On The Road Again

IT’S SUMMERTIME!!  It’s time to pack up the car and head out for vacation and not look back for a few days. The whole family has been looking forward to this all school year long.

Farmers® is very good at putting out articles on not just insurance but on everyday life. One article came across my virtual desk (email) that I wanted to share, especially since we were on the subject of summertime and travel. This particular article came from their “Seasonal SMARTS Digest –On the Road Edition: Summer 2016”  and it had great info to share.

What to check before you get on the road:

This first tip I found a bit odd but obviously it’s important or it wouldn’t have been included in the article. It says that it’s common for a thief to go after the third row seat from an SUV. If you have an SUV and you have the ability to take it out, do so and leave it behind in the garage. Really? The third row? I wonder what they do with it. If anyone knows, please feel free to share.

The second tip concerns checking your tires, making sure that you have enough air in your tires and that the tread is good. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration  advises to look on your vehicles owner’s manual to find the recommended tire pressure, not the type of tire. Underinflated tires are 3 times more likely to burst and cause an accident so make sure the pressure is where it needs to be. As far as the tread on your tires, you can check the tread with a penny. The illustration below from Bridgestone Tire shows how to use a penny to see when new tires are suggested and when they are recommended.

The third tip recommends changing out your windshield wipers, especially if you haven’t used them in a while. Living in Texas, we know that the sun can be shining without a cloud in the sky one moment and flood warnings being issued the next. We never know what the weather will be like so be proactive and change out those windshield wipers.

One last tip before you head out. Click on -  The U.S Department of Transportation and it will take you directly to a list of all nation wide road closures and areas to avoid while traveling. There's even a place to check the weather in the area you will be traveling to and all the places in between. 

While you’re driving:

This first one goes out to the “over packers”. Overloading your vehicle can put more pressure on your tires. More pressure on your tires, especially in the heat, can cause a blowout. Your vehicle owner’s manual should have the load limits for your tires.

This one goes out to the “planner” of the family. Map out your trip with breaks throughout the day. Getting out of the car and walking around a bit helps with fatigue and drowsy driving. Booking a hotel in advance is always a great idea, especially during high traffic times of the year.

Not just on vacation but always follow the 3/6/9 rule. What is the 3/6/9 rule? I’ll tell you.

-        Count 3 seconds (in normal conditions) between the time the car in front of you passes a fixed object and the time you pass it.

-        Count 6 seconds (in heavy traffic or inclement weather) between the time the car in front of you passes a fixed object and the time you pass it.

-        Count 9 seconds (in severe weather) between the time the car in front of you passes a fixed object and the time you pass it.

So now you’re at you destination. Happy day! Of course there are tips for that was well.

Once you’ve reached your destination:

Protect your stuff. If you are leaving anything in the car, hide it. Use the trunk, hide items, cover items and make sure they are out of sight to prevent theft. Some even use a sunshade in the front of the vehicle and the back windows. Using them may also help keep the car a little bit cooler…

Do you have a navigation device that’s mounted on the windshield? Take it down and hide that as well. And wipe off the ring that the suction cup leaves. That’s another “Welcome” sign for thieves to break in and look for it.

While on the road there will be plenty of opportunities for your windshield to be hit by a pebble or the likes of that. I know because last summer my windshield was hit twice leaving 2 long cracks by the time we made it back to Texas from New Mexico. What I didn’t know was that not only will the heat cause the crack to spread but using your windshield wipers will as well, forcing the water into the damaged areas. Hitting potholes, slamming your doors, parking in sunny areas AND… USING YOUR AIR CONDITIONER can also cause the cracks to get worse. I don’t know about you, but there is no chance in my vehicle that we will not use the AC in this heat so I guess the crack will spread. Let’s just hope I don’t get hit with another rock this summer.

Have a great and safe summer! 

Also check out our blog, "Surviving a Road Trip With Kids". 

RING! RING! "Hello, this is the IRS and you owe money." NOT!

One thing I love about working for the Kirkwood Agency is that we are one big team. If something is happening in the world that could affect us, it will be shared throughout the office, either in an email, chat or during our weekly meetings. Recently, one of us got a call from a random number in Washington, DC and they call went something like this:

“Hello. We have been trying to reach you. I am from the office of the Internal Revenue Services calling to inform you that there is currently a lawsuit being filed against you. You have a total of $1000.00 in back taxes and it needs to be paid today. To make it easy, we have provided a few options for you; Give me your credit card number or take cash to this location and someone will be there to pick it up.”  “Ok great! Where can I meet you to take you the cash? You need my social security number?” NOT!

Who knew there are people out there actually pulling off IRS scams over the phone?  So, of course, I went to the IRS site to see what they had to say about this scam. They had it listed among their Dirty Dozen. The top of their list is Identity Theft but Phone Scams was right underneath it. The people behind this widespread Phone Scam sound like they are official employees of the IRS and some have most of your information, which makes it even scarier. This is what the IRS posted on their site about these phone scams:

5 Things Scammers Do but the IRS DOES NOT:
1. Call to demand payment or to inform you of taxes owed. They will first mail you a bill.
2. Demand payment right then and there, without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the said amount owed. 
3. Make you use a specific form of payment, such as a prepaid credit card or even an iTunes gift card, nothing else.
4. Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
5. Threaten you with law-enforcement to have you arrested for non-pay.

They also made sure to included steps to take if you don’t owe taxes and/or if you do owe. If you know you owe or may think you owe taxes, call the IRS 800-829-1040 and someone will be able to assist you there.  If you do not think that you owe any taxes but have gotten this phone call:

1. Make sure you do not give out any information and hang up the phone.
2. Contact the TIGTA – Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and report the call. You can use the IRS Impersonation Scam Report (link) web page or you can call 800-366-4484.
3. Report it to the Federal Trade Commission using FTC Complaint Assistant, adding “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes.

It’s unfortunate that awareness is needed for this or any sort of scam out there. I hope this helps to bring light to this scam and that they get reported in hopes to stop the scammers. We all love modern technology but unfortunately, so do criminals that are constantly using it to their advantage. 

*This information was taken from https://www.irs.gov/  in an effort to bring awareness to this ongoing problem.  For more information on this scam and the complete article click: IRS Wraps Up the "Dirty Dozen" List of Tax Scams for 2016.

*ANNOUNCING THE KIRKWOOD'S CLASS ACT FOR THE MONTH OF MAY!*

CONGRATULATIONS TO.....

DUSTY ORTIZ!!!

Dusty Ortiz of Timber Creek High School is our May winner. Thank you to Todd Tunnell, TCHS's principal and to the staff for letting us come in and present Mr. Ortiz with his $100 gift card from Farmers Insurance, The Kirkwood Agency, $25 gift certificate to The Local Watering Hole and 30 minute massage from Tara Hayden, Licensed Massage Therapist.

‪#‎kirkwoodclassacts ‪#‎kirkwoodagency

The teachers who have not been chosen will be placed in the running for the 2016-2017 school year. Nominations will be taken through the summer as well. So spread the word and helps us give back to our educators for all their time and hard work with our kiddos.

Have a great summer to all students, teachers and staff!