Why You Need Uninsured Motorists Coverage

Uninsured motorists (UM) coverage provides insurance protection for bodily injury, and in some states property damage, caused by a motorist who is not insured. This coverage allows you to collect from your own insurance company as if it provided liability coverage for the negligent and uninsured driver. In contrast, underinsured motorists (UIM) coverage provides insurance protection for bodily injury, and in some states property damage, sustained by you when a motorist who is not sufficiently insured negligently causes an accident. The following list provides reasons why you should buy UM/UIM coverage.

• The chance of a negligent uninsured motorist hitting you is greater than you might think. In some states, up to 32 percent of all drivers lack automobile insurance. The country-wide average is 14 percent.
• UM and UIM coverage is broad, since it provides benefits for you and your family members’ injuries sustained (a) in your own covered auto, (b) in autos you do not own, and (c) as pedestrians.
• The cost for this coverage is very reasonable, compared to liability coverage and physical damage coverage for your own car. The increased costs for higher UM/UIM limits are quite affordable for most people.
• If your car is damaged by an uninsured driver, the deductible for UM property damage, if available in your state, is normally only $250. This amount is often considerably less than your collision coverage deductible.

If you have further questions about uninsured motorist coverage, please call Hunter Insurance at 401-769-9500.

Questions To Consider For Insurance Checkup

One recent insurance survey suggests that over 30 million U.S. households own insurance policies that are seriously out-of-date. As a result, the following questions should be asked. If the answer to one or more of these questions is yes, then you should contact your insurance agent as soon as possible so your insurance policies can be appropriately updated.

• Has your house undergone major renovations or improvements? If so, your home may be underinsured.
• Has your marital status changed? If you have married, for example, you may now qualify for a multi-car discount on your auto insurance.
• Have you purchased new valuables or collectibles? If so, you may be seriously underinsured for these items. Specialty policies or endorsements can properly cover them.
• Are you now participating in a carpool? If so, your exposure to injuring passengers has grown and your liability limits may need to be increased.
• Are you now retired? If so, your auto insurance premium will likely drop since your annual mileage should decrease.
• Have you added a burglar alarm with central station reporting for your home? If so, you could qualify for a homeowner's premium discount.

For questions about renewing your homeowner's policy, please call Hunter Insurance at (401) 769-9500.

Is Pet Insurance Really Necessary?

Veterinary bills are increasing much faster than the overall rate of inflation. Part of this reason lies in the advancements of medical techniques and the increasing number of veterinarian specialists. These trends, however, come at a price. Performing a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam on the spine of a cat can cost $1,300. Removing a tumor on a dog can cost $3,700 and implanting a pacemaker can cost $5,500. Even dealing with a dislocated ankle can cost up-wards of $5,000. As a result, pet insurance sales are increasing rapidly. Is this a wise purchase? If the answer to any of the questions below is yes, you should seriously consider purchasing this coverage.

• Are you willing to go into debt to provide health care for your pet?
• Do you consider your pet an integral member of the family?
• Are you on a fixed or limited income?
• Would you be willing to spend over $4,000 to save your pet in a life-threatening situation?

If you decide to purchase this protection, you should carefully compare the rates and policy pro-visions of at least three well-established pet insurers. Call your independent insurance agent at Hunter Insurance Agency at (401) 769-9500 if you would like to discuss this type of coverage.

Protection Against Auto Theft

Every 26 seconds, a motor vehicle is stolen in the United States. According to the FBI, there are over 1.2 million motor vehicles stolen every year. The odds of a vehicle being stolen are 1 in 190, odds that are especially higher in urban areas. The following tips may prove helpful in reducing the chances that your vehicle or property in it may be stolen.

● When temporarily leaving your vehicle, never leave it running or with the keys in the ignition.

● Always lock your car and roll up the windows, even if it is in your driveway. If you have a garage, park your car in it and close and lock the garage door.

● Park in busy, well-lit areas.

● When purchasing auto stereo equipment, choose items that can be removed and locked in the trunk.

● When using valet parking or taking your car in for repairs, leave only the ignition key with the attendant.

● Turn your wheels sharply toward the curb when parking since this makes it extra difficult for thieves to tow the vehicle. Always use your emergency brake and leave the transmission in park or in gear.

● Look into various anti-theft devices for your auto. Ask about auto insurance discounts for anti-theft devices such as alarms, window etchings, and anti-hot-wiring products.

Potential Coverage Gap from Domestic Employees’ Owned Autos

If you have a domestic employee, such as a gardener, housekeeper, or nanny, who drives his or her own auto while working for you, there is a potential for you to incur liability arising from their driving that would not be adequately insured. If your employee negligently causes an accident, you as the employer can be drawn into the lawsuit and held liable. Your employee’s own insurance, if any, will protect you up to its policy limits, but you are on your own after that. And your personal auto policy may not respond to cover the difference. The courts have ruled in different ways on these types of loss situations.

For example, assume your housekeeper negligently injures someone in a serious accident in her own vehicle while out buying groceries for your household. Further assume she has low liability limits or even no auto liability insurance. If she is sued, the injured party may uncover information about you, her employer, and how her driving in this incident was related to her employment with you. As a result, your “deep pockets” may just get you named in the lawsuit.

If you engage domestic employees or contract workers who may drive their vehicles in their work for you, the following tips may prove helpful.

• Ask any employees or prospective employees to provide you a current copy of their driving record. The employee can order this online through http://www.dmv.org/driving-record.php. If they do not have a good driving history, do not allow them to run errands for you.
• If the domestic employee has a good driving record and you ask her to occasionally use her own car to run errands, ask for a copy of her current auto policy and verify that it has at least moderate liability limits.
• Ask your insurance agent to confirm with your auto insurance company underwriter that your PAP policy will provide a defense and cover judgments in excess of your employee’s limits if you are ever named in one of these suits. If possible, get a copy of a letter from the underwriter.
• If the domestic employee has an excellent driving record and a sterling employment history with you, consider having her use your auto to run errands to avoid any question that your PAP will protect you if she negligently causes an accident while working for you.
• Periodically review your employee’s driving record and auto insurance policy.
• Consider procuring a personal umbrella policy that will normally provide coverage on top of your PAP. However, if the loss is not covered under your auto policy but is covered under the umbrella form, you would only be responsible for the retained limit or deductible amount, which ranges from $250 to $1,000.

Pitfalls of Purchasing Travel Insurance Online

If you are planning your family's winter vacation, you may want to consider vacation-related losses. Travel insurance can be purchased to cover this potentially large exposure. It is designed to protect an insured from a wide variety of travel-related losses, including trip cancellation or interruption, emergency medical events, emergency evacuation, lost or delayed baggage, personal effects, lost or stolen passports and visas, and legal expenses. This coverage is increasingly purchased through the Internet.

The following are some helpful tips to review when considering the purchase of travel insurance online.

• When you purchase travel insurance online, determine if you will immediately receive a policy number along with a printable copy of your policy documentation. Some Web sites are not fully automated and cannot complete your purchase. However, they make it look like they can. If you do not receive an immediate policy number, then you have ordered from a Web site that simply holds your data until an operator manually types your order onto the insurer’s Web site. If this happens to you, cancel the policy. An agent is required by law to give you a full refund (minus a small administration fee of around $5) within 10 days of your purchase. The practice of manually typing orders is less than ideal because there are many potential problems with security, typing errors, and privacy.
• Is the agent affiliated with the insurance company? Call the insurance company to check if the agent you are using is, in fact, one of their representatives. Some Web sites sell policies for insurers even though they are not agents.
• Does the Web site list each plan (with slight distinctions) several times? Some Web sites list each plan multiple times because they lack the technology to allow options to be selected by the user. Unfortunately, this makes comparing policies very confusing because you are presented with a single plan several times, each with only minor differences.
• Avoid Web sites you access via spam because these are often disreputable. A better way of finding established and reputable Web sites is to utilize search engines that link you to the travel insurance Web site or to ask friends or family if they have had excellent experiences with any online travel insurance services.

If you would like more information about vacation insurance, please contact Hunter Insurance at (401) 769-9500.

Give Your Gifts with Peace of Mind

Imagine you receive or give a beautiful piece of jewelry this Holiday season only to have a stone fall out after a warranty has ended, and upon examination of your home insurance policy, find that the jewelry was not covered for this type of loss.

Not all homeowner’s policies cover the loss of expensive gifts, but fortunately, you can add valuable items insurance. Valuable items insurance is a blanket endorsement that expands coverage to protect certain valuables against all risk of physical loss anywhere.

Valuable items insurance also does not count towards your homeowner’s loss surcharge in the event of a covered loss because no deductible applies in most circumstance.

This Christmas, if you receive a valuable gift, or if you’re considering giving, enjoy your gift with peace of mind knowing that Hunter Insurance has you covered.

Call Hunter Insurance today to learn more about insuring your valuable items at 401-769-9500.

Happy Holidays!