Umbrellas, cell phones, cups, and golf balls all could be lethal weapons! It’s one thing to buckle up the kids in their car seats, but what about the family dog and all those items that find their way to the back seat floor?
In a head on collision, traveling at just 35 mile per hour, a one pound article that is loose in your car will continue traveling at that speed until striking someone or something with nearly 100 pounds of force. That impact can easily break bones and cause serious injury.
The sport utility, minivan, and station wagon have all become very popular. Unfortunately these vehicles all lack a standard cargo containment area. Most owners simply place every manner of item into the open cargo area, creating a significant hazard in the event of a collision. In one SUV accident, a mother was hauling boxes of books weighing several hundred pounds. At the point of impact, the books rocketed forward with thousands of pounds of force. It broke both back seat supports and the child in the back seat was thrown into the rear of the front seat. the child died.
Simply securing the cargo and keeping your car clean could have saved lives.
We have all dealt with the polite but hard sell car rental agent, with all the add-ons they thrust upon us when picking up a car. You begin to wonder if all those insurance options are really worth the up to 50-100% they can add to the rental cost. Hopefully we will dispel some of the confusion for you.
Liability coverage is provided for the “named insured, resident spouse, and resident family members for”…the ownership, maintenance or use of any auto or trailer.” So, you are covered for liability claims when using the motor home or U-Haul truck. Even though “auto” seems to imply a private passenger type car, numerous court cases have held that a moving truck is an auto, meaning coverage applies. One caution is, the use of the motor home or truck must be for personal use only. Business use of a motor home or truck is not covered by the personal auto policy unless the Extended Non-Owned Coverage endorsement is added to the policy.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, there are almost 10 million identity theft victims annually in the United States with combined losses over $5 billion. In addition to the financial loss, substantial time and energy is required of the victims to correct a multitude of problems arising from the misuse of their personal information.