Precious cargo: How to buy, install, and register child car safety seats

Car crashes are the leading cause of death for US children aged 3 to 14, yet many of those deaths may be preventable with the proper use of car safety seats. A 2017 study by the CDC published in The Journal of Pediatrics showed that 20% of children who were in a car crash where someone died were not buckled in properly or were not wearing a seat belt at all, as were 43% of children who died themselves.

Buying a child safety or booster seat for your car shouldn’t be a quick or easy purchase if you want to ensure your child’s safety. Do you know the various types of seats and which is appropriate when? Are you choosing the right seat for your child and your vehicle? Is the seat properly installed and is your child properly secured? Do you know when to change/upgrade the seat as your child grows? The Mayo Clinic lists 9 common mistakes parents make when installing and using car seats.

First, know your state law. The Governors Highway Safety Association says that all states and territories require child safety seats for infants and children fitting specific criteria, but requirements vary based on age, weight and height. Often, this happens in three stages: infants use rear-facing infant seats; toddlers use forward-facing child safety seats; and older children use booster seats. They offer an overview of state laws.

For help in buying and installing the right seat, we offer several dependable sources you can turn to for research:

The National Highway Traffic Safety Foundation has a great car seat and booster seat guide with various tools to guide you through every stage. A few of the handy tools they offer include:

Safe Kids Worldwide offers the ultimate Car Seat Guide , which offers practical tips to keep kids safe in cars from buying, installing, ensuring a safe fit, and when you should change the seat as your child ages. If you need help installing your car seat or would like a checkup to ensure that it is installed properly, Safe Kids coalitions have car seat checkup events and inspection stations around the country. If there isn’t an event near you, you can search for a certified child passenger safety technician (CPST) who can help you.

Consumer Reports also offers excellent Child Car Seat Ratings and Buying Guide, including the video below.

Wirecutter (from the New York Times) also offers consumer shopping guides to find the Best Infant Car Seat and the Best Booster Car Seats. 

Reprinted from Renaissance Alliance – no usage without permission.

The A to Z of insurance terminology

Every industry has their own jargon and set of acronyms used by insiders. Sometimes they are technical terms or language that people use to describe a precise process, a part, or a concept; sometimes, they are slang that develops among colleagues in an organization or an industry over time. But industry-specific terminology can be confusing, misunderstood, or even off-putting to outsiders. Think about the last time you tried to communicate with a car mechanic, a computer tech, or some other specialist  and you couldn’t understand what they were telling you. It can be frustrating!

Insurance is no different. It’s a profession that has a lot of industry-specific terminology related to financial products and a variety of acronyms. Here are a few prior blog posts about some insurance  terms that are frequently used and that customers often question:

But there are many other terms that are likely unfamiliar to a buyer – particularly when you get into commercial insurance. For example, what’s a BOP? An actuary? A captive? Underwriting? Reinsurance? Premium? Loss Ratio?  We could go on, but instead we point you to some good insurance authorities that maintain various glossaries.

  • The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has a handy Glossary of Insurance Terms that are commonly used in the insurance business. The glossary was developed by staff in NAIC’s Research and Actuarial Department based on various insurance references. These definitions represent a common or general use of the term.
  • AM Best’s Consumer Center offers a Glossary of Insurance Terms.
  • International Risk Management Institute, Inc. (IRMI) maintains an in-depth Glossary of Insurance and Risk Management Terms, along with a huge list of acronyms
  • California’s insurance department maintains a Glossary of Insurance Terms and it also includes a list of Insurance Terms Used in the Area of Sureties and Bonds and Insurance Terms Used in the Area of Residential Title Insurance.
  • New York’s Department of Financial Services offers a Glossary Of Life Insurance Terms.

Health insurance is a bit of a different matter. with its own distinct language. Here are some resources:

Of course, if you are buying an insurance policy and you find the terminology difficult to understand, there’s an alternative to doing your own online research – you can call your local insurance agent to talk things over. That’s where local agents excel. They can interpret the unfamiliar jargon or talk to you about the pros and cons of various options and decision points. See our prior post that talks about the value, expertise and advocacy services that agents provide 24/7: The value of working with a local, independent insurance agent.

Reprinted from Renaissance Alliance – no usage without permission.

Do traffic tickets jack up your car insurance rates? You bet they do!

Nobody wants to pay more than they must for auto insurance, but  when bad or risky driving leads to tickets, it can add big bucks to the amount you pay for insurance over several years. Danielle Ling has a story in PropertyCasualty360 about which moving violations raise your car insurance rates the most. Note that these are averages – in some states and with some insurers, costs can be much higher. And these are just the costliest violations. Ling says that even lesser offenses like speeding in a school zone can increase annual rates by more than $300.

Here are some of the costliest violations and the average annual increase

  • Hit & Run – $1,212
  • Racing – $1131
  • DUI – $1100
  • Refusing a breathalyzer – $1080
  • Driving with a suspended license – $1044
  • Reckless driving – $1,038

We’ve written about DUI violations in more detail – a highly dangerous behavior that can be very expensive:

Most states require you to report your DUI to your insurer. A DUI is considered a major violation, like reckless driving or hit-and-run. You will be required to get what’s called an SR-22, a form filed on your behalf by your insurance company which constitutes proof that you are carrying the required amount of liability insurance. It’s also a red flag that you are a high-risk driver. (In Virginia and Florida, the required form is called an FR-44.) There will be a filing fee, usually between $20-$50. Not all insurance companies will file an SR-22. Some insurance companies will not insure high risk drivers, so if yours does not file, you will likely need a new policy with a company that will file the form.

 

Depending on the state in which you live, you will be required to carry SR-22 insurance for three to five years.

After filing an SR-22, brace yourself: your insurance rates are going up. A recent study showed that on average insurance rates increased by more than 56% – a $1000 yearly rate would become $1560 after a first DUI offense.

 

In addition to requiring an SR-22, you may also be required to install (at your expense) an ignition interlock device. The cost to install these devices varies by jurisdiction, but is usually around $175-$300. These devices are basically breathalyzers attached to your vehicle’s starter. They won’t let the car start if they detect alcohol on your breath (the base limit of alcohol allowed varies between jurisdictions, but is almost always “none”). Also, at random times while the vehicle is in motion, the system will require another puff into the analyzer. This “rolling retest” is designed to prevent non-drivers from providing a breath sample and to prevent consumption of alcohol behind the wheel.

See more at our post: DUI Laws, Insurance Rates, and Interlock Devices

Good drivers may be eligible for discounts

It’s important to know that while risky and dangerous driving costs money on your insurance and may even risk suspension or termination of your driving privileges, safe driving can save you money.

Some states and some insurers offer discounts for safe driving or for driver training. In fact, there are a variety of discounts available for other reasons, too, although they vary by state and by insurer. We’ve rounded up many of the most common discounts – see our post Don’t leave money on the table : Talk to your agent about auto insurance discounts.

Reprinted from Renaissance Alliance – no usage without permission.

Scam alert: Covid-19 related fraud is proliferating

In early April, we noted that there has never been a crisis or emergency that criminals won’t try to exploit and we posted a roundup of fraud schemes: Be on your guard for coronavirus scammers, skimmers & phishers! It’s time to update that list. Criminals are only getting smarter and more sophisticated about capitalizing on our coronavirus fears and the way we’ve adjusted our lives. Here are reports on some of the newer scams that authorities are seeing, along with tips on how to avoid being victimized.

Here are some of the common scams that the Department of Justice warns about:

  • Antibody testing fraud scheme
  • Unsolicited healthcare fraud schemes
  • Cryptocurrency fraud schemes including blackmail attempts, work from home scams, paying for non-existent treatments or equipment, or investment scams.
  • Calls and e-mails from imposters claiming to be IRS and Treasury employees
  • Robocall scams selling PPE, face masks, or other medical devices
  • “Free” COVID-19 tests if you supply Medicare information
  • Fake charities seeking donations or your bank / credit card info.
  • Imposter calls promising CARES Act stimulus payments or demanding refunds for a supposed over payment
  • Fake websites and apps claiming to be associated with CARES Act programs.

FBI Says Increased Use of Mobile Banking Apps Could Lead to Exploitation
Studies of US financial data indicate a 50% surge in mobile banking since the beginning of 2020. Additionally, studies show that 36% of Americans plan to use mobile tools to conduct banking activities, and 20% plan to visit branch locations less often. The FBI warns the public to be aware of fake banking apps and to be cautious about downloading apps on mobile devices that might contain banking-related malware. The FBI recommends only obtaining smartphone apps from trusted sources like official app stores or directly from bank websites. They also advise using Two-Factor Authentication and using strong passwords and good security.

FBI Sees Rise in Online Shopping Scam
The FBI reports an increasing number of people are ordering goods online from fraudulent vendors and the goods are never relieved. Victims are being directed to fraudulent websites from ads on social media platforms and popular online search engines that offer lower than usual pricing on such items as gym equipment, small appliances, tools and furniture. Many of the websites used content and contact information copied from legitimate sites and posed as US companies. Here are some fraud indicators. Instead of .com, the fraudulent websites used the Internet site domain extensions of .club and .top. Most of the site URLs (addresses) were purchased in the last 6-months.

The FBI offers these tips to avoid being victimized

  • Do your homework on the retailer to ensure it is legitimate.
  • Check the Whois Public Internet Directory for the retailer’s domain registration information.
  • Conduct a business inquiry of the online retailer at the Better Business Bureau.
  • Check other websites regarding the company for reviews and complaints.
  • Check the contact details of the website on the “Contact Us” page, specifically the address, email, and phone number, to confirm whether the retailer is legitimate.
  • Be wary of online retailers offering goods at significantly discounted prices.
  • Be wary of online retailers who use a free email service instead of a company email address.
  • Don’t judge a company by their website; flashy websites can be set up and taken down quickly.

Monitoring and reporting fraud schemes

Check out the FBI Coronavirus website periodically for updated fraud scheme reports. If you think you are a victim of a scam or attempted fraud involving COVID-19, you can report it without leaving your home by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or submit the NCDF Web Complaint Form.

Related post:

 

Reprinted from Renaissance Alliance – no usage without permission.

 

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