Archive for May, 2012

Ohio’s New Dog Laws In Effect this Week

May 25th, 2012 by | Comments Off | Filed in homeowners insurance

Tomorrow is the last day of National Dog Bite Prevention Week, but in Ohio it’s also the week when a new “vicious dog” law goes into force.

Ohio Sub. HB 14 – which went into effect three days ago – means that pit bulls will no longer be considered vicious only because of their breed, and mandatory liability insurance for dog owners has been eliminated. Owners of dogs deemed vicious because of their actions under prior law (but not breed) will still be required to carry at least $100,000 in liability coverage.

The new law also clarifies the definition of a “nuisance dog” and changes the established definitions of both “dangerous” and “vicious” dogs, as well as altering the requirements for both on and off-premises requirements.

According to an annual dog bit claims report issued by State Farm Insurance, Ohio had the fourth-highest number of dog bite claims in 2011, and third in 2010.

Data from the Insurance Information Institute says that dog bites account for more than a third of all homeowners insurance liability claims paid in 2011.

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Louisiana Senate Committee Rejects Health Care Exchange Bill

May 18th, 2012 by | Comments Off | Filed in alternative health plans, health care reform, health insurance

The Louisiana Senate Finance Committee voted recently to reject a state senate bill that would have set up a group of elected and appointed officials to create and oversee their state’s health insurance exchanges, a principal tenet of the affordable health care act championed by President Obama and his administration

State Senator Karen Carter Peterson (D-New Orleans) said she had not been pushing the bill as a partisan piece of legislation, but according to an article in the Times-Picayune, that didn’t matter with a panel dominated by Republicans.

The rejection of Peterson’s bill means that Louisiana will remain one of a few states which have refused to create their own exchanges, which are meant to launch in January 2014.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, who has opposed the healthcare overhaul from the beginning, has decided that the federal government should be responsible for running the exchange.

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Traffic Fatalites in 2011 Lowest Since 1949

May 11th, 2012 by | Comments Off | Filed in auto insurance

Information released on Monday says that in 2011, traffic fatalities on American roads were at their lowest level since safety regulators with the federal government first began tracking such things in 1949. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), preliminary data says there were 32,310 deaths caused by vehicle crashes last year, which is 1.7 percent fewer than in 2010. The final numbers will be shared later this year.

Many factors were identified in the lower number of traffic fatalities, including:

– Fewer miles driven. Americans drove 1.2 percent fewer miles in 2011 than in the year before, per the NHTSA.
– Safer vehicles. According to Rebecca Lindland, director of automotive research for IHS, Inc., higher seatbelt use and more, and better-designed airbag systems as well as vehicles that are re-designed to keep people alive in crashes are all included in this category.

Lindland also said that there would have been even fewer accident-related deaths if distracted driving hadn’t been involved.

NHTSA hasn’t yet released numbers on distracted driving fatalities from 2011, but it said that there were 3,092 people killed in crashes that were affected but such behavior, representing 9.4 percent of all fatalities that year.

So far, 37 of the 50 United States have banned any use of the keyboard (texting) on mobile phones or other devices while driving, while ten have also banned the use of handheld phones at all.

While there’s never a direct correlation in overall traffic statistics and national insurance rates, risk of a crash is always part of the algorithm used to determine auto insurance rates.

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Video: Hail Coverage

May 4th, 2012 by | Comments Off | Filed in homeowners insurance, hurricane insurance

It’s springtime, which means not just rain, but hail, for much of the southern and midwestern USA. We all know that hail can damage car windows and roofs, but what about the roof of your home? This video shows you what damage to look for, and when to call your homeowners insurance agent.

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