So...seeing as though Greg and I both work in insurance, we know a little something about defensive driving. We understand that we should always be aware of other vehicles and even if we have the right of way, it doesn't mean we wouldn't have any fault in an accident if one were to occur. But...sometimes you forget about this and think that you can trust other people on the road to follow the rules of the road-such as stopping at a red light! Well tonight, we almost lost our lives and I thank God that we were able to think so quickly within that short second!! Here we are enjoying a great night after the Superbowl. We're stopped at a red light at Marksheffel and HWY 24 waiting for the light to turn green so we can turn left and head home. As Greg is turned to me talking, I for some reason have a flashback to the news report from just a couple of weeks ago where the drunk driver on this very HWY hit a family and killed the dad. I'm thinking to myself how unfair it is for innocent people to be minding their own business when all of a sudden an ignorant idiot comes along and does something stupid. I'm thinking, how horrible it would be if on a night like tonight when those idiots are out driving after a few too many drinks, that after we've had such a great evening as a family, minding our own business we could be hit by someone. Cars begin to slow and then stop on 24. The light turns green and Greg and the car to our right begin to pull forward. I hear a honking, and look to the left towards Greg to see a semi hauling through his red light at about 75 mph. I have enough time to have some noise escape from my mouth and point so that Greg can turn just in time to see this idiot and slam on the breaks. Luckily the person next to us also stopped. If we hadn't or the other car hadn't...we would have died tonight! What the heck was that semi truck driver doing!! I'm still in a bit of a panic over the whole thing and can just picture what would have happened in just the second later if Greg hadn't stopped the car! I hate people!! So in light of stupid people and vehicles...this takes me back to my blog that I posted on myspace awhile back called insurance for dummies-enjoy...
1. If you are driving behind someone and they stop or slow down(even if it is for no good reason) and you hit them, YOU ARE AT FAULT!!!
2. Just because you owe more on your vehicle than what it is worth and because of the accident you car has been deemed a total loss, your insurance policy does not owe you the amount of the payoff
3. If you are involved in an accident in a parking lot where you have already pulled out of your space and another person pulls out of theirs and hits you, you will need to either have a witness or a camera to prove that you don't' have any liability in this, otherwise you will share the liability with the other party (this is the same for someone coming into your lane while driving and hitting you)
4. If you are in an accident it does not give you permission to claim every ache and pain you have in your body as an injury.
5. When choosing your deductible, understand that this is the amount you are telling your insurance company that you agree to pay if any type of accident occurs regardless of who is at fault.
6. IF you get in an accident, you need to collect all of the information from the other person. Name, address, phone, driver's license, year, make and model of the vehicle, licence plate, insurance company and policy.
7. If you vehicle is parked and someone hits your car, insurance companies are not CSI!! They cannot determine who hit your car based off of the paint on your car or a piece of the other vehicle that was laying on the ground next to yours.
8. If a car is parked illegally and you it it, you are still at fault!
9. Chiropractors are not worth going to, they charge too much for pretty much nothing.
10. Insurance companies will pay what is owed to you without you needing to go and get a lawyer. The insurance company will pay the same amount with a lawyer that they would have paid without the lawyer but the lawyer just gets to take some of your settlement.
11. If a hit and run occurs on your vehicle this is not considered to be comprehensive, it is definitely collision.
12. A police report does not always determine who is at fault for the accident. Insurance companies make their own decision.
13. If you are drunk and hit something, don't tell your insurance company that you were abducted by aliens and you don't know how your car ended up there.
14. If the whole front end of your car is smashed in, don't tell your insurance company that this is minor damage.
15. If it's just a scratch don't tell your insurance company that it's major damage!
16. If you get in an accident when it is snowy or icy, the snow and the ice cannot be at fault. Drive slower or don't drive at all.
17. Your son or daughter does not drive the same way on their own as they do when you are in the car so they probably did make an illegal Uturn causing an accident
18. Comprehensive does not mean you have full coverage.
19. If someone writes down your license plate and says you hit their car, they are probably right.
20. If a shopping cart hits your car, it is a collision. It collided with your car. Your collision deductible will apply, event if it's $1000.00 (see #5)
21. If the paint does not match your shiny and newly repaired car, we do not owe you an entire paint job on your 1994 vehicle.
22. Wait, don't tell me. Your car was broken into and you had what? A leather jacket in the backseat, in the summer, in California...
23. If you hit a police car in an intersection who happened to have his lights on because of the shooting that you just passed a block before, they are not conspiring against you to make you at fault, you were already at fault for being an idiot and not paying attention to what is in front of you.
24. When you are merging onto another road, it is not the other people's responsibility to get out of your way.
25. If your doctor told you it wasn't okay to drink while you're on a new prescription, that probably means you should not drive while drinking and being on your high of prescription drugs.
26. If a cop, dea agent, dr, attorney, fireman or even an insurance agent witnessed the accident you just caused, yes you are going to be at fault for that accident
27. If you are going to try and stage an accident to collect money on your old piece of crap car, make sure there aren't security camera's recording everything from 4 different angles.
28. You shouldn't threaten the other party with a tire iron.
29. If you just ran your brand new corvette off of the road down a 100 ft embankment, have a history of DUI, it is not wise to leave the scene of the accident to purchase a 6 pack of beer from the nearest corner store, drink half of it, call the cops then drink the other half while waiting for the cops to arrive. I'm pretty sure they'll think the accident was drinking related.
30. your age doesn't mean that you will be able to get out of everything, just because you fought in WWII doesn't mean it wasn't your fault for hitting three parked cars.
31. If you don't pay your insurance bill then you won't have insurance.
32. If you're car only has $3000 worth of damage and is worth $50,000 sorry it is not going to be considered a total loss. Deal with it you big baby!
33. A car accident does not mean free oil changes and tire changes.
34. The sun cannot be at fault for getting in your eyes!
I'm so glad you guys are okay! I have had the happen before. It is too scary.
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