We've Moved!

We're blogging over at Linda's website now, which has been updated!  You can find us at http://lindafaulkner.com/blog.

Does YOUR auto policy pay for a rental car?

Here are some facts about auto insurance losses in the United States:





http://www.freefoto.com/


• Approximately 1 in 8 drivers will be involved in an accident in a given year (National Safety Council);
• Nationwide in 2005, 2 cars were stolen every minute (Better Business Bureau);
• Speed is one of the most common factors causing car wrecks (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration);
• The highest incidence of claim frequency and severity among vehicles of model year 2007, 2008, and 2009 occurred with very large luxury sport utility vehicles (Highway Loss Data Institute);
• Only 75% of all costs related to car accidents are covered by insurance (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety);
• After an accident, the average car is in the repair shop for nearly 2 weeks; and
• Nationwide, 19% of all motor vehicles involved in accidents are uninsured (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety).

So let me ask you this: if you can't drive your car after it's been involved in a wreck--or struck by a tree, or stolen, or vandalized--what are you going to do? Hitchhike to work? Take a cab? Inconvenience friends and/or family? Rent a car?

If you rent a car, who's going to pay for it--you or your insurance company?

On average, the annual cost to buy rental reimbursement coverage on your auto policy is less than the cost to rent a car for two days.

Want to know more? Just ask!

What Does a Course Developer Do?

People have often asked me what it's like to develop and write insurance courses.  Specifically, what do I do and how do I do it.  Of course, their eyebrows are raised when they ask the question, skeptical of my answer even before they hear it.

Not only do they believe insurance is a dry and boring subject, they believe insurance professionals--especially those who research and write the dry, boring, insurance subject matter--are the most mundane of characters.  I'm sure they regret asking their question immediately after the words cross their lips.

In an effort to avoid being dry and boring, and to make a long story short, I'll eliminate words and share three pictures.  This is a prefect example of my day writing dry, boring insurance content.  We all know a picture is worth 1,000 words--so here's my story:

Chapter One:



Mr. Murphy, my writing assistant, hard at work.

Chapter Two:

Mr. Murphy's response to my less than enthusastic opinion of his suggestion for scintillating insurance content. Personally, I find the topic of mice far less gripping than insurance regulations in the state of Delaware...

 Chapter 3

Mr. Murphy, pouting, after his content ideas were nixed.



Why Insurers are Concerned About Certain Dog Breeds

I just read a couple of articles about why homeowner insurers are so concerned about certain breeds of dogs.  In 2007, the insurance industry paid over $350,000,000 in dog bite claims; in 2010, that figure was over $400,000,000!

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) published a report about facts and statistics between 1979 and 1998.  Based on dog bite fatalities during the report period, according to an article in PropertyCasualty360.com, the CDC claims the following are:

1. Pit bulls - 66 fatalities;
2. Rottweilers - 39 fatalities (Pit bulls and Rotties accounted for 60% of the fatalities);
3. German Shepherds - 17 fatalities;
4. Husky-type - 15 fatalities;
5. Malamutes - 12 fatalities;
6. Doberman Pinschers - 9 fatalities; and
7. Chow Chows - 7 fatalities.

I'm not disputing the statistics gathered by the CDC but I can personally state that during my lifetime, I've owned 7 dogs on the list (Huskies, German Shepherds, and Rotties) and none of them ever bit anyone.

On the other hand, all the dogs on the list are large dogs - I've seen studies that show Cocker Spaniels bite more than any other breed of dog, however, given their size, they're less apt to cause fatalities than the larger dogs.  More than half the states have enacted legislation concerning dogs and dog bites; many of them make dog owners strictly liable for dogs that are defined as vicious.

I don't suppose we can argue with the fact that over 4,700,000 people received dog bites in 2010. What's your take on the situation?