Football Tailgating Snafus and Your Insurance
Tailgate parties are a popular way to break free of the weekly grind and have some fun with friends and family. But the fun can be cut short if the combination of fun, traffic and grilling on open flames gets out of hand.
All the more reason to have the right insurance coverage so you can avoid any mishaps.
Here are some tips about having a game plan for your insurance before the party starts.
Something besides the grill is on fire
Grilling is a big part of tailgate parties, but if the lighter fluid starts a fire in your car, you had better have comprehensive auto insurance.
Vandals take out their team’s loss on your car
Fans can get crazy when their team loses, so if one of them takes it out on your car with spray paint, be mad but also be glad. Your comprehensive auto insurance will pay for damages as a result of vandalism, riots and such, less your deductible, of course.
Someone in your party gets food poisoning
Yikes, that’s not something anyone expects to happen, but without the convenience of a kitchen, food safety can suffer. Personal liability insurance covers others’ bodily harm that you have responsibility for if you have homeowner’s, condo or renter’s insurance.
Damage to a tailgater’s property parked next to you
Whoops! You and your friends didn’t mean to crash into the guy’s speakers parked next to you. This kind of unintentional damage is usually covered by your liability covers in your homeowner’s policy. Still an apology is a good idea, too.
Parking snafus happen
When the party’s over, everyone is in a rush to get home, so fender benders do happen. Your liability insurance kicks in as it would in an at-fault crash. It will pay to repair damage to the other driver’s vehicle, based on your policy’s limit. If you have collision coverage, it will pay for repairs on your car. If your car’s damage is minor and does not exceed your deductible, it would be to your advantage not to make a collision claim.
Do Solar Panels Save Homeowner’s Money?
Trying to make a decision about getting solar panels installed in your home or business? You’re not alone. Between 2013 and 2015, the number of states with active residential solar markets grew from 4 to 10 percent according to the industry association. Yet, even if you live in the sunniest part of the world, deciding on a home solar system is a big decision.
Before you decide on solar panels, make sure there is sunlight hitting your roof, unblocked by trees or other houses. A south-facing roof is best for solar power systems.
Once you’ve determined whether a residential solar power system is right for your home, then you can look into what tax incentives are available and how to find a firm to provide and install panels.
Roof-mounted solar panels will add approximately ten dollars per month to your homeowner’s insurance coverage value under a standard homeowner’s policy. Be aware that most policies exclude damage caused to the roof or panel during installation, so choose a reliable contractor with a certificate of insurance and proper coverage.
Ultimately, home solar systems pay for themselves, but how quickly that happens depends on several things like your energy consumption, size of the system, how much energy it creates and how much cloud cover in your region.
Even though the goal of solar power for homes is to create your own power so you don’t need to buy it from your utility company, it is still a good idea to buy a bit of power from them in case you have an emergency. Don’t forget that solar only produces power during the day and it makes less power in the winter.
Before installing any solar panels, contact your independent insurance agent to see if you should increase your homeowner’s insurance to cover the cost of the panels. Once you pay for your solar panels, you’ll get free energy; but it won’t happen overnight. Protect your investment and speak to your independent insurance agent before you make that important decision to install solar panels in your home.
Get Auto Fleet Insurance that Does More for Less.
Whether you’re just getting started with your business and have only one delivery van or you have a fleet of vehicles, you need the right auto fleet insurance that meets your specific needs.
Things to consider when purchasing auto fleet insurance are not only the number of vehicles you use for business, but what kinds of vehicles they are. Also include the age and condition of the vehicles, as well as how you use them when making a decision on your auto fleet insurance.
Commercial trucks will cost more to insure than passenger vehicles, but there is a cost difference in the kind of trucks you use.
Lighter-weight trucks like pick-ups, parcel or panel vans cost less than larger ones.
Medium sized trucks such as box or stake bed trucks or larger refrigerated vehicles cost more.
Heavy duty trucks that usually include grain or farm trucks and beverage trucks cost the most.
Insuring a trailer with commercial truck insurance depends on the size and weight of the trailer.
Vehicles such as a plumber\s truck cost the least to insure, while vehicles used for dry cleaning delivery, for instance, can cost more. Business to business delivery trucks cost the most to insure.
Save money with technology
GPS) tracking and onboard camera technology are now more affordable and add to the efficiency of your auto fleet. Of course vehicle alarms and warning devices or rear facing cameras add additional benefits to your fleet.
Play it safe
High grade fences and sufficient lighting and locks are ways to keep your auto fleet safer. Employees who take a vehicle home should be oriented on best practices for keeping the vehicle safe at all times, e.g. where to park, keeping it locked, parking in a well-lit area.
Managing your auto fleet can be easy if you work with an independent insurance agent who knows where to go for the best in class prices for insuring your auto fleet. Small or large or somewhere in-between, protect your business by protecting your auto fleet with the best possible auto fleet insurance available.