No Slip-Sliding Away: How To Stay On The Road

One thing is easy to foretell: Unpredictable weather can cause reduced visibility and hazardous driving conditions that make it challenging for even the most experienced drivers. Fortunately, there are ways to protect yourself, your passengers and your car.

The following tips can help you stay safe when faced with treacherous roads:

New Car Purchase And Insurance

One way to avoid sticker shock or buyer’s remorse when purchasing a new car is to consider expenses you may encounter down the road.
For instance, experts say that while most people anticipate the purchase price, taxes and registration fees associated with a vehicle, many forget that the insurance they need to protect their vehicle could come with a hefty price tag. Fortunately, there are ways to keep insurance costs down while maintaining the type and amount of coverage a new car typically requires.
To help consumers control car costs—from sticker price to insurance premiums—The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies offers these tips:

Check Out This AAA Video Regarding Road Rage

Online NY State Defensive Driving Classes

New Car Safety Features Save Lives and Money

Statistics show that you are more far more likely to be in a car crash than to be hit by lightning or be the victim of a crime. Alas, you are also more likely to get into a car accident than win the lottery.  Just ask your local Walden NY insurance agent.

Given that the risk may be as high as 1 in 4 according to some estimate for being involved in such an unfortunate event, it makes sense to take all reasonable measures lower your risk. These measures can include both HOW you drive, e.g., defensive driving, not drinking and driving, and WHAT you drive, e.g., choosing a safer car.

Tips To Ensure Your ATV Is Insured Properly

When it comes to your all-terrain vehicle (ATV), it pays to keep your feet on the ground especially when you're thinking about insuring it. You may think it’s covered by your homeowners policy, but are you really protected? Your “toy” wasn’t cheap, and lacking the right type of insurance coverage could lead to a sticky financial situation.
“Owners should think of ATVs the same way they think of motorcycles,” said Rick Stern, product manager, The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies. “You’d never consider getting on a motorcycle without the proper insurance, and you shouldn’t ride an ATV without the right coverage either.”

Tips to Secure and Insure College Dorm Stuff

The first time my friend dropped by his son’s dorm room, he was amazed at how many gadgets he and his roommate had managed to stuff in a tiny space! In addition to the necessary clothes and books, it was crammed with electronics: laptops, iPods, cell phones, printers, stereos, an electric guitar and amp, television, refrigerator, microwave oven, and one very nice bicycle. Figuring out the value per cubic foot boggled the mind! 

The only thing more surprising than the sheer value of the personal goods that kids take to college today is the frequency of theft, as your local NY insurance agent can warn you. In many dorms, the norm is to leave the room door unlocked or even open to encourage drop-ins. This creates significant security risks. In fact, dorm rooms turn up on the list of the top five most popular places for laptop theft. Also, given the portability, students drag their laptops to cafes, libraries, and other unsecured places. 

N.Y. Workers Comp Board Proposes 30% Rate Hike

This just in from  Business Insurance.

N.Y. workers comp board proposes 30% rate hike | Business Insurance

That's right! On the heals of a 7.7% increase that will take effect, now another 30% increase is in the mix. I have a feeling that a lot of this has to do with the rising cost of health care due to the government hostile take over of our health care industry. Health insurance premiums in NY are going up by as much as 92% on groups in NY right now. There is no way workers comp would have been able to dodge this bullet.

Now is a great time to start shopping your NY workers comp rates. The initial rate may be governed by the NY workers comp board, but there are some insurance carriers that deviate from this rate and offer safety discounts as well.

Sinking Boat Insurance Myths

You don't believe in the mermaids and you don’t believe your friend caught a sea monster fishing off the Florida coast. So why do most boaters believe boat insurance covers them wherever they go?

Progressive Insurance surveyed more than 1,000 boat owners. It uncovered a few insurance myths floating around. Here's a sample of the findings and the facts behind each:

What Is Liability Insurance In NY?

Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for a specific type of insurance coverage or policy to be referred to by a number of synonymous names. One area of insurance in NY where this is particularly prevalent is in the area of liability insurance.

Commercial insurance brokers in NY are often asked such such questions as: “what is commercial general liability insurance?”  It is first helpful to know that this type of coverage is also referred to as general liability, business liability, commercial general liability, CGL, and even just liability insurance.

In Case of Accident: Tips for Your Car Insurance Claim

The most dangerous thing most of us do is drive a car. With more than 6 million accidents last year in the U.S. alone, a new accident is happening somewhere while you read each sentence in this post. Thus your chances of being involved in a vehicular accident and having to file an insurance claim at some point are pretty high.

As your Middletown NY insurance agents can tell you, it is important to know what to do in case it happens to you—and to be prepared.

7 Ways to Lower Premiums for Your Commercial Vehicles

A comprehensive insurance policy for your commercial vehicle or fleet is a necessary cost of doing business in a responsible fashion. If your cars or trucks are out of commission, that can mean lost business and thus lost profits. 
Furthermore, as any Poughkeepsie NY insurance agent will tell you, it is a requirement in New York State, as in most states, so it is critical to have this policy in place. Keep in mind that your personal car insurance excludes commercial use of your vehicle or your employees’ vehicles.

New Car Buyer Shopping Strategies

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Wikipedia

New car shopping isn't what it used to be. It can be a lot of fun, especially if you’re a car enthusiast. But others can find the experience stressful and or tedious. Either way, there’s a lot to think about. According to a survey of car shoppers, overall purchase price is the most important factor when shopping for a new car (46 percent), followed by make and model (31 percent).

How Safe Are Your Current Door Locks? Four Keys to Home Safety

In the time it takes you to read this paragraph, another burglary will have occurred. What makes burglary so common? Surprisingly, burglars march right through a door because it is easier. Even those residents who remember to lock their doors often have inadequate locks that invite intruders, as Middletown NY insurance agents and brokers can tell you. 

Fortunately there are several options that can do a better job keeping burglars out and your stuff inside! Even if your home is fairly new, you may need to upgrade your locks for optimal safety and security. 

Affordable New York Insurance

What’s not to love about the state of New York? You have big-city options or you can live in a smaller community outside New York City -- the choice is yours. However, you may want to keep in mind your insurance options. This is where you can spend a fortune and not need to, where choosing the wrong insurance company can ruin your opinion about New York. Along with the big-city living comes the higher cost of living, but isn’t it nice to know that you can purchase insurance in Poughkeepsie New York  through Hudson Valley Agents? 

Insurance in Hudson Valley with Experience You Deserve

We all know that when it comes to paying the bills, the first check written is the mortgage and the second is the insurance. Although having a home is quite important, insuring it is the key. Middletown NY insurance brokers would love to handle all of your insurance needs. Insurance companies understand the importance of your family, home, and transportation. You cannot rest easy until all are safely insured. Let’s face it; bad things do happen in this world. The idea is not to avoid them, but to be prepared for when they show up. 

For the Health of Your Small Business: Wellness Plans

Offering good benefits to your employees is good for your business. Better benefits attract a higher caliber of worker and improves productivity and morale. Traditional benefits can include, among other things, health insurance, retirement plans, workers compensation, disability, dental, and other products. 

Four Ways to Lower Car Insurance Premiums for Teenagers

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 Car insurance costs more for teens. That’s just a fact, as most parents and teens know.   But are you aware of all the ways that you could save big bucks on those policy premiums with a teen driver? If you want low cost car insurance in New York for your teen, there are some things you should know!

 Teens may grumble that it isn’t fair that they have to pay more for car insurance, but the bottom line for insurance companies is that the average teen, statistically speaking, is a bigger risk than the average mature driver. 

10 Ways to Safeguard Your Home

Did you know that a burglary occurs every 15 seconds? You can take some simple steps to keep from becoming a victim. The main idea is to make your home less attractive to burglars who are looking for a quick, easy target. The basic strategies are to make it hard to get in your home and to make it look as if someone is at home.

1.       Always lock your doors when you leave. Use a high quality deadbolt lock on all of them. Don’t forget the garage door and back doors—the prime entry spot. Almost half of all burglaries are committed by thieves who gain entry through unlocked doors or windows.

Renters Insurance: A Smart Idea!

I remember fondly my first apartment -- one of four spacious apartments in a lovely Victorian home in upstate New York. When I rented it, I didn’t even know that there was such a thing as renters insurance. I had always heard of “home insurance” and thought it was something I should buy after I purchased a home in case my house burned down or such. 

In's And Out's Of RV Insurance

If you bought a tractor trailer, you wouldn’t add it to your car insurance policy. It’s a specialized vehicle and needs special coverages and claims handling. So why do so many recreational vehicle owners add their RV to their car insurance policy?

Here's why you may want to rethink that strategy:

How to Wash Your Car and Protect Its Value

Nothing grabs my attention faster than a classic car, especially when it’s stopped right next to me at a traffic signal. Who could miss the glistening, fire-engine red 1974 Triumph TR4 purring in anticipation of the light change?

Even though I don’t own one, I love classic cars. I really admire how some folks start taking excellent care of their cars from the outset. Of course the rest of us can do that even if our wheels are not considered “collectible.” Think how much longer your car would last—and how much more you would enjoy driving it—if it looked “good as new” for years.

Tune Up Your Homeowner Policy

After a long, harsh winter, March heralds a welcome transition to spring in the Hudson Valley. Just as prudent homeowners replace smoke alarm batteries every spring and fall, they can leverage the seasonal prompt to see if it is time to change existing homeowner insurance policies. Think of it as a spring “tune-up” of your insurance policies.