Prom Season and Teen Driving

Spring means prom season time and along with prom season comes the need for families to be aware of the risks that young drivers face. Statistically, Springtime is the most deadly month for young drivers, with the months of May and June being the highest risk times. Additionally, Saturday-the usual night chosen for proms by schools in the area-is the highest risk day of the week, with the majority of incidents taking place between 9pm and 6am.


When you add in all of the external factors that can raise the risk of accident during prom season-distraction from passengers, risk of alcohol and fatigue, it becomes extremely important that parents stress safety during prom. Here are some tips for parents to keep in mind when discussing the responsibility of safe driving:

• Celebrate the accomplishment of getting a drivers license, but also discuss the responsibility that comes with it.
• Be parental! Provide guidelines, establish rules, and uphold the consequences for breaking the rules.
• Don't rush the learning process. Be patient and allow your teen plenty of time to acclimate him or her to driving at different times of day, and in different conditions.
• Practice what you preach! Leading by example is a powerful tool. If your teen driver sees you driving responsibly, under control and within the rules of the road, this sets a positive example for him or her to follow.

There is, of course, no substitute for experience on the road, but laying a solid foundation of driving fundamentals for your teen can make a massive difference.

Distracted Driving

Nearly everyone these days has a cell phone, and regardless if you primarily use the phone to talk, or to text, one thing that is for certain is that using the phone while driving is an extremely risky proposition.

Roads, especially in our area, are busy at nearly all times of the day, so its wise to stay focused on the task of driving instead of answering a call or a message. Various institutions have been studying this issue for the past several years. Here are a few facts regarding distracted driving:

• Driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37% (Carnegie Mellon)
• Nearly 6,000 people died in crashes involving a distracted driver, and more than half a million were injured. (NHTSA)
• The younger, inexperienced drivers under 20 years old have the highest proportion of distraction-related fatal crashes. (NHTSA)
• Drivers who use hand held devices are four times as likely to have a crash serious enough to injure themselves. (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
• Using a cell phone while driving-either hand-held or hands-free-delays a driver's reactions as much as having a BAC of .08%. (University of Utah)

There is enough evidence in academia to show a direct causation between distraction and risk of serious accident. Remember, when in the car, your first and most important priority is to operate the vehicle safely.

Between endless road construction, animals, weather and other drivers, there are plenty of hazards on the road without adding a degree of difficulty for yourself. Remember to stay focused-it could save your life!

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Water and Basements

With Springtime approaching, it's important to take a fresh look at your homeowner's insurance coverage to make sure your finished basement is covered appropriately.

With the ground saturated from a Winter's worth of snow melting, and with Spring showers exacerbating the level of moisture in the ground, it's extra important to make sure that if you have a backup sump system in good working order and that you have coverage on your homeowner's policy for sump backup-just in case!

Don't let your finished basement become a soggy nightmare! Call your agent for a full policy review today. Remember-a phone call today can save you money tomorrow!

Rate Increases: A General Primer

Trying to discern why your insurance rates have increased can be a very tricky proposition. Here are some of the more common reasons why rates can change from one renewal to the next:

• Recent claim activity
• A discount you were receiving changing
• General rate changes in the state you reside
• Changes to the structure of the policy, or different cars or additional drivers

When a rate increase happens, the best thing to do is to work with your agent! He or she may be able to identify opportunities for additional savings through new discounts and changing deductibles or coverages.

Rate increases are certainly not ideal, but with good communication with your agent, they can often be mitigated.

Welcome To The Havlic Insurance Blog!

Welcome to the official Havlic Insurance blog!

Over the coming weeks and months, we're going to be bringing you some exciting content! Be ready for informative articles discussing insurance questions and needs, claim facts, planning and preparedness tips, and much more!

We will also be providing video content which we hope will demostrate how Havlic Insurance & Associates is the right fit for you and your family!

Please feel free to post comments, questions or feedback at all times-the more communication we have, the better we can serve you!