SPRING STORMS - Tornados

If you think Spring Storms are on the increase, you are RIGHT. Kansas had it's first Tornados ever in the month of February. From February 28 to March 3, 150 tornados touched down in 5 states. So far in 2012, 49 confirm fatalities have occurred. The storms have not been confined to the South either. They have hit Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. All of this already and storm season hasn't hit Wisconsin yet.

When you hear Warnings in Wisconsin, take them seriously. Watch the weather, check the radar and when a storm is close, go to the BASEMENT. It is the safest place to be. Plan ahead too. Flashlights in the basement easy to find make sense. Perhaps extra water and some food would not be a bad idea either.

Ron Binning
Binning & Dickens Insurance

Winter is here - finally

If you live in Wisconsin, you have been waiting for Winter. HERE IT IS. It has been snowing most of the day and we are to get 6 - 7 inches before it is finished. When driving remember:
1. Drive defensive - you can not always trust the other guy has his car under control.
2. Don't follow too close
3. Assume the road will be slippery especially at STOP SIGNS.
4. The bigger the ruts in the open road, the slower you must go.
5. Before you leave your parking space, clean ALL your windows of snow and ice.
6. If you do not have to go, put it off until tomorrow. Accidents happen in weather like this!
7. The #1 cause of accidents is SPEED or TOO FAST FOR CONDITIONS!!!!!!

Be safe - Drive safe.
Ron Binning
Binning & Dickens Insurance Services

1st Real Snow this Season

It is January 12, 2012 and it is finally snowing this season. Oh, we had a few flurries here and there and even an inch of snow in December but it melted quickly. This storm could deliver 5-6 inches. THAT MEANS WINTER DRIVING HABITS NEED TO BE USED. Speed needs to be controlled based on the conditions, clean ALL your windows of snow and ice, watch for black ice on the roads and sidewalks, and most of all braking needs to be planned ahead. Remember, SPEED or TOO FAST FOR CONDITIONS is the number one cause of accidents. Have a safe winter driving season.

Ron Binning
Binning & Dickens Insurance

To turn in a claim or NOT

I had an interesting conversation with a client yesterday. It concerned the issue of claim history and how claims, even if nothing is paid in the end, can affect what you pay for auto and home insurance. EXAMPLE: Client calls and says they have hail damage. These type of claims can be extensive and costly. We report the claim to the insurance company. After securing an estimate and an adjuster visits the homeowner, it is determined the damage is under the deductible or the client decides to pay the damages out of their pocket. Therefore, nothing paid by the company. PROBLEM: Since it is a "reported" claim, that claim is on a permanent data bank that ALL companies access. They charge for "report but not paid claims." With today's sophisticated technology, claim history is available to all insurance companies with a few key strokes.

RECOMMENDATION: Buy higher deductibles (the higherst you feel you can absorb) and only turn in claims when you are sure you want to make a claim to the insurance company.

Ron Binning
Binning & Dickens Insurance

Treyton's Field of Dreams

Treyton Kilar was killed by a drunk driver on 9-2-2010. The Kilar family with 100's of friends are trying to raise money to build a "Field of Dreams" Little League field here in Whitewater in his honor. You can support their efforts by voting for them in the PEPSI REFRESH PROJECT. Visit www.refresheverthing.com/trey and click on "vote for this idea". You can also text 108723 to 73774 or log onto Facebook. You can vote all 3 ways in the month of September every day. EVERY VOTE COUNTS.

Don't Drink and Drive.

Ron Binning
ron@binningdickens.com

Number of Uninsured drivers in WI

Effective 6-1-2009 Wisconsin passed a mandatory insurance law for all drivers. Across the US 1 in 7 (14.3%) drivers are uninsured, according to a new study from the Insurance Research Council (IRC - 2011) Mississippi has the highest uninsured motorist percentage at 28%. In WISCONSIN the estimated uninsured motorist percentage is 15%.

Unisured Motorist (UM) and Underinsured Motorist (UIM) are mandatory coverage on every auto policy in WI and these coverages are optional on all Personal Umbrella policies. Contact us or your current agent if you have questions about these important coverages.

Ron Binning
Binning & Dickens Insurance Services
ron@binningdickens.com

Multi-tasking vs texting

Multi-tasking is a term that was never meant to include driving and texting. Have you noticed how many people are looking "down" at interesections or when you pass them on the Interstate?
Do you think they are looking at their fingernails? These two activities are like mixing gasoline and a lighted match. There are too many unexplained accidents occuring in Wisconsin. Some people say they can text without looking........ya right!

Make smart decisions - Don't drive and text.

Ron Binning
Binning & Dickens Insurance Services
Whitewater WI