National Drunk Driving Prevention Month

With the end of November starting us off with Thanksgiving leading to December with office parties, visiting family for Christmas and more gatherings into the New Year. One gathering after another, sometimes driving to several different places during the holidays and maybe even enjoying a few festive adult beverages at each stop. It’s perfectly fine to enjoy the holiday’s with a beverage just make sure you have someone else drive.

In search of difference ways to sober up before you get behind the wheel, I went to the best place possible, the internet. If it’s on the internet then it’s true, right? Here’s a few drinking alcohol MYTHS that I found on Lifehacker.com:

1.      Drinking caffeine can sober you up – it may counter the sleepiness from drinking alcohol but it’s NOT going to sober you up.

2.      Having a bite to eat will soak up the alcohol and sober you up – maybe eating before you had alcohol and only if it was a few sips.

3.      Drinking kills brain cells – research shows this to be false but I don’t know. We all have that one friend. Just kidding.

4.      Once you “Break the Seal” you’ll be “going” more often – it’s not that you broke the seal, it’s the alcohol itself that makes you go more.

5.      One drink an hour keeps you sober enough to drive – we all process alcohol differently so this one is hard to measure.

To summarize, caffeine nor food will help you sober up, you just have to wait it out. You won’t lose any brain cells from drinking. Alcohol is what makes you “go” more. Instead of the “one drink an hour keeps you sober enough to drive” theory, go with the “better safe than sorry” theory.  

December is National Drunk Driving Prevention Month. No one likes to read about tragedies but it’s important to raise awareness. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, from December 1, 2013 – January 1, 2014, there are 2,367 DUI-alcohol traffic crashes in Texas resulting in 763 serious injuries and 92 fatalities. One life lost is too many but according to TxDOT, these numbers are down 8.9% compared to the same time frame as the previous year. Less is great but none is even better, especially since this can all be avoided.

There’s no excuse for driving under the influence. It’s against the law so why would you want to, especially when you have options:

1.      Call a taxi

2.      Get the Uber or Lyft app 

3.      Have a designated driver

4.      Take one for the team and you be the designated driver

5.      If you have to get out, make arrangement to stay at your destination

If you going to have an adult beverage, use these options. Don’t put your life or anyone else’s life in danger this holiday season. Have a safe and happy holiday season.

Are you an Uber or Lyft driver? Give the office a call today and let us make sure you have the right auto coverage because having the right insurance is NO accident.

One More Week Until the The Kirkwood Agency's Annual Christmas Open House and Shopping Extravaganza!!!

Join us for a night of fun and festivities! We will have.....

Senior Angel Tree (Adopt a local senior citizen)

Pictures with Santa from 6:30 - 7:30 (FREE)

Shopping with local vendors (Scentsy, Mary Kay, Origami Owl, Younique, Jamberry, Stella and Dot, Doterra Oils, Massage Gift Certificates by Tara Hayden, Clothing Boutique, Pampered Chef, Princess House,  and more)

Wine tasting with Sarah

Can food drive to support Community Storehouse

Food and beverages.

Make plans to stop by, we know it's a busy time of year, but you can get some Christmas shopping done and see some great people

Prepping Your Home for Winter Weather

I know… I know… It’s only been cool for a week or so and it’s probably too soon to put up the summer clothes with our unpredictable weather. Even so, why not be one step ahead of the game and at least get our homes ready for winter? Better to be ahead than behind, right?

Start off by doing a walk through of your house, inside and outside. Check the windows and doors, specifically for drafts. You don’t want any warm air going out and you certainly don’t want any cold air coming in. You also want to check for breaks or cracks in your pipes and then cover them up with insulation to prevent them from breaking or cracking if it were to freeze this winter.

When’s the last time your gutters have been cleaned out? Now is the time to give them a check and clean them out to prevent damage to your home in a freeze. If you don’t get them cleaned out, melting ice and snow can get into your home through the roof or even flood your home because of full gutters not letting the melted ice or snow drain. While you’re cleaning your gutters or if you have your gutters cleaned by a professional, have them check out your roof as well for any damage. If there is damage to your roof and a snow or ice storm happens, once it all starts to melt, those damaged areas have the potential to let water seep into the roof and cause damage to the inside of your home. 

If you have a fireplace you should have that checked as well. Make sure that birds have not built nests in there and that you don’t have build up from last year’s cozy fireplace time. I’ve heard it said that chimney’s should be cleaned once a year, depending on how much you use it. Most companies will inspected it while they are there to clean it as well, checking the integrity of the chimney and making sure all is secure and clean before you use it.

STOCK UP... Our family made the mistake of not completely stocking up the year of Icemageddon back in 2013. We honestly didn’t think it was going to be that bad. Thank goodness we aren’t too far from a 7-11. We really needed to get out of the house anyway so we bundled up and made the trek on foot to stock up on as many things as we could carry. When Icemageddon of 2014 was on its way, WE WERE READY! Mental note taken and we were not going to get caught without supplies this time. Stocking up not just on the food but on batteries, wood for your clean fireplace in case the power goes out, candles, board and card games. It’s good to have these around your house once the weather starts to get cold that way you don’t have to fight the crowds. Avoid the madness and be prepared just in case there's an Icemageddon III. 

While the weather is nice, turn on your heater and open up your windows. Let your home air out from the funky smell the heater lets out when you turn on the heater for the first time. 

For more information on prepping your home for the winter, check out, “Winter Weather Home Maintenance Checklist” and the picture below.

The information contained in this page is provided for general informational purposes only. 

The Kirkwood Agency's Annual Christmas Open House and Shopping Extravaganza

The Kirkwood Agency's Annual Christmas Open House and Shopping Extravaganza

Join us for a night of fun and festivities!
Thursday, December 10th from 4:30pm - 8:30pm

Farmers Insurance, The Kirkwood Agency
130 E Hill St.
Keller TX 76248

We will have.....
Senior Angel Tree (Adopt a local senior citizen)
Pictures with Santa from 6:30 - 7:30 (FREE)
Shopping with local vendors (Scentsy, Mary Kay, Origami Owl, Ramon's Swag Bags, Younique, Stella and Dot, Doterra Oils, Massage Gift Certificates by Tara Hayden, Clothing Boutique, Pampered Chef, Princess House and more)
Wine tasting with Sarah
Can food drive to support Community Storehouse
Food and beverages

Make plans to stop by, we know it's a busy time of year, but you can get some Christmas shopping done and see some great people!

Hydroplaning

As we all know, if you live in Texas, expect the unexpected when it comes to the weather. It can be pouring rain one minute, stop raining and the ground dry as dry can be a few minutes later as if nothing ever happened. It’s the strangest thing but that’s how it goes.

Driving in the pouring rain can be difficult, especially if it’s coming down so hard that your windshield wipers can’t keep up with it. The more it rains the faster the wipers go and it’s just an overall distraction. And then there’s the possibility of hydroplaning. Now that is scary!

Our first instinct is to slam on the brakes which is not the right thing to do. Slamming on the brakes will just make matters worse, locking up the brakes and could also cause you to spin out. Hitting the gas is not the way to go either. Remaining clam is the first thing to do, point your vehicle straight and let it slow down on its own.

Driving like a NASCAR driver is not the way to drive in the rain. No one is saying to drive at a snail’s pace but slow it down. Driving at a high speed can cause you to hydroplane. If the tread on your tires is worn, that also could put you at a higher risk. You can check the tread with a penny by placing it upside down in the tread of the tire. If you can’t see Lincoln’s head, your tread is good. If you can see his head, I’d consider looking into buying new tires.

Cruise control when it’s raining is a no-no. Your vehicle does not know when it’s raining and won’t know to slow down when there’s water in the road. With your car in cruise control the water could cause your car to appear to be slowing down and therefore causing the cruise control to speed your car up. It’s always better for you to be in control of your vehicle, especially if it’s raining so give the cruise control a break.

Vehicle speed, tire tread and weather all can contribute to causing your car to hydroplane. Farmers posted a great article, Hydroplaning. What it is and how to avoid it with more detailed information and helpful tips on what hydroplaning is and how to prevent it. 

Teal Pumpkins At Halloween? What Do They Mean?

There seems to be more people effected by food allergies, especially nut allergies, these days. Peanut allergies are so bad that most if not all schools are nut free zones.  That has to be scary for parents during this time of year with Halloween and trick or treating.

In an effort to protect food allergy sensitive children, an organization called FARE or Food Allergy Research & Education came up The Teal Pumpkin Project. What they came up with is, to show homes have an alternative to candy, they place a teal pumpkin outside their homes. How cool is that? These homes have a bucket of candy and a separate bucket with stuff that’s not food like bubbles, stickers, things that glow, pencils, erasers, crayons, etc.

No one wants to feel left out, especially for something that is out of their control. I encourage you to participate and put out a teal pumpkin for those children that have food allergies. If you don’t have a teal pumpkin, have a sign saying you have nonfood items as well as candy.

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!

For more information on the Teal Pumpkin Project and a list of non-food items, go to http://www.foodallergy.org/teal-pumpkin-project. 

HELP! My Teen Will Be Driving Soon!

October 18^th through the 24^th is National Teen Driving Safety Week so let’s talk about what parents can do to help teens be a better driver and what to expect when shopping for insurance for them.

Our kids learn from us all the time. When my kids were little, I often heard, “They’re like little sponges. They pick up everything.” Isn’t that the truth? They pick up what you say and how you do things very early on in their lives. This also goes for how you handle yourself while driving. And just when you think they are completely zoned in on their phones, tablets or a movie they are watching. 

Here are a few tips to follow, especially when your kids, babies thru teenagers, are in the car:

• Be a good driver – Remember, they are watching you, even if they have their faces in their phones or tablets. Be the example by not being on your phone while you’re driving, control your road rage and obey the traffic signs. I know there are some not so safe drivers out there so drive defensively but stay calm.
• Put them in Driver’s Ed- There are people out there that are trained to teach our teens how to drive so let them. Sign them up for Driver’s Ed. Less stress for you and probably for your teen as well. OH!!! And it could very well help with a discount on your auto insurance. More on that later…
• Give them rules – You’re the boss so you get to say when they can drive and who they can have in the car. Farmers has an article, Parents of Teen Drivers that suggests even to write out a contract with them, listing what the guidelines are and what you expect of them while they are behind the wheel. As time goes, if none of the rules are broken, maybe that can mean they gain more drive time or some sort of a rewards for sticking to the rules.  
•    Be real with them about driving risks – Talk to them about the dangers of drinking and driving. Also talk to them about the dangers of distracted driving with their phones, the radio, even a passenger. Sit down with them and really dig into the dangers of drinking and driving and with distracted driving. It’s not meant to scare them but to raise awareness of the possible dangers that can happen when behind the wheel.

Have you started shopping for Auto Insurance for your teen?  Is it better to put them on your existing policy or set them up with their own policy? There are benefits to both. If you put them on your policy, although it may raise your rates, they could get the same benefits you have and get a discount. Now here’s the reason you may want to get them their own. *Car accidents for teens 16-17 are three times higher than the general population. Some families decided to go with setting them up on their own to keep their insurance clean, just in case their teen were to get in an accident.

Once you decide on whether to add your teen to your account or separately, we can look into what kind of coverage to get for them. Will the car they are driving be a used or a new car? Will they be driving with others in the car besides siblings?  Do you go with just liability if it’s an older car? Would you need to add any other coverage for your teen driver? These are all things we can look at because having the right insurance is NO accident.

With the possibility of high rates with a teen on your policy and talk of possible extra coverage, I’m sure you’re wanting to know more about any possible discounts that can help lower premiums. Well there are a few Classroom Discounts :

• Driver’s Education – Did your teen go through a state-approved drivers education course? If so, this can qualify for a discount.
• Good Student – For High School students, with at least a B average and College Students with at least a 3.0, discount! Is your student is on the Honor Roll or the Dean’s list? Discount! Are they in the top 20% of their class and/or top 20% in national standardized tests? Discount! It pays, or discounts, to be a good student. Parents are then rewarded.
• Distant Student- If your teen driver is off at school and it's +100 miles from home, discount!
• Multi-car – Putting your teen driver on your policy can also give you a discount.

It happens in the blink of an eye. One day they are little ones, getting into everything they can and then next they are getting into a car to drive themselves to and from places. The best things for us to do is be the example or as Parents of Teen Drivers says, “Think of yourself as a road role model, and drive that way.”  

"So it's simple: You burn me, you fail. You don't, you pass." -DMV Examiner, License to Drive 

*Information was taken from Car Insurance Shopping for Teens and Parents of Teen Drivers. The information taken from these articles is provided for general informational purposes only. The information is not meant as professional or expert advice, and any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk. 

**Information taken from Insurance Institute for Highway safety