We hope you enjoyed the Independence Day weekend. Hope it was a relaxing get-away from the everyday. We hope you had safe, stress-free travels and maybe even saw some things you’ve never seen before.
There is a lot of summer left though, so we want to remind you that it is always a good time to consider whether you’ve got the appropriate level of auto insurance for the travel that you do.
It is possible to be over-insured. At Horihan Insurance, we want to know you and understand your use of your vehicles so we can be sure we are meeting your particular needs when it comes to the coverage we recommend.
In the summertime, it’s always a holiday weekend.
Some people who travel a lot during the summer like to drop in to go over their policy, usually before Memorial Day, and certainly before Independence Day. While either one is advisable, remember summer never sleeps. And if you are like me, all summer is go time! Especially here in Minnesota, people get cabin fever in the winter. As a result, all throughout the summer our roads are a never-ending parade of fun-seekers out to take in the warm weather while it lasts. Vacation season is from May through September.
Large numbers of people will always have places to go and people to see. Even if you aren’t one of them, they are out there. With that increased traffic comes the increased chance of roadway mishaps.
The cyclists, bicyclists, and the non-stop construction zones on the roads during summer just add another element of potential hazard. Family reunions, little league tournaments, taking the kids to summer camps, all often take us down unfamiliar roads. With school out, more inexperienced teen drivers are out and about. Even when the fall comes around, people are out taking advantage of anything that remotely resembles a warm sunny day.
It’s not just the heat, it’s the humidity!
Yeah, it’s not just the traffic. Weather can become a factor. And as we like to say in Minnesota, it’s not just the heat, but the humidity. Humidity can wreak all manner of havoc on your car even while it is sitting in your garage. Just like the buildup of salt on your car during the winter, over time the humidity will leave your car more susceptible to surprises. If that isn’t enough, of course hailstorms always seem to come out of nowhere at the most inconvenient times.
Did you know?
Then there are the extended coverages that you don’t often associate with auto insurance. For instance, you may not be aware that if you have auto insurance medical payments coverage, if you are struck by a car by riding your bike, you’ll be taken care of.
When many people think of auto insurance they think of road mishaps. Sometimes people forget the simple things. Like when your kids are playing ball in the yard and your car door gets smashed in by a line drive. Or suppose the neighbor kid is mowing the lawn and unwittingly fires a chunk of gravel through your windshield.
The Inevitable Winter
All things considered, June through October are the most dangerous months to be on the road, according to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety. Of course, then comes the winter. If you watch the news, you’d think that’s when all the trouble starts. But Minnesota, just like many other places, runs on a cycle that is governed by the weather. And the weather-related road drama is just more…well, dramatic in the winter.
So, again, in Minnesota, it is literally never a bad time to make sure your auto insurance is an up-to-date and complete safeguard against the whims of nature. It’s always something, isn’t it?
It’s never too late!
The good news is that even if you’ve paid for the term of your current policy in advance, you always have the option to switch, and the opportunity to improve your coverage. Let’s be honest – a lot of people are looking for the lowest premium they can find and that is about the extent of it. When it comes to auto insurance however, experts will advise you that if you get a low rate but from a poorly ranked company, you should avoid the temptation. They may be ranked low because of their lack of reliability in times of trouble. You are paying for not only insurance, but assurance, after all. And we want you to feel secure, but we don’t want you to feel like you are paying a lot for a whole lotta nothing. It is a fine balance, but that is why the face-to-face between you and your Horihan Insurance agent is so important. We look forward to seeing you soon.