DON'T MIX ALCOHOL AND DRIVING, "WELL DUH!"

When I think of the risks of drinking and driving, the thought, "Well duh!" goes through my head.  Everyone knows how stupid it is to mix alcohol and car keys.  Unfortunately, some still haven't got the message, so if you are one of them, here is a "Well Duh!" message for you!

A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study indicates that nearly 12,000 people died in automobile crashes involving alcohol consumption in the United States in 2008. This tragic statistic represents an average of one alcohol-related auto accident death every 45 minutes. Tougher DWI laws are one answer to reduce these losses. Educating drivers on alcohol awareness is another important step. The following educational tips about drinking and driving are important to remember and to pass on to young drivers.

• Never drink and drive. Be aware that neither coffee, exercise, nor a cold shower will sober up a drinker. Only the passage of time will do so. If a person does drink, a nondrinking driver should be designated.
• Apply a zero-tolerance policy to alcohol and young drivers. Young drivers are particularly at risk to be involved in alcohol-related crashes.
• Steer clear of impaired persons on the road and report these incidents to the police as soon as safely possible. Drivers under the influence of alcohol display certain driving characteristics, such as weaving or swerving, driving very slow or very fast, braking erratically, and driving after dark without headlights.
• Wear a seat belt and utilize defensive driving techniques, as these are the best defenses against an alcohol-impaired driver.
• Try to avoid driving in the early morning hours of the day, particularly on weekends due to a heightened exposure to impaired drivers. 

DO I REALLY NEED TO INSURE HIRED & NON-OWNED AUTOS?

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Hired and Non-Owned Auto coverage is a type of insurance often overlooked by businesses, especially companies that don't have insured vehicles.  However this coverage is cheap, and neglecting to add it to your policy before a car accident can be very costly.  Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Might any of your employees run errands or make deliveries for the business using their own autos?
2. Is there a chance that you might borrow an employee's vehicle for any reason?
3. If you are unavailable (or on vacation) will an employee use their vehicle to run errands , make bank deposits, or anything else?
4. Do you foresee a need to rent a vehicle for business purposes?  (I saw my local FedEx guy driving a rented Budget truck today)
5. Will you ever pay someone to drive their vehicle for your business?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you need Non-Owned and Hired Auto Insurance.

For a really great article on Lessons Learned from Non-Owned and Hired Auto Insurance, click Here.
For information on Driver Training and Motivation, click Here.
For information on Driver Eligibility Criteria, click Here.  (This links to driver criteria for Philadelphia Insurance)

AVOID PHONE CONVERSATIONS AND TEXTING BEHIND THE WHEEL

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According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, driver distractions are a contributing cause in approximately 25 percent of all motor vehicle crashes or about 1.2 million accidents. However, distractions can be hard to quantify, and the number of accidents due to driver distractions is difficult to define. What can further complicate matters is that there may be more than one distraction, such as texting while chastising a child in the backseat.

Cell phones are considered one of the leading driver distractions. As a result, more communities are placing restrictions on drivers' use of cell phones. And more states are now passing laws banning the practice of texting while driving. The U.S. Congress is even considering a federal law related to this ban. The following tips are offered to motorists in regards to cell phone use in vehicles.

• You should never text message while driving. One study indicates that when drivers engage in texting, their collision risk was 23 times greater than when not texting. Another study found that texting while driving is more dangerous than drunken driving.
• You should wait until the car trip is complete before placing a call. Your cell phone's voice mail feature should answer a call while you are driving.
• Absolutely essential calls should only be performed while stopped. However, it is not wise to pull over on the side of the road, where a rear-end collision is possible. Instead, you should pull into a parking lot to perform this task.
• The phone should be placed where it is easy to see and reach.
• You should take advantage of speed dialing capabilities.
• You should never drive and talk on the cell phone during stressful, emotional, or complex discussions since the risk of an accident is heightened.
• If you must occasionally use a cell phone while driving, you should consider using a hands-free cellular phone since some studies indicated that these are safer to use.

REDUCE YOUR SOCIAL HOST LIQUOR LIABILITY EXPOSURE

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that nearly 13,000 people per year (about 35 per day) are killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes.
Many of these tragic accidents happen after an inebriated person leaves a party -- an event in which the host of that party might be held liable for injuries and deaths to innocent parties. Although there might be coverage under your personal auto policy or homeowners policy if you (as the host) are held legally responsible for such a terrible accident, a wiser risk management strategy is to avoid or reduce the chance of loss altogether. With that in mind, here are some tips to consider if you (or a resident family member) occasionally host social events involving alcohol.
Surveys of youth indicate that the most common source of alcohol is the young person's own home. Thus, closely monitor social events your youth hosts to make sure there is no drinking allowed -- particularly any type of illegal underage drinking. It is wise to not allow your teenager to host a party when you are out of town.
Limit the amount of alcohol at your event.
If alcohol is served at your party, make sure that there is plenty of food. The consumption of food slows down the absorption of alcohol.
Encourage designated drivers and provide nonalcoholic drinks for these guests.
Look for signs of intoxication. An intoxicated person often has trouble walking, has slurred or loud speech, or is atypically uninhibited. There is not, however, a fool-proof method of determining whether someone is intoxicated because exceptionally tolerant individuals often do not show signs of tipsiness even though they are intoxicated.
Restrict alcohol to any near-intoxicated or intoxicated persons by offering instead some food or alternative nonalcoholic drinks.
Consider hiring trained bartenders. As they are trained to recognize and deal with intoxication, using professional bartenders can significantly reduce the risk and may help in defending a claim should there be one.
If you have a cash bar, use tickets and issue a limited number. Don't price alcohol too low because this encourages excessive drinking.
Do not allow the intoxicated guest to drive away from the event even if you have to take away his or her car keys. Instead, offer to drive them home or provide a free cab service. Soliciting the help of the guest's spouse or a close friend may help.

SAFE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY

As you are aware, automobile accidents are a major cause of death in the United States. They are the single most common cause of death among children and young adults, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The NHTSA reports that over 6 million police-reported automobile accidents occur annually, which constitutes 1 every 5 seconds. On average, a person is injured in 1 of these crashes every 10 seconds and a person is killed every 12 minutes.
A high percentage of these automobile accident deaths occur on our nation’s freeways and highways due to the high rates of speed encountered. There are, however, steps you should consider to reduce your chances of becoming a victim on the freeway, including the following.

1. When you merge onto the freeway, you should be at average traffic speed.


2. When in the right lane of a freeway, move over one lane to the left when you see drivers coming into traffic from the entrance ramp. If this is not possible, slow down to give the entering driver more room.


3. Allow plenty of room between you and other vehicles. Many driving experts advocate the two-second rule. Under this rule, you should start counting when you see the vehicle in front of you pass a fixed object. Count “one thousand one, one thousand two.” If you reach the fixed object before “two,” you are following too closely.


4. Try to maintain average traffic speed. Vehicles going much slower or faster than other traffic are a recipe for an accident. However, common sense regarding speeding laws must also be considered.


5. You should use extra caution when driving at night or in bad weather. Remember that many drivers do not adjust their driving habits for the weather or bad road conditions.


6. Avoid any sudden moves, since this does not give other drivers time to react.


7. Continuously scan the roadway ahead of you for signs of trouble, including construction and traffic slowdowns.


8. Be aware of the positions of other drivers around you, particularly those beside you or slightly to the rear. Make sure your rearview mirrors are properly adjusted before you drive your car.


9. Remember that your reaction time and overall driving skills decline as you get tired. Breaks every few hours are important.


10. When exiting the freeway, be sure to signal well in advance. Do not slow down significantly until you start to turn off the freeway.

CELL PHONES AND DRIVER DISTRACTIONS

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, driver distractions are a contributing cause in approximately 25 percent of all motor vehicle crashes or about 1.2 million accidents. However, distractions can be hard to quantify, and the number of accidents due to driver distractions is difficult to define. What can further complicate matters is that there may be more than one distraction, such as eating while chastising a child in the backseat. In addition, vehicles have become much more sophisticated with options such as navigation systems, DVD players, and video games.

Cell phones are considered one of the leading driver distractions. As a result, more and more communities are placing restrictions on drivers' use of cell phones. The following tips are offered to motorists in regards to cell phone use in vehicles.

• You should wait until the car trip is complete before placing a call.
  Your cell phone's voice mail feature should answer a call while you are driving.
  
• Absolutely essential calls should only be performed while stopped.
  However, it is not wise to pull over on the side of the road, where a rear-end collision is possible. Instead, you should pull into a parking lot to perform this task.
  
• The phone should be placed where it is easy to see and reach.
  
• You should take advantage of speed dialing capabilities.
  
• You should never drive and talk on the cell phone during stressful, emotional, or complex discussions since the risk of an accident is heightened.
  
• You should consider using a hands-free cellular phone since some studies indicated that these are safer to use.
  
• You should never text message while driving.