Insurance Insights ~ May 1998

Avoiding Driving Hazards That Could Drive Up Your Insurance Premiums

Did you know the driving habits of those employees you hire now may directly affect the insurance premiums you pay later? It's true. Automobile premiums are based on a number of factors, one of which is claims experience -- your claims experience!

How well do you know your employees? You think you know them fairly well. You probably entrust them with your business vehicles to perhaps make daily deliveries or run errands for your business. Have you ever thought about their personal driving habits? Do you have a checklist to review their driving history when you employ them?

What types of vehicles are they driving? Are they familiar with the size and type of vehicle? Do they operate the same vehicle each day, or do they tend to switch from one type to another? Being unfamiliar with a vehicle's design can create a distraction that could cause an accident. How familiar is your driver with the area he is driving in? Have an experienced route driver along the first few times, until the employee becomes familiar with his surroundings and area traffic patterns. Another distraction we are encountering more and more is the cell phone. Special precautions should be taken when using these phones. Whenever possible, you should try to pull off the road to make your call. Hands-free cellular phones create less of a nuisance, and should be a consideration. Use phones with memory dial, to minimize telephone dialing.

These are very important issues to consider. Many insurance companies offer their policyholders brochures, videos, posters, and related material to raise awareness of driver safety. Set goals for your drivers. Reward drivers that have demonstrated good driving records. Set out to establish an overall safety program that encompasses both on the road training and classroom courses.

All of these tips can help towards your goal of claim-free auto insurance. Erie Insurance offers assistance through their Commercial Services department. This free service is provided to our policyholders to assist in education and development of programs such as these. If you would like more information regarding these services, please call us at (215) 257-9171 or e-mail us at info@gcwinsure.com.

The Ten Commandments of Car Care

With the weather breaking and the daylight longer, what a great way to spend an evening than preparing your car for an active summer vacationing, driving the kids to camp, or attending picnics.

The following tips will keep your car happy and make your summer plans without worry:

1. Don't ignore brake noise. The sound of grinding metal or high-pitched screeching could mean your car needs new brake pads. Be sure to take care of this when you initially hear the screech -- if you don't you may have to replace the rotors.
2. Keep a close eye on tire inflation. Periodically, preferably every two weeks, be sure to check your tire pressure. The correct pressure can be found in your owner's manual. If your tires are showing uneven wear, this could indicate an alignment or inflation problem.
3. Don't rev a cold engine. Even on a warm morning, your car's engine is cold from several hours of inactivity. Make sure your engine idles for about 30 seconds before driving away.
4. Don't torture the transmission. As with revving the engine, the transmission also needs time to warm up.
5. Change the motor oil and oil filter regularly. This is one item that is commonly overlooked. Most car manufacturers recommend that you change the oil and filter every three months or 3,000 miles.
6. Protect the fuel system. Don't let the price of off-brand gasolines persuade you. Some brands of gasolines often don't have the same additives that keep your fuel system free of deposits.
7. Change the air filter. Your air filter brings air from outside the car and filters it into your carburetor or fuel injection system. Filters should be changed once a year or after 12,000 miles. Failure to do so could result in dirt damaging the engine.
8. Maintain the coolant system. Coolant lubricates the engine block, radiator and bearings in the water pump. The radiator should be flushed and refilled once every two years or as directed in the owner's manual.
9. Don't wipe dry glass surfaces. When you wipe a dry glass surface, you run the risk of scratching it with particles of dust and dirt. A wet cloth can remedy this situation.
10. Lube grease fittings regularly. Used in some vehicles to lubricate moving parts in the steering and suspension systems, over a period of time, these joints can lose their lubrication and begin to perform poorly or even fail. This can lead to expensive repairs and dangerous situations.

Is There a Leak in Your Insurance Protection?

Mother Nature can be highly unpredictable! Did you know that 70% of all natural disasters in our country include flooding, and that many of these occur in areas that are NOT located in a flood prone area? These losses cause a great deal of damage, and can be devastating for property owners. What's worse is that often the homeowner doesn't realize their property policy does not cover flood losses until it is too late.

Flood insurance is available to almost everyone, through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), or through your insurance agent. You do not even need to live in a flood prone area to qualify for coverage, and there is a Preferred Risk policy available if you live in a low flood risk zone.

Along with the warm weather of Spring and Summer, there will be storms that bring sudden floods. Don't wait until it's too late! In most cases there is a waiting period before your flood protection can begin, so call your agent today for more details on affordable flood insurance.

A brochure is available that offers tips to minimize loss, and offers guidelines for what to do before, during, and after a flood. For your copy of this helpful information, drop us a note at info@gcwinsure.com.

Top 100 for 1998

Safety is one of your most important considerations when choosing a new car. After all, the vehicle you choose will carry the most important people in the world -- your family!

Erie feels very strongly about safety, so each year the company compiles a list of their "Top 100" selections for vehicle safety.

By using important safety information, such as crashworthiness evaluations, whether the vehicle is equipped with a minimum of front driver and passenger airbags, four-wheel anti-lock brakes, and overall loss experience, a list is developed that includes compact cars to SUV's.

For your free copy of Erie's "Top 100" for 1998, e-mail us at info@gcwinsure.com. This information can help make your selection easier, and give you peace of mind with your decision!

INSURANCE INSIGHTS is an electronic newsletter published monthly by G. C. Weimer Associates, Inc. Information contained herein is accurate to the best of our knowledge and belief as of 5/1/98. If you have a topic of interest for a future issue, e-mail us at info@gcwinsure.com.

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