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2020-09-03
By: Denise Koslowsky
Labor Day is nearly here and as we watch summer come to a close, we wanted to touch base to help make sure your last days of summer are as safe as can be.
By Land
2020 has become the year of the road trip with more and more families favoring a trip by land rather than by air. With Labor Day weekend on the horizon, all signs point to a busy travel weekend ahead.
AAA is predicting 31.4 million people will hit the roads this weekend an increase of 10% over last year’s Labor Day travel number.
With an increase in the number of people on the roads, we are likely to see an increase in the number of accidents. Labor Day is sometimes referred to as the deadliest day due to the high number of fatalities that occur each year.
On average approximately 400 Americans are involved in fatal car accidents each Labor Day weekend with an additional 49,000 people experiencing injuries that require medical care.
According to the National Safety Council (NSC)
Reasons for the increase include an increase in the number of people traveling, an increase in teen drivers during the summer months and the higher number of people celebrating the day with alcoholic beverages.
Advice From Your Insurance Advocate
First, make sure you and your teen have an understanding of what is expected of them when they are behind the wheel. We have put together a teen safe driving agreement for our clients. You can use it as an opportunity to sit down and talk with them to make sure you are on the same page.
Second, it might be a good idea to make sure you have enough auto insurance to cover you in the event you are involved in an accident with an uninsured or underinsured driver. The global pandemic has left many Americans suffering financially and some drivers may have stopped paying their auto insurance premiums or lowered their coverage to the bare minimum. You will want to make sure you and your family are protected.
By Sea
For many families spending Labor Day on the water is a fitting farewell to summer. Boating is a popular activity for many of our customers and we want to be sure that you have a weekend that is filled with relaxation and fun!
Advice From Your Insurance Advocate
First, we want you to know that neither your homeowners nor your auto insurance will protect you should you be involved in a crash while out at sea. In fact, often insurance is not required to operate a boat unless you are financing your boat (in this case the bank will require you to carry insurance).
Second, please be mindful of drinking while operating your boat. Just like driving while under the influence of alcohol, all states have laws against operating a boat while under the influence.
According to the US Coast Guard, 19% of the boating fatalities were alcohol-related.
Third, please wear a life jacket when onboard a boat. It is just not worth the risk of not wearing one!
84% of boating accident victims were NOT wearing a life jacket.
According to the US Coast Guard
Final Piece Of Advice From Advocate
A Personal Umbrella policy or Excess Liability Insurance is an important part of your insurance portfolio and gives you what we call sleep better at night insurance that is added on top of your existing insurance portfolio to help protect your personal assets. These types of policies pay for and provide you with an attorney and kick in when the liability limits on your homeowner or auto insurance policy has been exhausted. An umbrella policy will protect your assets in the event that you are sued which means, by land or by sea, you are covered in the event of an accident. If you do not have excess liability insurance in place, we encourage you to get in touch with us, at 914-723-7100. It may be worth a conversation!
