Prevent Scary Auto Accidents This Halloween

Photo: Driving Test Finder

Halloween is the holiday for celebrating everything spooky. But here’s something truly scary: Halloween is one of the most dangerous holidays when it comes to automobile accidents. According to the National Safety Council, children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than any other day of the year.

What’s to blame for such a creepy statistic, and more importantly, how can we keep both kids and motorists safe on this night that’s supposed to be fun?

Luckily, there are a few easy things adults can do to protect the little ghosts and goblins in their neighborhood, and themselves if they plan to get behind the wheel.

Tips for Drivers

Yield to trick-or-treaters. Even if kids understand the basics about crossing the street properly, as a driver you should always be prepared for little ones to dart out in front of you.

Try not to pass stopped vehicles. Maybe the driver is going house-to-house with their child for trick or treating, or dropping them off at a friend’s. (And if you are dropping kids off, always use your 4-way hazard lights).

Skip the cell phone. Texting and driving is a bad habit any time of year, but it can be especially dangerous on Halloween with so many kids out and about. Keep your full attention on the road; you can answer your text messages or calls when you get to where you’re going.

If you’re going to a Halloween party, identify a designated driver in your group or have one on standby rather than get behind the wheel yourself.  

Try alternate routes. If you’re in a hurry to get somewhere or want to avoid large groups of trick or treaters, plan to take a different route through town to get to your destination.

Safety experts recommend discouraging new drivers from being on the road on Halloween simply because there are more children and potential distractions around you.

Tips for Parents

Take your child trick or treating if you can. This is the best way to ensure your child will only visit familiar houses, cross streets properly, look for cars, and overall have a safe night.

Teach your child the correct way to cross the street. Teach them to look both ways when crossing, and to only cross at corners or crosswalks. If you’re taking a young child trick or treating, make sure they are holding someone’s hand—either yours or an older child’s.

Skip your cell phone. If you’re out with your child but scrolling through social media or checking text messages, you could unknowingly lead your child into danger if you’re not paying attention to oncoming cars or what’s going on around you.

Halloween is supposed to be a time for some spooky fun—follow some basic rules, encourage your children to do the same, and enjoy the night!

Fall Home Heating Tips

Photo: Business Insider

There's something to love about every season. Whether it’s summer’s longer days and leisurely pace, the beauty of winter’s first snowfall, spring’s renewal and warmer temperatures, or fall’s incredible foliage and cooler temps (not to mention pumpkin spice everything!), if you’re fortunate enough to live in an area with four seasons, you’re luckier than you probably realize!

But along with the changes in weather come the changes in how you take care of your home and property. Sure, there’s a lot to love about fall, but one thing many homeowners don’t love is the thought of rising heating costs as colder temps approach. Heating your home is certainly a necessity, but it can  =eat up a big piece of your household budget every month. It’s important to take care of your heating units so you’re not wasting money or any of that cozy warm air.

Below are a few ways to keep your home heating system’s efficiency high and costs low:

Furnace or oil burner inspection. Scheduling a furnace or oil burner cleaning should be one of those routine appointments you put on your calendar every year, like going to the dentist or taking your dog for their annual checkup at the vet. It’s that essential for keeping your home nice and toasty all winter long. A professional HVAC technician can give your heating system a thorough check-up to make sure it’s running properly and identify small problems before they turn into big ones.

Fireplace and chimney cleaning and inspection. Along with your home’s central heating system, many homeowners like to stoke their fireplace on exceptionally cold nights. If this sounds like you, make an appointment with a chimney sweep, who can clean and inspect both the fireplace and chimney before peak season.

Find and seal leaks. Check your windows and doors for any openings or cracks and seal them accordingly with caulking or weather stripping.  Air often escapes through windows in older homes, and drafty conditions are both uncomfortable and expensive (if the cold air is coming in, then the warm air is escaping from inside!)

Watch your thermostat. For some households, winter means a regular tussle over a comfortable temperature—it seems as if someone is always too hot or too cold! Heating professionals recommend turning your thermostat down at night (and piling on the blankets) and any time you and the family are away from home. If you have a programmable thermostat, you can set it to an agreed-upon temperature that keeps everyone happy!

Clean your air filter. A dirty or clogged air filter can make your heating unit work twice as hard. Changing the air filter regularly (at least monthly) will keep your heating system running well, and improve the air quality in your home.  Family members with allergies or asthma will certainly appreciate having less pollen or other allergens circulating through the air in your home.

A few quick routine maintenance tasks can help you save money and stay warm all winter long. Would you add any other tips?

Tips for Storing Your Summer Toys

As much as we might dislike it, summer eventually comes to an end and it’s time to start thinking about cooler weather. For those of us who own seasonal “toys” like motorcycles, boats, or ATVs, the end of summer means putting these vehicles into storage for the winter. It’s just as important to take care of your toy when you’re not using it as when you are. You want it in good condition when you’re ready to get back on the road, trail, or water in the spring.

Below are a few tips to get your summer toys ready for fall:

Motorcycles

•          Top off your fuel tank.
•          Check all fluids.
•          Check your tire pressure and add air if necessary. Check your tires every few weeks throughout the fall and winter and pump them up as needed.
•          Prevent rust and corrosion. Give your bike a good waxing to minimize moisture, which can cause severe damage to the body of the bike.
•          Give the whole bike a thorough going-over before your first ride of the spring.

Boats

•           Wash it thoroughly and apply a coat of wax to minimize moisture.
•           Change the oil.  Replace the filter, flush out any lingering oil, and add the new oil.
•           Top off your fuel tank.
•           Refresh your coolant system. Drain the coolant in the system, flush with water, and replace with fresh antifreeze.
•          Spray the carburetor with anti-fogger to protect your engine’s moving parts.
•          Remove any on-board equipment and essentials (life jackets, fire extinguishers, GPS devices, etc.) and store them in a cool, dry location through the winter. Don’t leave any sensitive electronics onboard and exposed to the elements.

ATVs

•         Wash your ride thoroughly.
•          Check your coolant. Top it off or change it completely if it’s more than two years old.

•          Add fresh fuel to your tank.
•          Change the oil and oil filter.
•          Remove and charge the battery. Store it in a cool, dry location and connect it to a trickle charger.
•          Block up any holes or pipes to discourage rodents and other critters from building a home inside your machine!

Take the time to do a few simple maintenance tasks that will keep your toy in good condition throughout the winter. When the warm weather arrives, you should be ready to go in no time!

ETA Insurance Group can help you protect all of your summer (and winter!) toys. From boats and ATVs to snowmobiles, we can shop around to find you the best coverage for your needs and budget. Contact us today for more information. 

Why a Home Fire Evacuation Plan is Important

October 7-13, 2018, is Fire Prevention Week, which is the perfect opportunity to practice (or devise) a fire evacuation plan for your household.

A fire can be devastating, easily causing thousands of dollars in property damage, not to mention the lasting physical, emotional or psychological effects it can have on a family. An evacuation plan can help everyone in the house understand what to do and where to go if a fire breaks out. You may not be able to save your home or all the contents, but if you have a plan in place, you significantly increase the odds of getting all family members out safely. Remember—timing is everything, as you may literally only have a few minutes to get out.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is a great resource for developing an evacuation plan for your home. According to an NFPA study, only one of every three households in America has developed and utilized a fire evacuation plan. Every member of your family should be involved in creating one for your home and understand how to use it. Below are some general fire safety tips:

• Make sure your home has smoke detectors in every bedroom, kitchen (away from the stove), and living room—ideally every floor in your home should have at least one smoke detector.
• Encourage everyone to know two ways out of every room in the house.
• Designate a meeting place in front of your house for everyone to gather when they leave the house.
• Test your smoke detectors at least twice a year (a good rule of thumb is to test them when the clocks are changed during Daylight Savings Time).
• Once your escape plan is developed, test its effectiveness with a drill once or twice a year—once at night and once during the day.
• If your smoke detector does go off, leave immediately and don’t go back in for any reason. You may not make it out a second time.
• Call the fire department from a safe space outside your home.

Practicing good fire safety is everyone’s responsibility. It only takes a few minutes to develop a plan that could prevent a tragedy.

Most homeowners' insurance includes coverage for loss or damage related to fire. You can also purchase fire insurance for additional protection. This extra coverage helps with the costs of repair, replacement, or reconstruction of property above and beyond what your homeowners' policy covers. 

How to Keep Your Home Pest-Free This Fall

Photo: Pennington

As the seasons change and the temperatures drop, everyone will be spending more time indoors, and that includes furry little pests. Unfortunately, critters might be cute (who doesn’t like watching a little squirrel or chipmunk in the wild?), but once they invade your property, they can be downright annoying, if not destructive. Besides the obvious areas like garbage cans, sheds, and garages, critters can invade your actual home and cause quite a bit of damage.

Below are a few tips for securing your home against these unwanted visitors. Get more tips and advice from the National Pest Management Association's website.

·        Try to locate the animals’ point of entry and seal it. Holes or cracks in a building’s foundation, a door that’s not quite closed, unsecured attic windows, and a whole host of other neglected spots in your home’s physical frame can invite little vermin.  Do a close inspection of your home’s exterior and look for any spots where small creatures could fit through, and seal them with expanding foam, caulking, or other sealant (ask your local hardware or pest control professional for the best products to use).
        
 Check your doors and windows.  Seal any loose weather stripping, repair ripped or missing screens, and check the door hinges (to make sure the door is hung and can close properly) and window closures to make sure the window closes tightly. Animals like mice or even bats can fit through very small openings, so keep everything shut to deter their entry into your house.

  Don’t store pet food in the original bag. Your dog or cat aren’t the only ones who like dried kibble—wildlife will eat it, too.  Rather than keep the food in its original paper bag, store it in a metal garbage can (mice can’t climb up the slippery sides—although they’d also have some real trouble removing the lid!) or a plastic bin with a snap-top lid.

  Clean up yard debris. Maintaining our yards is a lot of work, but if you have a stacked woodpile, excessive piles of leaves, or grass clippings strewn about, these are all perfect materials for critters to use for building nests either on your property or elsewhere and generally creating a bigger mess for you to clean up.  Raking and bagging leaves is a big job, but it’s necessary to keep pests out of your yard. Another tip: keep your tree and shrub branches trimmed. Pests can easily use long branches to enter your attic or basement.

Set traps. If you’re seeing a lot of mouse droppings or other signs of infestation (chewed boxes or other possessions) in your basement or attic, set traps in different locations around the area. If you can’t seem to catch the critter but they’re still leaving their mark, call a pest control company if your DIY methods aren’t working.

Pests can chew through wiring, nest in your attic’s insulation, or simply spread disease through the germs they carry (yes, even those cute little squirrels and chipmunks can make you sick!)  Protect your family and property by doing a few simple maintenance tips and keep unwanted critters out of your home.