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710 Miami Springs Dr., Suite 120
Longwood, FL 32779

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Distracted Driver Facts

Safe driving campaigns often focus on the dangers of drinking and driving. Although driving while intoxicated is a serious risk, distracted driving incidents account for 80 percent of crashes, according to a recent Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study. Now, many areas, including Longwood, FL, are passing laws to prevent distracted driver accidents.

Types of Distractions

What causes a driver to lose focus on the road? Distractions are broken down into three basic categories: manual, visual, and cognitive. Manual distractions force your hands away from the wheel. Visual distractions take your eyes off the road. Cognitive distractions cause your mind to wander off the task of driving.

The following are the most frequent driver distractions:

  • Texting
  • Mobile Phone Calls
  • Mobile Web Browsing
  • Eating and Drinking
  • Using Dashboard Devices (Radio, mp3 player, GPS, etc.)
  • Talking to Passengers

How Serious Is the Problem?

In 2014 alone, the U.S. Department of Transportation attributed over 3,100 fatalities and 431,000 injuries to distracted driving. Each year, the number of accidents caused by text messaging and cell phone use is steadily increasing. More than 28 percent of all vehicle crashes can now be traced back to mobile phone use.

National surveys have shown that 90 percent of all drivers recognize the risk of driving while using a cell phone. However, three out of four drivers admitted to talking on the phone while driving and one in five acknowledged texting and driving. High school students are particularly high risk for distracted driving behaviors. In 2013, the CDC reported two out of five high school drivers stated they drove and sent out a text or email within the last 30 days.

Drivers must use common sense while on the road and put down the devices. Any distraction that takes their mind or body off of operating vehicle should be ignored. Driving safety is not only important for your well-being but your insurance rates as well.

Contact an agent at Express Insurance today to learn more about how we are helping serve Longwood, FL area drivers.

Am I Covered For A Hit & Run?

Living in Miami Beach can be a lot of fun, but it can also be dangerous on the roads. If you are involved in a hit and run, you want to make sure you have sufficient coverage for auto insurance. This means taking a good look at your policy and potentially adding on coverage.

In the state of Florida, you are required to have bodily injury as well as property damage liability insurance. If you are still making payments on your car or you are leasing, you may also be required to have collision coverage. Collision is always a good idea in the event you are involved in a major accident – such as a hit-and-run.

Then, you have to look at other forms of coverage that you may or may not have on your policy.

Do you have uninsured motorist coverage?

If you don’t know the person who hit you, they are going to fall under uninsured motorist. Having this coverage will provide bodily injury as well as property damage to help cover some of the medical bills, lost wages, and repairs to your car.

Do you have medical bills coverage?

The amount of medical bills involved can be high and you don’t want to pay anything out of pocket you can get away with it. Having this coverage can be very helpful.

Do you have PIP?

Personal injury protection is going to cover medical bills as well as potential lost wages that you have experienced as a result of the hit and run. It can be a very affordable form of coverage time to your policy.

Hit and runs can be expensive. Contact us at Express Insurance today and one of our agents can find auto insurance coverage that can provide protection in Miami Beach that is also affordable. We’ll get the quotes and more.

 

 

Top 5 Ways to Avoid Road Rage

A matter that affects many drivers across the globe, dealing with road rage is a scary concept for most motorists. Are you looking for tips to help you stay safe on the road and avoid triggering those who suffer from this condition? Keep reading.

5. Use Your Horn Sparingly– First and foremost, many instances of road rage begin with the simple sound of a car horn. While you may not mean any particular harm by pressing it, many take offense to being honked at and this causes an unfavorable reaction. Use your horn only when necessary, and never hold it for too long. 

4. Avoid Eye Contact – Many view eye contact as a direct challenge. If a driver is clearly irate, do not make eye contact with them and get as far away from them as possible. 

3. Don’t Annoy Other Drivers– While it may be tempting to weave in and out of traffic or play bumper tag with that super slow driver in front of you, this is also a surefire way to get someone riled up with road rage. Be as polite as you can, even with the worst drivers

2. Move Over if You’re Being Tailgated- It may be tempting to slam on those brakes and give the tailgater a taste of their own medicine, this is also a good way to make someone angry. Just move over!

1. Always Plan Ahead-  Given that many get into accidents and altercations when they are running late, planning your route ahead of time can save you tons of trouble and turmoil. 

Overall, ensuring that your car has enough insurance protection is the best way to avoid instances of road rage. Servicing the area of Longwood, FL, Express Insurance will give you all the coverage you need! 

What Insurance is Needed When Driving in Mexico

Driving in Mexico is not like driving in the United States. Everyone needs auto insurance from Express Insurance. Especially in the border towns, an automobile with license plates that are from the USA is an automatic target for trouble. This does not mean an American cannot drive their vehicle legally in Mexico. What is does mean is to drive a car with USA plates in Mexico is asking for trouble.

Here are a few common things that happen:

  • Police stop the vehicle for no reason – They will say things like you did not stop at a red light, when there is no traffic signal for miles.
  • ‘Supposed” police are Imposters – Just because a car or SUV has lights that make it appear to be a car of law enforcement; it is not necessarily a police car.
  • Mexican police regularly accept bribes – This is “mordida.” The bribe is usually just slightly less than the cost of the infraction. Simply hand this amount in an elegant, somewhat secretive, way to the palm of the police officer. In most cases, they will let you go. It does not matter at all if you did something wrong. In fact, you may have done nothing wrong at all. Nevertheless, the cost of paying this “mordida” is less that the cost of paying the fine in the police station. In Mexico, the police that actually put the paperwork to the police station get the assumption by the judges to be telling the truth. The judge will most of the time agree with the police officer.
  • Auto insurance in Mexico does not help at all in the case of a car accident. If no one is seriously hurt and only the cars have damage, the police officer serves as the final determinant of who is at fault for causing the accident. The expectation is to pay for the damages on the spot. Auto insurance is good but the money comes from the insurance company much later.

Summary
Auto insurance from Express Insurance helps. It is best to carry some money with you to pay on the spot to settle a claim from a traffic accident in Mexico. Get auto insurance from a trusted dealer in USA and carry some cash along for additional problems that might arise.