Haines Insurance Consumer Tips

Tips for Antilock Brakes
Winter Storm Safety
Understanding Insurance
Tips for Safe and Cost Effective Home Heating

Tips for Antilock Brakes Antilock brakes are designed to prevent wheel lock-up, steerability and improve stopping capabilities. To learn more about how to use ABS safely, review these tips:

Step on it: Always apply antilock brakes consistently and firmly. Never pump antilock brakes. Doing so can actually cause a loss of steering and braking control.

Don't let up on the brake pedal. Keep your foot on the brake pedal even when you feel a noise or pulsating effect of the brake pedal. This is a normal sign that the ABS is working properly, even if they make bonging and groaning noises. ABS does the pumping for you, often at speeds of up to 20 times per second.

Steer clear of trouble. With the increased steering control you gain during emergency stops with ABS, focus your attention on steering away from anyone or anything in your path. While steering response may not feel as smooth when the ABS is working, it is still there. Just don't steer too hard and run off the road.

Practice. Take time to learn how your car reacts in slick situations and when you jam on the brakes by practicing in an empty, rain-, ice- or snow-covered parking lot. With time, you'll lose the urge to pump the brake pedal.

Know the difference between four-wheel and rear-wheel ABS. Four-wheel ABS is generally found on passenger cars and is designed to maintain steerability in emergency braking situations. Rear-wheel antilock brakes -- found on light trucks, vans and sports utility vehicles -- are designed to maintain directional stability and prevent the vehicle from skidding sideways.

Don’t expect ABS to work miracles. With or without ABS, stopping distances will be longer with slippery road conditions. On deep gravel or freshly fallen snow, the ABS stopping distances can be longer, but drivers won’t experience the dangerous wheel lock-up that is usually associated with conventional hard braking.

Winter Storm Safety The bliss and tranquility that often accompanies the proverbial “Winter Wonderland” could turn chaotic if you don’t follow the proper cold weather safety precautions. Do you know what to do if you get stranded in your car? What can you do to prevent ice storm damage? Here are some tips for preparing for a winter storm.

Before the Storm

Know the winter terminology that may appear across the bottom of your television screen or on the local radio station.

Complete an itemized inventory of your furnishings and personal belongings and store in a safe place with insurance policies, legal documents and other valuables. Keep these documents in a fireproof box or in a safe deposit box at your bank. As you go through each room, list every item including the date of purchase, price and model or serial numbers. Don’t forget to list the value.

Winterize your car long before the first snowfall hits. Winter weather is unpredictable and may surprise you early in the season. Prepare a disaster kit for your car or truck which includes:

If you have a wood burning fireplace, stock an ample supply of logs that can be easily reached during a storm.

Winterize your trees and bushes by trimming long branches. The ice and wet snow that accumulates on branches can cause damage to your home, car or neighbors.

Salt and shovel walkways often.

Drain your pipes if you go on vacation or experience a power outage to prevent your pipes from freezing and bursting.

Make certain that each family member has a warm winter coat, gloves or mittens, hat or scarf and water-resistant boots.

Keep your gas tank full in the winter months to protect your fuel line from freezing.

During . . .

Cover your mouth with a scarf or ski mask to protect your lungs.

Heat escapes most rapidly through the head. Cover your head with a hat or scarf to prevent heat loss.

Minimize cold drafts and conserve energy in your house by stuffing cracks around doors and windows with rugs, newspapers or towels.

Stay inside and wear loose fitting, layered and lightweight clothing.

When you leave during a winter storm or when severe weather threatens, let a family member or friend know your destination, travel route and estimated time of arrival.

When your windshield wipers are frozen to your windshield, gently lift your wipers off the windshield instead of relying on the wiper motor. This practice will prevent your wipers from freezing to the glass and increase your wiper motor’s life span.

If you find that your locks are frozen, try using a lighter to warm up the end of the key.

ABS brakes were not designed to be pumped in icy weather. To activate brakes, apply firm consistent pressure.

Use your headlights when your windshield wipers are running.

When shoveling, take frequent breaks and avoid over exertion. Push the snow instead of lifting it if possible.

If you get stranded in your car:

Most deaths that occur during a winter storm are not caused directly by the storm, rather from ignorance and impatience. The three leading causes of winter storm related deaths are:

Assist elderly neighbors and people with special needs. Offer to remove the snow from their driveway, fetch necessities or invite them into your home to wait out the storm.

After . . .
Once the storm conditions subside, assess your home and property for ice and storm damage.

Contact Haines Insurance as soon as possible to file a claim.

Dry any wet building materials or contents promptly to avoid mold, mildew or further damage. These include materials and items such as carpeting, furniture, insulation and drywall.

If you have access to a camera or video camcorder, document your losses. This will help speed up the claims process. Compile a list of damaged items.

Hold off on permanent repairs until we approve your reimbursement.

Keep all receipts related to repairs and temporary housing.

Carefully brush the heavy accumulation of snow off your roof.

Keep gutters clear, if possible, and shovel snow away from downspouts, basement window wells and stairwells.

Beware of high water runoff and possible sewer problems as the snow melts.

To prevent flooding, be sure your street storm sewer is clear of snow, ice and debris.

Check your sump pump periodically to ensure that it is handling the amount of water from thawing snow. Auxiliary pumps are available at home centers. Wet vacs, fans and humidifiers can also help to keep the area dry if a sump pump fails.

Did You Know?
Did you know that the three leading causes of winter storm related deaths are traffic accidents, heart attacks from shoveling snow and exposure to the cold? These killers can be conquered with a simple mix of common sense and patience.

Understanding Insurance What is insurance? Simply stated, it’s protection against a financial loss. There are many risks associated with day-to-day living – floods, fire, auto accidents, lawsuits, illness – and insurance can help you plan more confidently for the future with the assurance of knowing that you are protected should the unexpected loss occur.

Haines Insurance offers a broad range of insurance products and coverage for your auto, home, business and life needs. Haines Insurance sells insurance policies that protect an insured against financial hardship caused by losses such as accidents, fires, weather-related disasters and death.

General Types of Insurance Coverage

Auto: This insurance protects against financial loss if you have an auto accident. General types of coverage include property, liability and medical.

Uninsured/Underinsured motorist coverage pays you and other vehicle passengers if a driver who crashes into your car has no or insufficient insurance.

Home: Homeowners insurance can cover fire, weather-related destruction and other losses, depending on the coverage purchased. Two common types of coverage options include:

Actual cash, where the value of the property value is determined by taking the value of what it would cost to replace the property and then subtracting an amount for depreciation.

Replacement cost, which doesn’t consider depreciation and instead covers the cost of labor, materials and services necessary to replace or repair building damages with materials of similar kind and quality.

Life: Life insurance provides protection against adverse financial consequences of a death in the form of payment to a beneficiary, whether in a lump sum or through installments.

There are two basic types of life insurance:

Term insurance, which provides coverage for a specified period of time

Cash value insurance, which combines a death benefit with a cash value component.

Commercial: Commercial insurance protects business owners from certain business-related losses, including injured workers and equipment and building destruction. Own your own business or a member of a partnership? In most cases, you have the option of whether to cover yourself as an employee or not.

Tips For Safe and Cost Effective Home Heating Checking your furnace can lower operating costs, protect your family against fire hazards and carbon monoxide poisoning and prevent your furnace from quitting at an inopportune time – such as in the middle of a dark and snowy night.

Furnace Maintenance Checklist

Follow these steps to help your heating system operate safely and efficiently all season long.

Turn off the electricity to the furnace. A clean filter means more efficient operation. If you haven't regularly cleaned or replaced the filter or filters, do it now and check it throughout the heating season. If you have a central air conditioning system that operates with the furnace blower, count on replacing the filter more often.

Next, remove dust from the blower blades and motor body. Oil the motor and check the fan belt by lightly pressing it. If it doesn’t give about an inch, adjust it until it does. If it shows wear, replace it. To maximize efficiency, seal the filter opening with duct tape and make sure the blower cabinet door closes firmly.

Vacuum the grills and gently clean the thermostat monthly. At least once a year, remove all of the heating system's grills, including the cold air returns, and remove any obstruction from the ducts. Check ductwork for improper connections and tape the seams with duct tape if necessary.

Perform a draft hood test for combustion air. If the furnace doesn't get enough fresh air, combustion gases, including carbon monoxide, can spill out of the draft hood and into the house rather than being drawn up into the chimney. Here is how to test for combustion air:

• Close all exterior and bedroom doors. Also close all of the windows and the dampers on any fireplaces or wood stoves.
  Open the interior door to the basement or furnace room.
• Then open any interior doors standing between the furnace and the exhaust fans for the kitchen, bathrooms, clothes dryer and other vented appliances such as the water heater.
• Turn on the furnace. Wait for a few minutes for the draft to stabilize, then hold a smoking kitchen match or incense stick two inches from the draft hood opening. If the smoke draws into the draft hood, the furnace is venting properly. If it blows away from the hood, combustion gases are spilling into the house and you need to call a professional heating contractor immediately. Until the contractor fixes the problem, leave a furnace room window slightly open.

When To Call the Pros
An oil furnace should be serviced and cleaned by a qualified technician every year, a gas furnace every two years. This service person will do more complicated tasks, such as:

• Check and adjust the thermostat's calibration
• Clean and adjust the burners
• Clean and adjust all the safety, pilot assembly and time controls
• Adjust the pressure regulator
  Inspect and clean the heat exchanger
• Lubricate all moving parts
• Check the flue pipe and diverter
• Replace the supply line filter in an oil furnace
• Check for gas leaks and carbon monoxide emissions
• Monitor the complete cycle for overall efficiency and
  Correct any problems.

Is It Time For a New Furnace?
An old furnace, even in good condition, may use only 60 percent of the available heat to warm the house. That means 40 cents of every heating dollar goes out the chimney.

The best high-efficiency furnaces waste less than five cents of every heating dollar. The general rule of thumb is if your furnace is over 10 years old and needs $600 or more in repairs, you probably want to replace it. However, if it is in good working condition, you probably want to live with it for awhile longer unless you have a large house, lots of windows, high heating bills or a combination of all three.

HAINES INSURANCE AGENCY
203 WEST MAIN STREET
P. O. BOX 636
RISING SUN, MD 21911
410-658-6330/800-554-2463
FAX 410-658-6369