by Victoria -

Sudden Impact

Originally published in the Lynn Haven Ledger/Gulf Coast Gazette as an article on insurance

It was a wonderfully warm evening, the sky shimmering with stars, and Vanessa’s drive home this time of night was quiet as usual. She was thinking about how good it was going to feel to put her aching feet up and sit back and relax after a long day at work.

She was just entering the exit ramp, reducing her speed, when she saw something out of the corner of her eye, moving fast and angling toward her car.

Vanessa’s instinct was to swerve away from what she thought was a large dog, when, in a terrifying moment, she saw the young man suddenly illuminated in her headlights.

She slammed on her brakes, felt and simultaneously saw the impact of his body strike her windshield with a sickening thud, then his body rolled off and she knew she had to stop and stop now. If she didn’t, she’d run right over him. Her windshield, caved in with thousands of cracks angled everywhere, severely limited her vision.

Her car came to a stop, her heart beating in her throat. Vanessa opened her door, grabbed her cell phone, and sprinted to the figure of a teenage boy lying unconscious on the ground, her adrenaline pumping and her hands shaking uncontrollably as she tried to push those three buttons on her phone.

“911, what is your emergency?”

“Dear God, I think I’ve killed him! Why did he run out in front of my car?”

As Vanessa reached the inert figure of the boy, afraid to touch him, with a small pool of blood under his head, he opened his eyes and attempted to sit up. He started to cry, and Vanessa knelt on the road and did her best to comfort him until the police arrived, and shortly afterwards, the ambulance.

This story ended well. The reason I know, is that this actually happened to me. The 15 year old boy, thinking he would take a short-cut home by running across the lanes of the expressway at 10:30 at night, ended up with just a broken ankle. The police officers were very kind to me, telling me over and over that it wasn’t my fault, that this young man had been warned about this very behavior before.

But of course I still felt horrible. As a matter of fact, I couldn’t sleep well for days.

My car was towed, then repaired, and to be honest, I was a little afraid to drive for a month or so. I was feeling a bit skittish after that incident. But I was very thankful knowing I had towing coverage, and collision coverage too. All I had to pay out of pocket was my $250 collision deductible.

My claims adjuster, when he found out how much bodily injury liability I carried – 100/300 – was ecstatic. I remember him telling me that it was so much easier for him to work things out when the limits were higher. My assets were protected in case the parents of the boy decided to sue me.

They didn’t, by the way. The boy’s father actually apologized.

A happy ending overall. But happy endings don’t always occur in accidents like these. When it comes to liability, please put your limits as high as you can afford because you never know how bad that accident is really going to be. Things happen to the best of drivers, and your life can be changed in literally a blink of an eye.

by Victoria -

Derek’s new license

This was originally published in the Lynn Haven Ledger as part of  The Rebecca Series for insurance

She could still remember her sweet baby boy sitting in the middle of the living room floor surrounded by his model cars, playing with that intense concentration only little boys seem to possess when it comes to cars and trucks of all kinds.

Was Derek really sixteen years old now? Rebecca’s eyes teared up when he proudly produced his new driver’s license with his smiling face – the face of a young man – staring back at her from that little plastic card. Rebecca’s heart was in her throat every time he rolled out of the driveway – would he come back home safely?

Rebecca called her insurance agent Audrey to give her the news, and they commiserated together for a few minutes about how quickly children grow up and leave their childhood behind.

Audrey checked with all of her carriers to see who could give them the best price, then they added Derek as a rated driver on Rebecca’s auto policy, and the premium went up significantly. Big time ouch.

“I know it’s a lot of money,” Audrey said, “but we’ve been able to keep the premium from getting as bad as it could. You see, because Derek gets As and Bs at school, he’s considered a ‘good student’, so that gives him a discount. And you have a great driving record too, so that helps as well.”

Audrey continued, “we could reduce your liability coverages and remove your uninsured motorist coverage completely, but unless you absolutely can’t afford the new premium, I strongly recommend you leave these as they are.”

“If Derek has his own policy, would that be cheaper?” Rebecca asked, trying to think of any other options.

“No, it wouldn’t. He’s only 16, so you’d still be liable since he’s a minor.”

“Ok, then I’d rather keep the coverages the same. I want to keep the same protection I have now.”

When Rebecca got off the phone, Derek was standing there watching her with a determined expression. “Mom,” he announced, “I’m going to get a part time job and pay for my part of the insurance, ok? That way it won’t really cost you more.” This statement, of all things, made her cry. His dad would have been so proud of him!

“I’ll tell you what, sweetie. I’ll let you get a part time job, but your school comes first. And as long as you keep your driving record clean, I’ll cover half of the increase, ok?”

“Deal!” said Derek with a smile.

Parents of new teen drivers always want to know how to keep the costs down, and that’s a tough question. Each scenario is different, with many factors coming into play, such as how many cars are on the policy, how old the cars are and what type they are. And then of course the driving histories of each driver too.

A big advantage of an Independent insurance company is they have more carriers to choose from. Some carriers are a little easier on young drivers than others, so it’s a good idea to shop the rate to make certain you have the best price for the best coverage you can afford.