to react in kind or you might escalate the risky behavior.
- Put your safety first. If an aggressive driver starts to follow you, keep your doors locked, and head to the nearest police station. Never stop and confront an aggressive driver.
If you have a short fuse yourself stay cool and…
- Leave plenty of time to get where you need to go. When you're in a hurry, your patience is short and you are much more likely to become aggravated.
- Remember other drivers are not annoying you on purpose. People make mistakes or they might be driving more slowly for a reason—they might be lost, or their sight might be impaired by sun glare.
- Don't use hand—or single finger—gestures other than a wave to someone who lets you into your lane.
- Don't tailgate slow drivers. Hanging on another car's back bumper is dangerous. If the car in front of you has to stop short and you rear-end it, the accident would be considered your fault.
- Don't honk your horn insistently. Leaning on your horn is a bad practice. While it might make you feel better to express your frustration in a traffic jam, it won't make anyone go any faster, it's annoying to other drivers and passengers and it increases everyone’s stress level, which may lead to more aggressive behavior.
- Never stop to confront another driver. It could lead to a dangerous situation for all concerned.