Umbrella Coverage protects your assets.

A Personal Liability Umbrella Policy “sits-over” your home and auto liability limits. Coverage limits start at $1,000,000 and provides you protection from lawsuits.

Coverage is relatively inexpensive to purchase. $1,000,000 of coverage sitting over two autos and a home would cost about $180 annually.

Umbrella Policies require underlying motor vehicle liability limits of $250,000 per person/ $500,000 per accident.

In addition to coverage limits, insurance companies provide legal defense.

So, in essence, when you purchase higher limits you are also purchasing improved legal defense.

Please call or click if you would like to discuss Personal Liability Umbrella Coverage.

Johnson & Rohan Insurance:  Thank you for insuring with us!

 

The Basics
Snow shoveling can be compared to weight lifting, and in some cases, the aerobic aspect of this activity is similar to a workout on a treadmill! To help your body function on demand, consider the following tips:

• Be heart smart! Don’t eat or smoke before shoveling snow. Avoid caffeinated beverages. These are stimulants and may increase heart rate and cause blood vessels to constrict.
• If you experience pain of any kind, stop immediately and seek assistance.
• Pace yourself during shoveling activities. Take frequent breaks and drink plenty of water. Snow shoveling is strenuous work, and it is important to re-hydrate your body often.
• If the ground is icy or slick, spread sand or salt over the area to help create foot traction. Be aware that some areas may be uneven and could cause you to slip, trip, or fall.

Dress for Success!

• Consider the weather when choosing outerwear. Dress in layers. Wear clothing that is easy to move in.
• Wear a hat—a great deal of body heat is lost through the head.
• If it’s icy cold, consider breathing through a scarf, but don’t let it obstruct your view.
• Proper boots are essential for keeping feet warm and dry while appropriate soles provide traction. Good boots can help you maintain your balance!
• Choose gloves that will keep your hands warm, dry, and blister free—consider thicker gloves, which allow for a good grip on the shovel’s handle.

Select a Shovel that’s Right for You
Shovels are made from different materials and come in many shapes and sizes.

• Choose a shovel that is ergonomically correct—a shovel with a curved handle. Many hardware stores and home centers stock ergonomically designed snow shovels. These shovels help you to keep your back straighter reducing spinal stress.
• Consider a shovel with a plastic blade instead of metal—plastic is lightweight—isn’t the snow heavy enough?
• Sometimes a smaller blade is better. You will not be able to shovel as much snow per shovel load, but the load will weigh less, which puts less strain on the spine.
• Get a shovel made to push snow. It is far easier to push snow than to lift it. There are shovels made expressly for pushing snow. See what is available at your hardware or home center store.

Once you have your shovel, you might want to consider spraying a bit of silicon lubricant on the blade. This can help keep the snow from sticking to the shovel. The snow will slide off the shovel blade.

Technique. Technique. Technique.

• Warm muscles work better. So take some time to stretch to prepare your body for activity.
• Just like with a golf club, hand placement on the shovel handle is very important! Don’t put your hands (grip) close to one another. Create some distance between the hands. This will give you more leverage and make it easier to lift snow.
• Think about good posture and maintaining the natural curve of your spine.
• Address your task directly. Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart to maintain balance. Try to keep the shovel close to your body. Bend at the knees—not the waist or back. Tighten your stomach muscles as you lift the snow. Lift with your legs—not your back. Do not twist your body. Dump the snow in front of you. If you need to move the snow to the side, move your feet—do not twist!According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, “If you must lift the snow, lift it properly. Squat with your legs apart, knees bent and back straight. Lift with your legs. Do not bend at the waist. Scoop small amounts of snow into the shovel and walk to where you want to dump it. Holding a shovelful of snow with your arms outstretched puts too much weight on your spine. Never remove deep snow all at once; do it piecemeal. Shovel an inch or two; then take another inch off. Rest and repeat if necessary.”
• Don’t throw snow over your shoulder! Go forward with the snow.
• Fresh snow is lighter in weight—so clear snow as soon as it has fallen. Snow becomes dense as it compacts on the ground. Wet snow is very heavy. One shovelful can weigh 20 pounds or more!
• Pace yourself. Take frequent breaks to stretch your back and extremities.

Snowblowers
A snowblower is a terrific piece of machinery, but if it’s not used correctly, you can strain or injure your back. Snowblowers are designed to remove snow at a particular rate of speed. Pushing or forcing the equipment to go faster is defeating its purpose—to do the work for you!

Community Involvement
Not everyone is able to shovel snow or operate a snowblower. Consider the disabled and some in the senior population. Fortunately, many communities across the US have organized volunteers to help people who need assistance during the winter season.

This morning, north of Boston, we woke to our first snow of 2012.

Thankfully it was only a dusting, but road surfaces were slick and frozen.

This got me thinking it’s time for Johnson & Rohan’s annual:

Winter Driving Tips:

• Adjust your speed to the current conditions.
• Antiicpate difficult situations.
• Maintain a comfortable driving environment.
• Turn on your lights.
• While driving at night, leave your head lamps on low beam when driving in snow or fog.
• Keep a smooth and light touch on the brakes for normal braking.
• Keep both hands on the wheel.
• Don’t oversetimate the capability of four wheel drive vehicles.
• Anti-lock brakes can’t perform miracles.
• Wear quality sunglasses.
• When driving up a steep hill in icy conditions, gain speed and momentum before starting uphill.
• If you do have trouble, and become stopped or stranded, run the engine only briefly – not continuously – to run the heater.

 

We recently came across an old Ann Landers column regarding the New Year:

“Let this coming year be better than the others. Vow to do some of the things you’ve always wanted to do but couldn’t find the time.  Call up a forgotten friend. Drop an old grudge, and replace it with some pleasant memories. Vow not to make a promise you don’t think you can keep. Walk tall, and smile more. You’ll look ten years younger. Don’t be afraid to say, ‘I love you.’ Say it again. They are the sweetest words in the world.”

Happy New Year from your friends at Johnson & Rohan Insurance

 

On extremely cold days, take the following precautions to help prevent freezing pipes and resulting water damage:

– Maintain higher than normal temperatures (65 degrees +).

– Turn on your faucets and let the water trickle constantly.

– Open cabinet doors under the sinks. This will allow the heat to warm the pipes.

– Insulate pipes. Insulation goes a long way toward preventing freeze ups.

– Your exterior faucets used for your garden hoses should be shut off from inside your basement and left open (even if you have freeze-proof sill cocks).

This holiday season be fire smart.

Following please find some Christmas Tree Safety Tips:

Choose a tree with fresh, geen needles that do not fall off when touched.

Place tree at least three feet away from any heat source, like fireplaces, radiators, candles, heat vents, space heaters, or lights.

Make sure tree is not blocking an exit.

Be sure to add water daily to the tree stand.

Use lights that have the label of a testing laboratory. Some lights are only for indoor or outdoor use.

Replace any lights with worn or broken cords or loose bulbs.

Never use lit candles to decorate the tree.

Always turn off Christmas tree lights before leaving home or going to bed.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This happens to be our favorite holiday of the year: no work, food, family, no pressure of gifts and a built-in excuse, no, an obligation, to go for second or third helpings, desserts (plural), football and an authorized nap. Seriously, what could be better?

The only problem seems to be the dreaded Turkey Frying Fire!

The US Fire Administration reports over 4,000 Thanksgiving Day fires each year related to turkey frying accidents.

Turkey Frying Safety Tips:

1. Turkey fryers should always be used outdoors and a safe distance from buildings and flammable materials.

2. Do not use your turkey fryer in a garage or on a wooden deck.

3. Use your turkey fryer on a flat surface to reduce accidental tipping.

4. Never leave your fryer unattended, if you do not watch carefully, the oil can continue to heat until catching fire.

5. Do not let children or pets near the fryer even if it is not in use. The oil can remain dangerously hot hours after use.

6. Do not overfill the fryer.

7. Use well-insulated potholders or oven mitts and wear safety goggles to protect your eyes from oil splatter.

8. Make sure the turkey is completely thawed! Oil and water do not mix, and water causes oil to spill over causing a fire or even an explosion hazard.

9. The National Turkey Federation (NTF) recommends thawing the turkey in the refrigerator approximately 24 hours for every five pounds in weight.

10. Keep a fire extinguisher nearby.

11. Never use water to extinguish a grease fire!

The American Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association suggests using the “three-second rule” to help prevent rear-end accidents.

The “three-second rule” accounts for your reaction time to the movements of the vehicle ahead and your vehicle’s stopping distance.

You should add more time if the road is slippery, if you’re being crowded by a tailgater, if you’re towing a trailer or if you’re driving a large truck.

The three-second rule:

When the vehicle ahead of you passes a stationary object, start counting:  1,001 … 1,002 …

The first second is your reaction time; the next two seconds account for your braking distance

You should not reach the object before you count to … 1,003. If you do, you are following too closely.

At a vehicle speed of 55 mph, the three-second rule creates a gap of 243 feet between cars.

 

If our Massachusetts pre-Halloween 2011 “trick or treat” snowstorm was any indication of the winter to come, it’s probably a good time to mention some prevention tips:

• 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 & sin 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.

 

Perhaps the cruelest of all surcharge points on the personal MA Auto Insurance Policy is the ”expired inspection sticker” citation.

A ticket for an expired vehicle inspection sticker is the equivalent, in auto insurance citation points, of a moving violation.

According to the MA Department of Insurance:

Surcharge points are incurred if you:

• cause an at-fault accident
• are convicted of or pay a fine for a traffic law violation
• are assigned to an alcohol education program

An expired inspection sticker is considered “pay(ing) a fine for a traffic law violation.”

A $40 ticket results increased insurance costs for 6 years! About 20% increase the first three years, diminshing the following three .

Remember to:  check your inspection sticker!