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Steve Brooks Insurance Services eNewsletter
Phone: 800-915-3090 |
Safeguarding the interests of you and your family
July 2009 |
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Dear Friends,
We trust this eNewsletter finds you and your family well and staying cool in this very warm summer season.
Many cities and counties are now restricting water usage, so this is a good time to re-think our home landscaping and gardens. We can still enjoy our thirsty roses and hydrangeas but we also need to open our eyes to native or drought- tolerant plants. Try to incorporate these low-maintenance plants into your yard. By doing so, we're conserving water, providing wildlife habitat, nurturing the soil, causing less pollution by not using toxic garden pesticides and landscaping locally. As an added bonus, we'll also save money on our gardener AND help protect our home from fire. It's a win-win!
In this issue, we once again look at the potential of a big earthquake in Los Angeles, how "drugged driving" is replacing drunk driving, and how concert promoter AEG had a cancellation insurance policy on Michael Jackson.
Lastly, please call our office to make sure your insurance needs are properly covered... whether it's auto, earthquake, homeowners or commercial, we can help you.
Thank you for your valued business.
With kind regards and thoughts of safety,
Steve M. Brooks, CIC, CPIA
Founder/President
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| Fewer Drunk Drivers on U.S. Roads; Concern Rises Over Drugged Drivers |
A new roadside survey by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration confirms a continuing decline in the percentage of legally intoxicated drivers.
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In 1973, 7.5 percent of drivers had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. In the latest survey, that figure had fallen to 2.2 percent. A BAC of .08 or higher is now above the legal limit in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Previous roadside surveys conducted by NHTSA have measured only alcohol. But the 2007 survey used new screening techniques that detected other substances as well and in the future may help show the extent of drug impairment among drivers.
The survey found 16.3 percent of nighttime weekend drivers were drug positive. The survey focused on weekend nighttime drivers and found that the drugs used most commonly by drivers were: marijuana (8.6 percent); cocaine (3.9 percent); and over-the-counter and prescription drugs (3.9 percent).
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said he is concerned about the prevalence of drivers who use drugs, and officials should continue to fight against all impaired drivers.
"This troubling data shows us, for the first time, the scope of drugged driving in America, and reinforces the need to reduce drug abuse," said Gil Kerlikowske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. "Drugged driving, like drunk driving, is a matter of public safety and health. It puts us all at risk and must be prevented."
NHTSA is conducting further research to assess how drug traces correspond to driver impairment since some drugs can remain in the body for days or even weeks.
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| News Oddities |
'God Bless America': Red Sox Fan Settles Lawsuit with Yankees
A baseball fan has settled a lawsuit that claimed he was kicked out of Yankee Stadium by a police officer because he left his seat
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to use the bathroom during the playing of "God Bless America."
Boston Red Sox fan Bradford Campeau-Laurion had named the Yankees and New York City in his federal lawsuit, which argued that he was a victim of political and religious discrimination and that his rights were violated at the August 2008 game.
The city did not admit liability in the settlement, which was finalized this week. But it will give the Queens resident $10,001 and will pay $12,000 in legal fees to the New York Civil Liberties Union.
For its part, the Yankees will pay nothing but said in settlement papers that fans at the team's new stadium are allowed to move freely during the song and there are no plans to change that.
"Policy remains as it always has been: Fans are free to move about during the playing of 'God Bless America',said Alice McGillion, spokeswoman for the Yankees.
In May 2007, Trost told The New York Times that the practice was inspired by complaints of fans who were upset that spectators were not respectful enough during the playing of "God Bless America".
The song, written by Irving Berlin in 1918, was played at big league ballparks throughout the country when baseball resumed after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. It was discontinued in some cities the following seasons but remained a fixture at Yankees games.
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Coffee Customers Pay it Forward
BLUE SPRINGS, Miss. - A Missouri coffee shop said a chain of customers paying for the drinks of the customers behind them |
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has lasted for more than a week.
Garin Bledsoe, owner of the Steamin' Bean in Blue Springs, said the chain began with a drive-through customer who wanted to pay for the next customer's drink as well as her own, and since then more than 1,000 customers have followed her example by accepting drinks paid for by the person in front of them and paying it forward.
"It's hard times, but people are wanting to be part of something, knowing their 5 cents, their dollar goes to a greater good," Bledsoe said. "They may not be able to change the economy, but they can change one person a day by doing a simple little gesture."
He said a fund started by customers wishing to continue the pay-it-forward scheme in case someone breaks the chain has reached more than $160.
Bledsoe said the woman who started the chain recently returned to the coffee shop and witnessed the pattern she had originated.
"She started crying," Bledsoe said. "I explained to her we had generated so much money, people are giving so much here, I'm going to give money to these people. She just started crying. She thought it was great."
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| LOS ANGELES - Is the "Big One" Closer Than We Think? |
Scientists are trying to determine if a spike in tremors in the center portion of the San Andreas Fault could be a warning sign of a big earthquake in the near future.
Seismic researchers at UC Berkeley say they've recorded over 2,000 tremors on the fault's central section over an eight-year period.
Unlike small earthquakes,
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tremors occur deeper below the surface, and the shaking lasts longer.
"They're deeper earthquakes, and they also are slower, so the amount of energy that would be released in just a few seconds, or a few minutes, a regular quake would take a much longer time to be released than one of these slower longer type quakes," said Dr. Morgan Page from the U.S. Geological Survey.
They found that tremors increased twice during the eight-year-period, both before significant quakes: a 6.5-magnitude quake in 2003 and then again in 2004.
"There was increased tremor activity about three weeks before the earthquakes. Now what we don't know is if that's cause-related. Perhaps the tremor caused the powerful earthquake six weeks later, and if we had more instances where there was increased tremor activity right before an earthquake, it could help us predict when big earthquakes might happen," Page said.
Seismologists say the study is intriguing and could help warn Californians of what's ahead, but they say there's not enough data to know what the San Andreas is doing in the long term.
"It's certainly an interesting possibility," Page said. "We've only known about tremors since about 2002."
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| Jackson Concert Cancellation Insurance
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| Concert promoter AEG Live's chief executive said that insurance will help cover any losses on the now-canceled Michael Jackson concert series if the pop star died accidentally -
including of a drug overdose - but not if he died of natural causes.
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Randy Phillips said the company took out $17.5 million in insurance coverage through Lloyd's of London.
That would fall short of the $25 million to $30 million Phillips said AEG Live spent on Jackson's advance, producing the 50-date series at The O2 arena, covering some of Jackson's debts, and paying his staff and rent on the Holmby Hills mansion where he lived.
Phillips added, however, that 40 percent to 50 percent of concert ticket-buyers have so far decided to receive tickets as memorabilia in lieu of a full refund, a pace that is on track to help the company at least break even on its expenses.
The sold-out concerts had garnered some $85 million in ticket sales, but AEG has offered full refunds on the face value and surcharges.
Extra potential revenue from rehearsal concert footage and a video project Jackson was overseeing before his death could also be a boon to AEG and Jackson's estate, he said.
The singer died at age 50, leaving behind a battle for control of his estate that lawyers named in a will as executors estimated is worth more than $500 million.
His mother, Katherine Jackson, is also seeking to become estate administrator.
Phillips said he saw no need to sue the estate to recover any of AEG's costs.
"Right now I think the estate and AEG are very much in line and not adversarial and I'd like to keep it that way,'' he said.
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| Rumors of the Road - True or False? |
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TRUE or FALSE?
If my friend borrows my car and gets in a crash, I can have them put the claim under their own policy.
False.
Both parties need to report the claim to their insurance companies, but insurance follows the car, so the collision repair will be paid by your insurance company, and you will have to pay the deductible. Any liability claims will be handled by both insurance companies.
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My friend told me not to report a minor car accident I had and instead just pay the other driver for her damages so my premium won't go up. I think it's a good idea.
False.
The problem with this, if you start the claim, then you get to finish it. By not getting your insurance company involved, you open yourself up to major problems. All policies require notifying your insurance company. You pay your premiums, so your company will represent you, and make sure you don't get in trouble. If you just pay off the other party, but don't get the correct legal release, they can still sue you up to at least a year after the accident!
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I should have my homeowners and earthquake policies re-evaluated because we just remodeled the house.
True.
It is so important to make sure your home is insured to the correct amount. Most remodels, even minor ones, can quickly raise the cost of rebuilding your home. It is not alot of extra premium to make sure you insure your home to its value. Most homeowners & condo policies that we review that aren't clients of ours, are dramatically under-insured. It is the most common mistake we see on any type of policy!
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Steve Brooks Insurance Services, Inc. is a full service, Independent Insurance Agency, offering California Automotive Insurance, California Homeowners Insurance, as well as Renter, Condo and Earthquake coverage. We have access to the products and services of over 20 A+ Rated Insurance Companies.
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sent by: STEVE BROOKS INSURANCE SERVICES, Inc.
340 N. WESTLAKE BLVD SUITE 210
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA 91362
Phone: (800) 915-3090 Fax: (805) 496-4822
info@brooksins.com
www.brooksins.com
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