Johnson & Rohan Insurance Archives - Page 2 of 2

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.

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.

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.

J&R Insurance Quote of the Day

“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.”

-Henry David Thoreau

Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.

-Henry David Thoreau

Home Insurance Review

The standard homeowner (HO-3 Special Form) policy provides broad protection for your home however, there are limitations to coverage …
Call or e-mail us for your homeowner insurance review!

Homeowner Review Checklist

We recommend you review and call us with any “yes” answers.

Do you own jewelry, furs or watches with values over $1,000?
Do you own silverware with a total value of over $2,500?
Do you have a collection of valuables, including: coins, stamps or other?
Do you own any of the following: Musical Instruments, Fine Arts or Antiques, Camera Equipment, Sports Equipment, Personal Computer?
Do you own a boat?
Is there a trampoline on your property?
Do you have any tools, equipment or other property used in your business or occupation?
Would you like your insurance to provide: Replacement Cost Protection on your Dwelling, on your Personal Property, Credit Card/forgery protection, Ordinance or Law coverage, Earthquake coverage?
Flood is not a covered loss on a homeowner policy. Would you like to obtain rates for flood insurance? Also excluded from coverage are such things such as: rot, mold, mildew or animal/vermin/insect damage.
Are you interested in receiving information on: Auto, Life, Excess Liability (Umbrella), Boat or Business Insurance?

Please call us with any questions about your apartment, condominium, or home insurance protection.

Thank you for insuring with Johnson & Rohan.