OH DEER! BEWARE!!!

The annual cost of deer-vehicle collisions in the United States is almost $4 billion. A 2010 study by State Farm Insurance and Fortune magazine predicted there would be 1.1 million such crashes before 2010 ended.

Though the mating season from October to December brings the most crashed, Bambi and his pals are crossing the roads throughout the year.

Pennsylvania had the highest number of crashes last year at 102,165, followed by Michigan with 101,174. Among the 35 states where at least 7,000 deer-vehicle collisions occur per year, New Jersey and Nebraska posted the largest increase, 54 percent. In all the states, crashes increased by more than a third from the previous year.

Some drivers avoid roads through forests and areas of heavy brush where deer can appear suddenly. Others drive at a reduced speed to give them more time to stop and the deer more time to cross.

 

At night, using high-beam headlights allows the driver more time to spot a deer.

Be aware of deer crossing signs and believe them. Deer generally use the same routes each day to find water, food and their resting places. They are most active from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Deer travel in groups so when you see one deer, there could be several others coming behind it.

Brake, don’t swerve. Swerving to avoid a deer can cause a more serious crash, such as into an oncoming car in another lane, or swerving off the roadway and into a tree or a utility pole. The goal is to maintain control of the vehicle

Information provided by our friends at Standard Mutual

For more information visit http://www.marsinsurance.com/

Illinois Contractors who Utilize Subcontractors

Did you know that if you have Workers’ Compensation in Illinois and you use subcontractors in your business you may be liable for uninsured subcontractors? Without VALID Workers’ Compensation certificates of insurance for your subcontractors you may be charged an additional premium and could be liable for injury and or death of your subcontractors and/or their employees.

 

Your subcontractors provide you with a certificate of insurance as evidence of Workers’ Compensation coverage. The certificate of insurance lists the Workers’ Compensation carrier, policy number and policy term. The subcontractor working for you is shown as the “Insured”, and your company as “Certificate Holder”. However, a certificate of insurance does not guarantee that coverage is valid and in force when the subcontractor is working for you.

 

Why do you need to know if a Certificate of Insurance is valid?

 

• You need to know this because if one of your subcontractor’s policies cancels you may be charged additional premium during the period the subcontractor was uninsured.

 

• As the primary contractor you may not always be notified of a subcontractor’s policy cancellation, which would then make you liable for providing Workers’ Compensation insurance for these uninsured subcontractors and premiums will be assessed to you.

 

• Just because you are a certificate holder does not guarantee that workers compensation coverage is valid for the subcontractor or that you will be notified of cancellation.

 

The Illinois Workers Compensation Commission provides an Employer Insurance Coverage Search on their website. The Employer Insurance Coverage Search web page provides information for 1) employers that have bought a workers compensation insurance policy (based on the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) database); and 2) employers (parent companies and their subsidiaries) that have obtained IWCC approval to self-insure.

 

The database does not include Illinois employers that are in self-insurance pools, which are regulated by the Illinois Division of Insurance.

 

         

 Go to: http://www.iwcc.il.gov/coverage.htm

• Click search for an employer’s insurance coverage
• Enter requested information for employer’s coverage in question
• When asked for Coverage/Injury/Illness Date, input date of your coverage inquiry

 

 

 

If you find coverage was cancelled or not in effect, please follow up with your subcontractor immediately as you may be liable for the uninsured exposure.

 

Remember, you as the primary contractor are liable for providing workers compensation insurance for uninsured subcontractors.

 

Go Slow While Shoveling Snow

Our friends at Standard Mutual Insurance have given us some good information on snow shoveling that we thought would be beneficial to share with all of you.

Snowstorms can be deadly in many ways, shoveling the white stuff is one of them. Hundreds of people die each year from heart attacks suffered while shoveling snow.

The American Heart Association says those most at risk are middle-aged or older and sedentary. Cold requires the body to work harder to keep warm. Combine that with the exertion of shoveling and it strains the heart. Wet, heavy snow is the most dangerous.

The association gives this advice:

• Wear layered clothing. Take the outer layer off if you get hot. Less clothing will also help you move better.
• Push it, don’t lift it. Use a shovel with a curved plade. Push snow to the side of a walkway, even if it leaves a narrower path to walk on. For a driveway, push only enough snow to the side for one car to get out. If you must lift, use a smaller shovel on walkways that doesn’t allow you to pick up as much snow. It may take a little longer to clear a path but it will be easier on you in the long run.
• Use a leaf blower instead. When several inches of snow are predicted, power up your leaf blower and blow off the walkway and drive way two or three times before the snow gets deep.
• Take breaks. Don’t feel that you have to do the whole shoveling job at once. If you feel tired, stop and rest or go inside for a time to recover. Don’t push yourself.
• Shovel before dinner. Eating a heavy meal before you shovel your driveway puts additional strain on the heart.

Dealing With Snow Plows

• Washington State DOT cautions you never to crowd a snowplow.   The front of the plow extends several feet and may cross the center line or shoulder.

•  Give plows plenty of room.  They turn and exit frequently.  Stay back about 15 car lengths.

• Snowplows throw up a cloud of snow.  Never drive into a snow cloud.  There could be a plow inside.

• If you are behind a plow, stay there or use extreme caution when passing.

Never Use Cruise Control on a Rainy Day

Cruise control is designed for normal road conditions.  It doesn't know when the pavement is slippery.  Under slick conditions, you need to be in complete control and monitoring the road conditions.  You're more likely to notice hydroplaning if you're not relying on the cruise control.  In some cars, it is possible that the wheels may actually spin faster when in or engaged in cruise control and the car hits a slippery spot.  When the tires make contact with the firm road again, the car can skid or lose control.

On most cars, the cruise control is disengaged by tapping the brake.  In an emergency situation, this adds a fraction of a second to your response time as well as the risk of the braking action itself causing a loss of control on a slippery road.

For all your insurance needs contact Mars Insurance Agency or visit our website at www.marsinsurance.com

Winterizing Your Home

Here are a few simple steps that can help you stay cozy indoors during this cold, winter season and save on heating costs, as well.

• Have your heating system checked by a professional annually.  This will ensure that your system is working safely and efficiently which, in turn, will save you money.  If you heat by wood, clean your fireplace or stove.  Have your chimney flue checked for any buildup or creosote and then clean to lessen the risk of a fire.
• Make sure your home is properly insulated.  If necessary, insulate walls and attic.  This will help you to conserve energy and reduce your home’s power energy and reduce your home’s power demands for heat.
• Caulk and weather-strip doors and windowsills to keep cold air out.
• Install storm windows or cover windows with plastic from the inside.  This will provide an extra layer of insulation keeping more cold air out.
• To keep pipes from freezing, wrap them in insulation or layers of old newspapers; cover the news papers with plastic to keep out moisture; let faucets drip a little to avoid freezing; know how to shut off water valves.

Source: New York State Emergency Management Office website

For more information contact Mars Insurance or visit our website at marsinsurance.com

Survey: Risky Online Behavior Exposes Many to Lawsuits

Feb 16, 2010

Nearly 30% of people have cleaned up their social networking profiles for job interviews, and the economic downturn has made them more cautious about posting on social media sites.

A new telephone survey sponsored by the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies reveals that more than one in four (27 percent) individuals say they have posted a comment on a news site or blog.  One third of 18 to 34 year-olds have posted a comment to news sites or blogs.  And 37 percent of those respondents making $100,000 or more have posted a comment.

The survey, which polled 1,000 Americans, shows that while some people are being cautious about putting personal information online, many are unaware of the liability exposures associated posting comments to blogs or other Internet sites.

"A foolish post or a tweet could cost you a job or even trigger a libel lawsuit," says Christine Alderman, vice president of Chubb & Son and new product and services manager with Chubb Personal Insurance.  "We all should think twice before posting any comment online."

The survey also asked respondents about obtaining permission to share copyrighted online materials.  Sixty percent of respondents said they rarely or never obtain permission to cut and paste articles, other information or artwork from copyrighted websites before emailing them out and distributing them to others.  One in four (25%) respondents said they always obtain permission.

Only 2 percent of respondents said they have lawyers review comments before posting them on their blogs.

"This raises significant risk issues for the owner of the blog," says Alderman.  "There are different schools of thought with regard to allowing comments to be posted directly to the site versus reviewing  comments before they are posted.  The safest and most conservative approach is to require pre-registration before allowing comments and to preview the comments before they appear online.  This may not be practical for everyone, but there are other ways to protect yourself."

Forty-five percent of the respondents were members of one of the following social networking sites: Facebook (37%), MySpace (19%), LinkedIn (9%), and Twitter (6%).  Nearly 60 percent of respondents earning $100,000 or more belonged to one of these sites.

The telephone survey was conducted by Opinion Research Corp.

Source: Chubb Group of Insurance Cos., www.chubb.com/personal

Find this article at http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/2010/02/16/107401.htm

For all your insurance needs contact Mars Insurance or visit our website at www.marsinsurance.com .