Insurance Blog

Who doesn't enjoy a nice barbecue? Outdoor grilling is a terrific way to enjoy the summer with friends and family. An improperly handled grill, however, can cause fires. Propane tanks can be explosive. You can prevent a tragedy from happening by making common sense a key ingredient of your outdoor fun.

From 2003 to 2006, U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 7,900 home fires involving grills, hibachis or barbecues per year, including an average of 2,900 structure fires and 5,000 outside fires. These 7,900 fires caused, on average, 10 deaths, 120 reported injuries and $80 million in direct property damage.

“Your Homeowners policy covers fire caused by a barbecuing accident,” said Karl Newman, NW Insurance Council president. “However, the cost, hassle and danger associated with a fire can be reduced or eliminated by following common-sense safety guidelines that can make an insurance claim unnecessary.”

Backyard grillers with Homeowners Insurance can have peace of mind knowing that standard policies cover damage to your home, its contents and structures on your property caused by fire.

For furniture and personal belongings, most insurance companies provide replacement cost coverage up to 70 percent of the amount of insurance you have on the structure of your home, subject to both your deductible and policy limitations for special items such as jewelry, furs or antiques.

NW Insurance Council offers these tips to help you safely enjoy your barbecue this summer:

• When ready to barbecue, wear a heavy apron and an oven mitt that fits high up over your forearm.
• With gas grills, make sure the gas cylinder is always stored outside and away from your house. Make sure valves are off when you are not using them. Regularly check for leaks in the connections using a soap and water mix that will show bubbles where gas escapes.
• Keep your barbecue grill on a level surface away from the house. Be sure to leave sufficient space between the grill and siding, eaves, garage, landscaping, and most of all, children.
• For charcoal grills, only use starter fluids designed for those grills. Never use gasoline, and only use a limited amount of starter fluid. If the fire is too low, add dry kindling and more charcoal if necessary. Never add more liquid fuel. You could experience a flash fire.
• Be sure to soak the coals with water before you put them in the trash.

You can get more information on grilling safety and facts concerning Homeowners Insurance by contacting NW Insurance Council at (800) 664-4942.

Young adults are more likely to text and talk on the phone while driving after watching videos showing the dangers of doing so, according to a recent study co-published by a professor at the University of South Florida in Sarasota-Manatee.

For the study, about 840 students from Florida universities were shown graphic public service announcements depicting the dangers of distracted driving and were asked them if they would be more or less likely to commit those offenses after viewing them.

The students were asked to indicate on a scale from one to seven how likely they were to text or talk and drive before and after watching the videos, according to Dr. Ron Lennon, assistant professor of Marketing in the College of Business at USF.

Before watching the videos, the average for texting and driving was 3.44 and for talking and driving was 4.31, the study found. After the videos, the average for texting went up to 3.54, up 3 percent, while the average for talking went up to 5.15, or up 11 percent.

Known as the "boomerang effect," the phenomenon is similar to people who smoke more often after seeing anti-smoking warnings, according to Lennon.

According to the World Health Organization, more than 1.2 million people die in road crashes worldwide each year and another 20 to 50 million are injured annually.

Crash injuries are the leading cause of death for 15-29 year-olds.

Tampa Bay Online/Published: June 11, 2010

Thousands of high school seniors and parents are preparing for graduation this week.

Graduation can be both exciting and scary as high-school seniors and parents move to a new stage of their lives. Preparing for college, finding a job and a place to live are just a few of the tasks teens will face this summer as they ready themselves for life after high school.

During this hectic period, families can easily overlook needed adjustments to insurance policies that cover their young adults.

“Graduation is a time to celebrate achievement and a bright future for graduates,” said Karl Newman, NW Insurance Council president. “It’s definitely not the time to find out you don’t have enough coverage, or the right coverage, if an accident happens.”

• 
  Often, a family might not need more coverage, just changes in the way coverage is set up. NW Insurance Council encourages teens and parents to talk with their insurance company or agent to discuss their insurance needs before or immediately after graduation day.
  
  Here are a few scenarios that should raise a red flag for graduates and parents:
  
  A high school or college graduate permanently moves away from home. This creates a possible coverage problem for personal property, since a child must reside in the parent’s household for the child’s personal property to be covered under the parent’s policy. If the graduate permanently relocates, he or she may need an inexpensive Renters Insurance policy. If the child lives in a school dorm room, however, he and his personal property are covered under his parent’s policy.
• A high school or college graduate takes a summer job as a delivery person for a pizza parlor and uses his or her own car (or one owned by parents) to make deliveries. Because many personal automobile insurance policies exclude deliveries, this creates a coverage problem for damage caused in an accident when delivering pizza.
• A high school or college graduate gets involved in a volunteer program transporting young people, the homeless or the elderly from one place to another and uses his or her own car (or one owned by the parents). The parents could be liable, according to their auto policy, for injuries or property damage that occur while their child is driving.
• A graduate gets a job and starts driving a family car much more than they used to. If the car is insured through the parents, this could create a need for coverage adjustment because some policies specify that the car will not be driven to work or will only be driven a limited number of miles per day.

As parents and seniors prepare for graduation day, it’s important that families check with their insurance company or agent to see how their coverage may need to be changed. A few minutes adjusting coverage can prevent long-term headaches after this year’s graduates continue down the Walk of Life.

Tomorrow is shaping up to be sunny and warm - ideal conditions for an outdoor barbecue with friends and family.

An improperly handled grill, however, can cause fires and propane tanks can be explosive. Common sense is the key ingredient to prevent your holiday from becoming tragic and costly.

From 2003 to 2006, U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 7,900 home fires involving grills, hibachis or barbecues per year, including an average of 2,900 structure fires and 5,000 outside fires. These fires caused, on average, 10 deaths, 120 reported injuries and $80 million in direct property damage.

A standard Homeowners Insurance policy covers fire caused by a barbecuing accident. However, the cost, hassle and danger associated with a fire can be reduced or eliminated by following common-sense safety guidelines that can make an insurance claim unnecessary.

Backyard grillers with Homeowners Insurance can have peace of mind knowing that standard policies cover damage to homes, contents and structures on the insured property caused by fire.

For furniture and personal belongings, most insurance policies provide replacement cost coverage up to 70 percent of the amount of insurance on the structure of the home, subject to both a deductible and policy limitations for special items such as jewelry, furs or antiques.

Here are some helpful tips to help you safely enjoy your barbecue:

• When ready to barbecue, wear a heavy apron and an oven mitt that fits high up over your forearm.
• With gas grills, make sure the gas cylinder is always stored outside and away from your house. Make sure valves are off when you are not using them. Regularly check for leaks in the connections using a soap and water mix that will show bubbles where gas escapes.
• Keep your barbecue grill on a level surface away from the house. Be sure to leave sufficient space between the grill and siding, eaves, garage, landscaping, and most of all, children.
• For charcoal grills, only use starter fluids designed for those grills. Never use gasoline, and only use a limited amount of starter fluid. If the fire is too low, add dry kindling and more charcoal if necessary. Never add more liquid fuel. You could experience a flash fire.
• Be sure to soak the coals with water before you put them in the trash.

For more information on grilling safety and Homeowners Insurance, contact NW Insurance Council at (800) 664-4942.