What to do if your car is vandalized

Dealing with the aftermath of vandalism isn’t fun, so it pays to be prepared. At Johnson & Rohan Insurance we will review your insurance coverage before you have a loss …

We hope you’re not reading this several days after your car has been vandalized, because that could hinder your auto insurance claim.

In order to qualify for insurance coverage for the vandalism, you must have comprehensive coverage on your auto policy, since it is that portion of the policy that covers claims for incidents that don’t involve collisions.

What to do if your car is vandalized:

Call the police. Vandalism is a crime, and you need to treat it as such. Your insurance company needs to know that an official record has been filed so it can make the payment based on what happened. Ideally, you could have the officers meet you right after you’ve found your car vandalized. If you can’t do it immediately, do so within 24 hours.
Keep your hands away from the damaged area. The police need to see your vehicle just as you found it so they can gather the evidence needed to make an arrest and provide prosecutors what they need to make a case. Okay, it’s not exactly like a CSI team is going to swoop down from helicopters, DNA kits in hand, to catch the perp. But suppose 14 other cars in the neighborhood have had similar damage in the past month. Yours might provide the crucial information necessary to end the crime spree.
Take photos. If you’ve got a cell phone with a camera with you or a camera itself, take plenty of shots to document the damage. If the police say they’re too busy to check out your vandalized car, at least you have some evidence of your own for the insurance company to support your claim.
Prevent further damage to the car. Once the police have done their inspection or you have documented all the damage, you will need to take some measures to keep your car from suffering more damage. Say someone broke a window in your car and the forecast calls for heavy rain. Put some temporary protection on the broken window area so your interior stays dry. Otherwise, expect to pay out of your own pocket to replace that waterlogged, moldy carpet.
Report the incident to your insurance company. Do this as quickly as possible. In fact, it likely is a requirement of your policy that you report promptly. The insurance company needs to verify the incident and the more time that passes, the harder it is for them to do so.

Prevent Future Vandalism

While you can’t eliminate the threat of vandalism, you can reduce its likelihood. Ideally, you’d park your car in a closed and locked area. Short of that, you should try to park in an area that is well-lit and open. You can also buy a car cover if you expect your car to be a tempting target where you live. Remember to: lock doors, roll up windows, and don’t leave anything of value in a visible place.

Johnson & Rohan Insurance Is Here for You

Dealing with the aftermath of vandalism isn’t fun, so it pays to be prepared. At Johnson & Rohan Insurance we will review your insurance coverage before you have a loss.

Call us at: 781-224-0909.

Location and Car Insurance Rates

Where you live has a significant effect on how much you pay for car insurance. The insurance companies have information that shows residents living in one area are more likely to file claims that those living elsewhere …

The types of claims made fall into two categories: claims arising from an accident and claims stemming from theft or vandalism of your car. Generally speaking, the insurance companies calculate the likelihood that you’ll have an accident based on the state or county you live in.

They’ll predict the likelihood of your car being stolen or vandalized based on the city or neighborhood you live in.

It’s easy to see why. You get in accidents when your car is moving, and it likely covers several miles a day and encounters other cars that themselves have traveled miles. So the probability of an accident depends on what’s happening on all those roads you’re traveling.

But your car is stolen or vandalized while it’s parked. So the spot you park it regularly – near your home or workplace — is what’s most important.

Sometimes you’ll hear people say that you’ll pay higher auto insurance rates if you live in a city than if you live in a rural area, but it’s not that simple.

It’s true that the states with the lowest average auto insurance rates* – Vermont, South Carolina and Maine – are predominantly rural with few large urban areas. But two of the states with the highest rate – Oklahoma and Montana – are mainly rural. (Michigan residents pay the highest in the country.)

What causes high insurance rates in rural areas?

Wide-open spaces, a small population – Montana seems an unlikely state to have high insurance premiums. What gives?

It’s not the famous no-speed-limit highways that the state once had. Rather, it’s because residents in Montana, like those in many rural states, travel long distances as part of their daily routine. More time behind the wheel means more likelihood of an accident.

Rates are pushed up in many states by high percentages of uninsured motorists. Mississippi, for example, is the nation’s poorest state and has the highest percentage of uninsured motorists. That means fewer people proportionately have insurance. To cover the expenses associated with an accident, insurance companies have to charge higher premiums.

In addition, some rural areas have treacherous roadways or a relatively high percentage of drunk drivers, leading to more wrecks. And in Oklahoma’s case, blame it on the weather. Frequent hail storms leave cars full of dents, and their owners turn to insurance companies to cover the damage.

The city life: Should you move?

You likely won’t move to another state to save on auto insurance, but within your city you actually have some ability to affect your rates. If your neighborhood gets regular visits from guys carrying tools to pry open locked car doors, you’re probably paying more than you would if you lived in a quiet, suburban neighborhood.

If you don’t want to leave your theft-prone neighborhood but are parking on the street, you could drop your rates slightly by parking in a locked garage. And finally, if your car has theft-deterrent equipment, you may save a small percentage on your premiums.

Of course, location is only part of what determines car insurance costs, and insurance companies differ in how they weigh all the factors.

To ensure you’re getting the best possible deal on your rates, no matter where you live in Massachusetts, contact Johnson & Rohan Insurance.

Happy Holidays & Happy New Year

The Holidays and New Year bring us reason to pause, reflect, and give thanks to the wonderful year that was 2014 …

The Holidays and New Year bring us reason to pause, reflect, and give thanks to the wonderful year that was 2014.

In 2014 Johnson & Rohan Insurance picked up additional A rated commercial & personal lines companies. We continue to expand our markets to ensure our clients get the most competitive rates in the industry.

In 2014 Johnson & Rohan Insurance expanded our client base and had the most profitable year in our twenty + year history.

In 2014 Johnson & Rohan Insurance invested in a new, state-of-the-art Agency Management System which enables us to continue to serve clients with speed and accuracy.

In 2014 Johnson & Rohan Insurance expanded our web and social media presence. We updated our website and established facebook and twitter accounts.

From our family to your family:

We wish you the very best happy, healthy & hopeful 2015!

Holiday Office Hours:

On Christmas Eve, 12/24/2014 our office will be open from 9:00 am — 1:00 pm.

We will be closed on Christmas Day, re-opening Monday, December 29th.

Available 24 hours per day/ 7 days per week!

If you are reporting a claim during off hours you can do so directly, have your policy number ready and call:

Premier/Travelers: 1-877-425-2466
Safety Insurance: 866-906-5016
Vermont Mutual: 1-800-435-0397
MPIUA: 1-800-392-6108

Otherwise if you would like to report a claim to our Agency, what kind of claim are you reporting?

Auto Claim	Commercial Claim
Home Claim	Other Claim

Cell Phones & Driving

Studies by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that more than 25 percent of all police-reported vehicular accidents are caused by the use of cell phones while driving …

For many Americans, especially those under 40, using a cell phone while driving seems perfectly normal. And when you consider that there are over 236 million cell-phone users, that’s a lot of them on the road. But is it safe? The numbers say no.

Studies by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that more than 25 percent of all police-reported vehicular accidents are caused by the use of cell phones while driving. (And, of course, thousands of other accidents go unreported.) Car insurance companies are keenly aware of the hazards.

The problem? A phone-using driver is a distracted driver. Though many maintain that “multi-tasking” has no effect on concentration, tests have repeatedly proven this false. According to University of a Utah study, for example, a young person on the phone has about the same reaction speed as someone 70+ years old. Other research and highway law enforcement observation commonly compare drive-and-chat performance to drunk driving. Excessive slowness, inattentiveness to traffic conditions, and lane-to-lane weaving are all dead giveaways.

The consequences, too, are predictably similar. Phone-distracted motorists hit more potholes, miss more warning signs, and generally fail more often to process their surroundings than do alert, fully focused drivers. The problem is most serious when pedestrians are involved. By law, a car must yield the right of way to all pedestrians at all times, but when a driver’s attention is diverted, this rule is one of the first to be forgotten.

No Hands? No Difference!

Many cell-phone users are convinced that hands-free devices remove the dangers of distracted driving. Not so. It isn’t the phone that causes mishaps, it’s the conversation itself. Just listening and processing information takes attention off the road. And if it’s something really important – a pivotal business discussion, bad news from home, or a heated argument – there’s likely to be little attention left for safe, sensible driving.

It isn’t surprising then that cell-phone calls are banned entirely from more than a dozen major nations, including Japan, Australia, Chile, Great Britain, and Spain.

Yet, Americans cling to their anything-goes attitude. Few states have outlawed cell phones completely, and of those that do, penalties are relatively light. In many places, a patrol car can pull over a driver for using a cell phone only if a more serious infraction is taking place, so the law is essentially meaningless.

What’s more, car makers are adding to the problem, installing voice-activated “intercom”-style phone systems as built-in equipment. These motorists may not have to worry about fumbling through pockets for a ringing phone, or dropping the phone in the middle of a conversation. But the distraction is still there, as long as someone’s on the line.

Texting while Driving

62 percent of high-school students admit to texting while driving, according to a survey by Students Against Drunk Driving and Liberty Mutual Insurance. Of these young texters, one in four believed there’s nothing unsafe about it …

On the other hand, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) blames the use of cell phones at the wheel for some 1,000 fatalities and 240,000 nonfatal accidents every year. That’s about 25 percent of all crashes. Add to this the facts that most young people think they can easily “multi-task” and they think they’re immortal anyway, and you’ve got a big problem.

Cell Phones Are a Major Distraction

Safety studies by NHTSA, the University of Utah, and other researchers show that cell-phone use alone – just talking – is a major distraction for most motorists. It takes away the driver’s concentration. It slows reaction time. It impedes both-hands-on-wheel control of the vehicle. As highway-patrol officers have frequently confirmed, it reduces performance to the level of driving drunk.

What’s more, it’s not just the equipment’s fault. Hands-free cell-phone use is no safer. The real culprit is the conversation itself, especially when it involves decision making or emotional upset. There is simply no way a caller can adequately do the complex work of driving – scanning the road, monitoring traffic movements, reading road signs, adjusting speed, following distance, and other variables – while on a call.

Texting multiplies these deficits and adds a few more.

Thumbs Down, Say Lawmakers

States lawmakers are cracking down. Texting is now outlawed in 34 states and the District of Columbia. Law enforce

Inputting, like any kind of writing, requires more concentration that just speaking.
Most texters need to keep glancing at the phone’s keyboard and disregarding the road.
Reading an incoming text message can be even more problematic, as the driver squints at the tiny screen, then scrolls to follow longer messages.
Should the car hit a bump, the phone could fly out of the user’s hand. What then?

A study by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has found that while texting, 4.6 of every 6 seconds are spent looking at the phone instead of the road. At 55 mph, that’s equivalent to driving the length of a football field blindfolded. So deciding whether to retrieve a dropped phone could literally be a matter of life or death.ment officers can attest to the need, reporting that texters are easy to spot on the road since they are inattentive, swerve between lanes and drive slowly.

Other counter-measures to on-road texting are also taking hold. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), has petitioned President Obama for tougher laws. Why OSHA, the occupational agency? Because much of America’s workforce is on the road daily, delivering goods and services or conducting other business activities.

In response, the President instituted the Executive Order on Federal Leadership on Reducing Text Messaging While Driving in 2009. It prohibits texting by all federal employees during official business trips.

The courts and insurers are likewise adjusting to the spread of the texting habit. Phone-related accidents and injuries, whether caused by talking or texting, are seen as forms of driver negligence, in some cases on a par with DWI (“driving while impaired”) offenses. Increasingly, victims of such crimes are eligible to receive compensation for their losses.

Safety statistics, here and abroad, make it clear that texting and talking, whether hands-on or hands-free, make cell-phone use a major threat to public safety. But in the age of hand-held electronics, will the trend-setting Uncle Sam follow the lead of Great Britain, Japan, Chile, and more than a dozen other nations in banning these practices? The question remains open.

Call Johnson & Rohan Insurance Today

We have been doing business in Lynnfield, Massachusetts for over 20 years, so very little surprises us, including what people do while driving. Don’t hesitate to contact Johnson & Rohan Insurance for ways to instill good driving habits in your family or to discuss your insurance needs.

Happy Thanksgiving

A special greeting of
Thanksgiving to express
to you our appreciation
for your confidence and loyalty.
We are thankful for our clients
and wish you a happy and healthy
Thanksgiving Day.

Johnson & Rohan Insurance will be closed on Thanksgiving Day and Friday 11/28/2014.

We will be open on Saturday, November 29th from 9:00 am – 12:00 noon.

Otherwise our regular office hours are Monday – Friday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm and Saturdays 9:00 am – 12:00 noon.

Always available by appointment.

Claim reporting is available 24 hours per day/ 7 days per week. If you want to report a claim during off hours, have your policy number ready and call:

Premier/ Travelers: 1-877-425-2466

Safety Insurance: 1-866-906-5016

Vermont Mutual: 1-800-435-0397

MPIUA: 1-800-392-6108

You can also report online:

Auto Claim	Commercial Claim
Home Claim	Other Claim

Safety Insurance Mobile App

One of our companies, Safety Insurance, has a new, mobile phone application.

If we have you with them, you might want to take a look:

Johnson & Rohan Insurance is an independent, Massachusetts Insurance Agency.

Although there’s been renovations, we’ve been in the same Lynnfield, MA office building for over twenty years.

When our clients utilize our services, they utilize the enormous shopping power of the independent insurance agent.

We shop auto coverage with 7 auto companies and even more home and life carriers.

One of our companies, Safety Insurance, has a new, mobile phone application.

If we have you with them, you might want to take a look:

Safety Mobile

Insurance just got a whole lot easier with Safety’s iPhone App right at your fingertips. Features will allow you access to your Safety account, which provides you with functionality such as: pay your bill, report a claim at the accident scene, view your insurance card and access your agent information. Not a Safety policyholder? That’s OK; use the Find an Agent tool to locate an Independent Agent near you.

What’s New in Version 2.1

Added Mobile Bill Pay to the Safety Mobile App

You can make a payment subject to the terms and conditions and our posting schedule. You can choose an amount to pay: the minimum amount due, the total balance or another amount. You will receive a confirmation email after you have made your payment.

iPhone App

Scan to download
(using QR code scanner)Or download from
Apple Store

Android App

Scan to download
(using QR code scanner)Or download on
Android Market

Safety Mobile Website

Scan to go to the site
(using QR code scanner)Or go to
m.SafetyInsurance.com

Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles: Online

The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles has a great web site which just might save you a visit to a branch location: www.MassRMV.com

The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles has a great web site which just might save you a visit to a branch location: MassRMV.com.

Their website is open all night.

Some of the popular online services offered include: cancel your plates, change your address, renew your license, and renew your registration.

Following please find links and listing of the Mass RMV’s online services:

License/ID –

Renewals

Duplicates

Road Tests

Permit

New ID

Out-Of-State Conversion

Check My Status

Registration/Title-

Renewal

Registration

Duplicates

Plates

Check My Status

Other-

Thank you Veterans

Gerry LeTourneau is a veteran and witness to the bomb. He’s also a friend.

Thank you Gerry LeTourneau, and veterans everywhere, for your service to our Country!

August 6, 1945-

100 miles off the coast of Japan, US sailors did not hear or feel anything. Instead they saw the huge mushroom cloud rise and get bigger & bigger, & wider & wider.

American bomber, Enola Gay had dropped “Little Boy,” the five-ton atomic bomb, over the Japanese city of Hiroshima.

The Navy Fleet was ordered to change direction and face the waves, so not to capsize. Waves became one hundred feet high.

Aboard the USS Kearney 19 year old signalman Gerry LeTourneau felt as if he had left his balls at the crest of the wave. He held onto the rail of the destroyer for dear life.

Later, the bodies came. Thousand of floating, radioactive, Japanese bodies.

On deck of the USS Kearney, sailors were ordered to install .50 caliber machine guns and shoot holes in the radioactive bodies until they sank.

Gerry LeTourneau is a veteran and witness to the bomb. He’s also a friend.

Thank you Gerry LeTourneau, and veterans everywhere, for your service to our Country!

Winter is around the corner:

Ice, snow & wind can have devastating effects on your home.The time to winterize is before the snow begins to fall …

I hate to think it, but winter is around the corner.

Ice, snow & wind can have devastating effects on your home.The time to winterize is before the snow begins to fall.

Here are some suggested precautions:

Maintain gutters. Removing leaves, acorns, sticks & debris from gutters so that snow & ice can drain properly can help prevent dreaded ice dams.
Trim trees & remove dead branches. Ice, snow & wind can cause weak trees or branches to break damaging your home, car or injuring someone.
Check Insulation. Add extra insulation to attics, basements and crawl spaces. If too much heat escapes through the attic it can cause snow or ice to melt on the roof. Water re-freezing causes more snow & ice to build up resulting in collapsed roofs & ice dams. Ideally, the attic should be five to ten degrees warmer than the outside air.
Keep your home warm. The temperature in your house should be at least 65 degrees. The temperature inside the walls where the pipes are located is colder than the walls themselves.