Be careful out there!

I’ve been working on a couple of claims the past couple of days, and two things stick out that apply to everyone:

1) If it’s raining, just slow down. I don’t care what you drive, and neither does the rain, if you start to hydroplane and lose control of the vehicle 90% of the time that just does not end well! Had an accident happen right in front of me on the way to work today, and the only thing I could see was excessive speed on wet pavement. Wet roads and excessive speeds don’t care if you’re driving an SUV, a compact car, or a tank. Slow down when it rains.

2) If you DO unfortunately have an accident, call your agent FIRST. They are supposed to be there to give you help and advice. I had a client this morning who was ready to call the insurance company about some damage he took from a minor incident, and I stopped him. Why? He would have collected a very small amount after his deductible, but he also would have lost a good driver discount! Yes, had his premiums gone up I’d have made more commissions, but why do that when I can help him? Any good agent would have done what I did; I can’t speak for inline insurance agencies, as I have no experience with them in the last 10 or so years, but anecdotally I haven’t heard great things.

So, please drive a bit more carefully. And if you do wind up in an accident, call your agent first for full details on what’s covered and what the REAL cost will be in the end.