December 17, 2009
Holiday Safety Tips
It’s that time of year! Friends, family, shopping, dining and…crime? While anytime is a good time to think about personal safety and crime prevention, Philip DeBerard would like to remind citizens of some easy techniques that will help keep them and their property safe during the holidays!
CAR PROWL PREVENTION
• When you exit or enter your parked vehicle, take a moment to look around the area.
• Turn off and lock your car whenever you have to walk away from it. This includes at gas pumps, ATM machines, etc. Never leave your car idling.
• Before leaving your parked car, always remove the keys, roll up the windows and lock the car.
• Leave No Valuables in Your Car. Never leave valuables in your car. Items of little or no value to you still look inviting to a thief. Even pocket change is enough of an enticement for some thieves.
• If you must leave valuables in your car (say you’re out shopping and still have some stops to make), make sure that nothing of value is within plain view. Place items in your car trunk out of sight. Do this when you get to your car, rather than waiting until you park at your next stop. Often, people will arrive at their destination and then put items in the trunk. They’ve just shown anyone who may be around that they just put valuables in the trunk and then walked away from their vehicles. So, if you are going to put something in your trunk, place it in before you get to your destination so you don’t show everyone that you’ve just put valuables in your trunk.
• Don’t leave accessories visible in your car. You may have taken the Laptop or IPod in with you, but if you leave the USB cables for your laptop or earbuds for the IPod in the back seat, the offender may think those items are in the car and break in anyway.
• Think about how the GPS is mounted in your car. If the mounting for the GPS is visible, the thief may think the GPS is in the glove box or under the seat and may break in to try to get it. Have removable mounting for the GPS and put that out of sight as well.
• If possible, store your car in a closed and locked garage. Make a habit of locking your garage door and car doors.
• If your car is stored in a carport or parked near your house, leave your exterior lights on throughout the night.
• If you park on the street, choose a well-lit, open space even if it means adding additional street/yard lighting & trimming back trees/bushes that block your view of your vehicle.
• If you park in a paid lot, use lots that have attendants.
• Consider replacing the light fixture closest to your car with a motion detector unit. Motion detectors are a good psychological deterrents since the normal assumption of a person seeing a light come on is that someone has seen them. Additionally, the light makes the prowler or thief more visible.
• You may want to consider an alarm system for the car. An alarm will not prevent anyone from gaining entry or damaging the car, but the noise of the alarm will draw attention to the car and therefore to the thief. Additionally, many alarm systems have a blinking red light mounted on the dash. That visible indicator may be a deterrent to would be thieves.
November 8, 2009
Save 70 percent on your auto policy
How much does the average person pay for auto insurance? Probably more than they would like. Often the bill just gets accepted as a necessity and we simply write out a big check each month.
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With gas prices soaring, the price of owning and driving a car continues to increase. It’s important to save money where you can. Start by examining your auto insurance. By seeking auto insurance quotes regularly, you can make sure you are not being taken advantage of and can get a much better deal.
Take a moment to compare prices and save up to 70 percent on your auto insurance. Visit Cheap-Insurance-Rates.com and start saving money today.
Sponsored content provided by ARALifestyle. Copyright ARAnet, Inc.
October 12, 2009
A Lesson in Why Uninsured Motorist Coverage Matters
According to the 2008 Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, alcohol-related fatalities, crashes and injuries have decreased in the past few years, but Port St. Lucie resident Matthew Rudow wasn’t that lucky. His car was violently struck on the driver’s side by an uninsured, drunk driver. Rudow often thought about dropping his uninsured motorist coverage, but his accident taught him how important that coverage is.
Stuart attorney Philip DeBerard hopes that other drivers can learn from Rudow’s experience and that it will encourage them to be sure they always have uninsured motorist coverage on their vehicles.
In the accident, Rudow suffered serious neck and back injuries that caused severe pain and headaches and left him unable to work any longer. According to his physician, surgery will be required in the future and, due to the problematic location of his spinal disc herniation, he must travel to a specialty hospital. Rudow’s has his life, but it has been changed forever.
Fortunately, Rudow made a smart decision and purchased Uninsured Motorist coverage on his own auto insurance policy. “Unfortunately, his own insurance company refused to fairly evaluate his claim, despite repeated efforts to negotiate on his behalf, and we had to take his case to trial to be heard by a jury,” DeBerard explains. After a four-day trial, the jury awarded Rudow $342,700.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage was initiated in 1961, enabling consumers to obtain coverage insuring themselves against injuries caused by other drivers. Florida law requires that insurance companies offer Uninsured Motorist coverage in equal limits to the amount of bodily injury coverage afforded under the policy, but the minor extra cost – and it is usually a very minor cost – is rejected by many drivers in order to save money on their insurance bill.
In Rudow’s situation, Uninsured Motorist coverage will help pay for his future treatment. “All drivers should contact their insurance agent and include Uninsured Motorist coverage on their auto policy to protect them against the uninsured drivers on the road,” attorney DeBerard recommends.
Driving Under the Influence is responsible for 41% of total traffic deaths in Florida!
Tips on How to Spot a Drunk Driver
From the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (www.flhsmv.gov/html/safety.html)
– Turns with a wide radius.
– Straddles the center of the road or lane marker.
– Appears to be drunk (i.e., eye fixation, face close to windshield, drinking in the vehicle).
– Almost strikes an object or other vehicle.
– Drives slower than 10 mph below speed limit.
– Stops without cause in a traffic lane.
– Stops inappropriately (other than in the traffic lane).
– Follows others too closely.
– Weaves or zigzags across the road.
– Drives on other than a designated roadway.
– Swerves or abruptly turns away from a generally straight course.
– Turns abruptly or illegally.
– Drifts or moves in a straight-line at a slight angle to the roadway.
– Brakes erratically.
– Drives into opposing or crossing traffic.
– Makes signals that are inconsistent with driving actions.
– Has slow response to traffic signals, such as sudden stop or delayed start.
– Drives with headlights off.
September 6, 2009
WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN TEXTING WHILE DRIVING
This is a GRAPHIC AND HAUNTING video created by British law enforcement.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rdV9ADjpcg
Talk to your family members about the dangers of talking and texting while driving.
Call for a FREE dash board gel pad to mount your cell phone in your car.
June 11, 2009
SWIMMING POOL SAFETY
300 children under the age of 5 die and 2000 children under the age of 5 visit hospitals for submersion injuries every year.
Each year, nationwide, more than 300 children under 5 years old drown in residential swimming pools, usually a pool owned by their family. In addition, more than 2,000 children in that age group are treated in hospital emergency rooms for submersion injures.
Medical costs for submersion victims during the initial hospitalization alone can be quite high. Costs can range from an estimated $2,000 for a victim who recovers fully to $80,000 for a victim with severe brain damage. Some severely brain damaged victims have initial hospital stays in excess of 120 days and expenses in excess of $150,000.
FACTS AND FIGURES ***
Following are just a few facts uncovered by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in a comprehensive study of drowning and submersion incidents involving children under 5 years old in Arizona, California, and Florida.
Seventy-five percent of the submersion victims studied by CPSC were between 1 and 3 years old; 65 percent of this group were boys. Toddlers, in particular, often do something unexpected because their capabilities change daily.
At the time of the incidents, most victims were being supervised by one or both parents. Forty-six percent of the victims were last seen in the house; 23 percent were last seen in the yard or on the porch or patio; and 31 percent were in or around the pool before the accident. In all, 69 percent of the children were not expected to be at or in the pool, yet they were found in the water.
Submersion incidents involving children usually happen in familiar surroundings. Sixty-five percent of the incidents happened in a pool owned by the child’s family and 33 percent of the incidents happened in a pool owned by friends or relatives.
Pool submersions involving children happen quickly. A child can drown in the time it takes to answer a phone. Seventy-seven percent of the victims had been missing from sight for 5 minutes or less.
Survival depends on rescuing the child quickly and restarting the breathing process, even while the child is still in the water. Seconds count in preventing death or brain damage. Child drowning is a silent death. There’s no splashing to alert anyone that the child is in trouble.
RULES FOR POOLS
Instruct babysitters about potential pool hazards to young children and about the use of protective devices, such as door alarms and latches. Emphasize the need for constant supervision.
Never leave a child unsupervised near a pool. During social gatherings at or near a pool, appoint a “designated watcher” to protect young children from pool accidents.
Adults may take turns being the “watcher.” When adults become preoccupied, children are at risk.
If a child is missing, check the pool first. Seconds count in preventing death or disability. Go to the edge of the pool and scan the entire pool, bottom and surface, as well as the pool area.
Do not allow a young child in the pool without an adult.
Do not consider young children to be drownproof because they have had swimming lessons. Children must be watched closely while swimming.
Do not use flotation devices as a substitute for supervision.
Learn CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). Babysitters and other caretakers, such as grandparents and older siblings, should also know CPR.
Keep rescue equipment by the pool. Be sure a telephone is poolside with emergency numbers posted nearby.
Remove toys from in and around the pool when it is not in use. Toys can attract young children to the pool.
Never prop open the gate to a pool barrier
