What Kind of Boats Need Insurance?

boat insurance, ky boat insurance, buy boat insurance, find boat insurance, does Kentucky require boat insurance, houseboat insurance, watercraft boats, speed boat insurance, insuanceWhether you live in Louisville or Lexington or the surrounding communities, you’ll have no trouble finding a great body of water.  The Kentucky River, Ohio River, Mississippi River, and many other’s present awesome waterways for Kentucky boaters.

Kentucky is also home to many great lakes.  Near the cities of Benton, Murray, Cadiz, Princeton, and Eddyville you will find two of Kentucky’s treasurers.  Kentuck Lake and Lake Barkley combine for over 340 sq. miles of beauty and fun for all kinds of water-related activities.   Other notable Kentucky lakes include Lake Cumberland, Barren River Lake, Lake Laurel, Green River Lake, Cave Run, and Rough River Lake.

One of the most common questions boat owners ask is whether they need insurance, and what kind of boats require such insurance. Based on current state law, you are not legally obligated to invest in boat insurance. However, you leave yourself susceptible to a number of issues if you fail to invest in such protection.  Summer boating season will be here before you know it.  Don’t make the choice to go without boat insurance without first considering the cost.  Take a moment to continue reading, visit TruePoint boat and watercraft online or for a boat insurance quote call (502) 410-5089.

Consider What You Paid for the Boat

Does Kentucky require boat owners to have insurance?  No.  In Kentucky, it is legal to own and operate personal watercraft without insurance.  That includes boat liability insurance. boat insurance, how much does boat insurance cost, call for a boat insurance quote, boat insurance companies, sailboat insurance, cheap boat insuranceBut before deciding to forgo watercraft boat insurance, first, consider what you paid for the boat. Now think how many opportunities there are for severely damaging your boat.  On the way to the lake, you can relax a bit.  As long as the boat is on a trailer being towed by your insurance truck or car, the liability exposure of the boat will be picked up by your auto insurance.  Once off the trailer, the boat is your responsibility.  During the process of unloading your boat, it’s possible for you to damage another boat.  Just as easily you might also damage their truck, trailer, or even worse, another person.  Once on the lake, there is an unlimited supply of exposures.  Any of which might damage your boat.  Damaging your boat and losing your entire investment would be bad enough, but if you are involved in an accident with another boat, you could potentially be out a boat plus buying a new one for the other party.

Your auto insurance coverage does not protect your boat. This means even if someone runs a red light and crashes into your boat during transport, your auto insurance coverage will not pay for it.  Once on the lake, you will not only have property damage exposure, but you will no longer be protected by any form of boat liability insurance.

All Kinds of Boats Can Receive Coverage

boat insurance, watercraft insurance, personal watercraft insurance, jet ski insurance, what kind of boat can be insured, can i insure a jet ski, can i insurance a personal watercraft, boat insurance cost, best boat insuranceIf you’re able to take the watercraft out onto the water, then it can be protected with a form of boat insurance. Whether you have a bass boat or you have a houseboat you like to take out on the lake, all boats can be protected with boat insurance.   Cheap boat insurance can be found, which makes it hard to justify putting on watercraft on the water without proper boat insurance.

Boats are expenses, but liability losses are the greatest exposure for Kentucky Boat Owners.

You are never legally required to obtain boat insurance. However, an best boat insurance, top boat insurance, cheap boat insurance, fast boat insurance, i need boat insurance, bass boat insurance, fishing boat insurance, boat liability insurance, motor boat insurance, houseboat insurance, bass boat insurance, fishing boat insurance, pleasure boat insurance, ski boat insurance,accident on your way to the lake, on the lake, or even inside of your garage, may put your purchase at financial risk, and can even put you at risk of paying out due to liability issues.  It’s easy to find out what kind of coverage options are available for Kentucky boat owners.  All you need to do is give the team at TruePoint Insurance a call today.

Who’s in the driver’s seat? (part 2 of 2)

TruePoint Insurance at Christmas

The Critic’s View

Those opposed to the autonomous car can defend their position by using safety statistics alone.   While self-driving autos may be the thing of the future, the future certainly isn’t now.

Proponents may also have a flawed economic model.  While they argue that eliminating the driver will reduce the cost so dramatically that car ownership will soon be a thing of the past.  Taxi stands will soon be on every corner.

But do we currently have enough taxis, Uber, etc. to meet he need?  How many more will be neededto meet the twice-daily rush hour demand across America? 

Absolutely no way!  In 2012 there were 234,000 taxis in America.  That may be enough to address the required cars in Louisville, Kentucky during rush hour. 

Assume we do develop taxi fleets across the US that will satisfy our needs.  128 Million people in the US  commute to work by car.  Does that means we need to add 127 Million vehicles added to our taxi services?  Sure ride sharing will cut that number significantly, but you are still looking for 60 to 80 million new cars. The vast majority of those will be used only three or four hours a day.  Unused vehicles taking up space in garages and will still be subject to numerous fixed costs.  Costs that will quickly eliminate the 70% saving, and may likely lead to a higher price than today’s model.  What the proponents are missing is that the actual driver cost isn’t 70% of the current transportation cost.  That is unless someone is paying you to set in rush hour traffic!

Besides the safety and cost issues, several more problems need to be addressed.  Of greatest concern our Issues that will significantly impact the safety of driverless vehicles as they age, a broader understanding of the risks associated with computer drivers, and who should we point the finger at when things do go wrong.  Below are just a few examples ssues that concern me:

  • •    Proponents argue that humans are more apt to err.  Lots of stuff including catching the virus of the month can lower our capacity to drive.  Oops, computers get viruses too. 
  •      o         What happens whenthe computer is operating correctly?
  •      o         Could a nation ofdriver-less vehicles be immune to a cyber-attack? 
  • •    Time in when the shop.  My current car has an alert that stays on each winter.  It is related to the car’s ability to burn fuel with a higher alcohol level.  I know that it isn’t hurting anything and when I get it fixed, it is likely to re-occur.  So I wait until spring and it always takes care of itself.  My wife’s last car had a low tire level light that went on and off regularly.  It was caused because a magnet flew off.  I could have spent $85 and crossed my fingers that it wouldn’t happen again or I could visually check my tires if need. 

Will computers use the same logic that I do?  Or will I walk out to the garage one morning to find that my driverless car drove itself to the garage?

  • •    If you don’t see this one coming, then shame on you.  My car is in line waiting for well over an hour to get it’s required quarterly safety and maintenance checkup at the DMV. You think it drove itself there? Of course, it did, but not without you there to pay for your licensing and renewal.  Yes, that will eventually become part of the computer’s program, but what happens if your car fails the inspection.  If you don’t want to pay an outrageous towing bill, then you better be there to drive the car home or to the nearest Computer Diagnostics and Reprogramming Garage.
  • •    I ’ve, and I am going to be late for the most critical meeting ever.  Will the driverless car let me speed?  Better yet, we are out in the country for a Sunday afternoon drive when my wife goes into labor.  How fast will the car go?
  • •    Car insurance.  Who will pay for auto insurance on an autonomous vehicle?  The manufacturer?  That’s what everyone around me seems to think.  But I almost certain they will be wrong.  Sure the manufacturer should be on the hook for flawed programming.  But I will be shocked if the will accept exposure for your lack of maintenance or a slew of other things that you may do or not do that results in an accident. Will there be multiple policies in place to provide auto liability protection.  That certainly doesn’t sound efficient to me.  And that leads to another issue…..
  • •    Data. Do you think the government will mandate that manufacturers provide data storage for your vehicle?  You bet they will, and I am guessing it will be extreme overkill and wind up looking something akin to an airplanes black box. 
  •      o    Data on everywhere you go and when. 
  •      o    But the real issue is whose data is it.  Is it yours’, the manufacturer’s, your car insurance company’s, the police, government, Homeland Security……….
  • •    What will happen if you’re driving done the interstate and solar flares begin to impact your computer and those driving all the other cars that are on the highway?
  • •    Cable or Dish…..dish users know that trying to watch TV during a heavy rainstorm is a waste of time.  How does the driverless car respond to weather, or construction zones, police officers waiving you around blocked roads, flash floods, and so many more obstacles and hazards that are associated with driving?  Maybe these factors have been already accounted for, but these are a few the questions that I will need to have answered before my first ride with HAL. 

When will driver-less cars be available to the masses?

I don’t know the answer to that question.  If it were up to me I would not subject citizens to any unwarranted risk.  Why should we be forced to share the road with autonomous automobiles until they are safer than the average human driver?  

People are dying every day that could be given access to drugs not yet approved by the FDA.  In many cases, these nonapproved drugs represent the only real hope some have.

Why is our government blocking access to the only hope that these desperate people might have?  I don’t know!  But I am sure of this!  If our government continues refusing dying Americans access to hope, then they damn well better be keeping experimental cars that have a record for higher fatalities, off the roads that my kids are driving.

https://www.insuringky.com/blog/whos-in-the-drivers-seat-part-1-of-2/

Insurance

Who’s in the driver’s seat? (Part 1 of 2)

TruePoint Insurance at Christmas
horse and buggy

It started out as “you’re in the saddle.”  Later, as cars replaced horses and buggies, the figure of speech would change to” you’re in the driver’s seat.”  In both cases, the terms were used to acknowledge a person’s authority, that they were in charge or that everything was under control.

There will come a day when neither of these will have meaning to the majority of people.  Whether we are ready or not, we are rapidly moving towards a day where cars will no longer be operated by humans, but instead by computers. 

December of 2018 may soon be remembered as the beginning of the transition to autonomous or driverless cars.  This is the month when Waymo, a Google spinoff, started the first self-driving taxi service.  Operating in the suburbs of Phoenix Waymo One is being met with mixed greetings.

Some envision a transition similar to when we went from the horse and buggy to the horseless carriage.      Others anticipate more sweeping changes.  Not only will we use self-driving vehicles, but the need to own autos will be eliminated.  Their model for the future of auto transportation is driven by estimates that expenses for taxi services will drop by as much as 70% when vehicles no longer require drivers.  With a new abundance of taxis, American consumers will always be within minutes of an autonomous car.  Additional taxi owners will pass on much of their saving to consumers make it impractical to own a car. 

The Proponent’s View

Imagine being able to eliminate standing in line at the DMV to license or register your vehicle.  How about never having to pump gas again, or even better you will never need car insurance again.  There will be no need for maintenance, you no longer make payments for your car loan and parking garages will be a thing of the past.   Aspreviously discussed, fares will plummet, making the option of owning a caruneconomical

This group will also argue the benefits associated when potential human err is no longer part of the equation.  They will conclude that driverless cars will be a safer way to commute.

A War is Brewing

Given the initial results in Phoenix, it’s my guess that those In favor of autonomous vehicles are in the minority.  Reports are common of drivers intentionally trying to cause malfunctions and attempting to force driverless cars off the road.  There have even been reports of guns being pulled on occupants of Waymo vans. Why are these drivers so upset? 

It’s not about protecting the status quo, it’s about protecting our families!

Why aren’t more people upset about the string of deathsrelated to autonomous vehicles.  It hasme concerned and apparently, a lot of folk in Arizona are too.   It would appear that many of us are worried that we are moving too fast.  Better said, that our government is failing to protect us. 

Those in favor of driverless cars will argue that the autonomous auto will cut motor vehicle accidents by 80%, maybe as high as 90%.  The key word being will.  The autonomous car is not ready for primetime.  Given recent results, it’s not even close to being street ready. 

Self-driving cars are over 30 times more deadly than current cars and drivers.  Where is our government that predicts us from everything else?  Obviously not in Arizona!  This is where you will find frustrated citizens that have every right to be upset.  Sure pointing a gun at someone is not a solution, it is just adding to the problem.  But allowing a computer to access the streets of Phoenix is equivalent of playing Russian roulette with two bullets.  Why is this being allowed?   Why aren’t the people being heard?

Insurance

Continue reading part 2 of 2

Tis the season for insurance claims

The holiday season has arrived

What are your least favorite things about the holidays? Don’t get me wrong, the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day is a wonderful time of year. For many of us in Kentucky, the holiday period ranks right up there with Selection Sunday and the Final Four.

Despite the magic of the holiday season, there is often more Christmas Hassle than there is Cheer! My list of holiday hang-ups is pretty long:

Shopping Risk

     • Shopping
     • Too much Traffic
     • Shopping Malls
     • More Distractions
     • Parking to Shop
     • There is never enough time and       even less during the holidays
     • Shoppers that jaywalk

It’s no wonder that auto accidents increase during the holidays. The last-minute rush for gifts doesn’t mix well with the office parties serving too much holiday cheer.

     • Drive Defensively
     • Avoid extra frustration
     • Manage stress
     • Stay on top changes in the weather
     • And don’t drink and drive

The holidays are also a bad time for home insurance claims. Recent statistics from the National Fire Protection Association show that:

     • there are 800 home fires each year due to holiday decorations
     • 23 home candle fires each day
          o Over half of all home decoration fires are started by candles
          o The three worst days for candle fires:
                Christmas
                New Year’s Day
                New Year’s Eve
     • There are 471 home fires each day as a result of cooking.
          o The leading cause, almost 1/3rd of all cooking-related fires are a        result of unattended cooking
          o Electric ranges have a higher risk than gas
     • Fireworks: Ten% of all fireworks-related fires occur during the days just before and after New Years
     • Christmas trees can be blamed for 170 home fires each year.

33% of all Christmas tree fires occur in January. How many days are you people leaving your Christmas trees up? There aren’t a lot of hard and fast New Year’s Day traditions at our house. Some years we have cooked cabbage, other years we had black-eyed peas. Cornbread, greens, pork and various other foods have made their way to our New Year’s Day table, all in hopes of good luck for the coming year.

But there is one tradition that we have observed every year that we have been married. The Christmas tree and other decorations come down. No discussion. I’ve seen others that suggest that January 5th or 6th is the proper day to take your tree down as that is the 12th day or the end of the celebration of the birth of Christ.

So if trees are coming down on the 5th or 6th of January how can 33% of all Christmas tree fires occur in January. I am sure that some of you are procrastinating, but I think that the high number of January fires is due to dry trees. Below are my thoughts on how to eliminate homeowner’s insurance claims related to Christmas trees:

  1. Obviously how long you leave your tree up impacts the risk of having a fire. But studies have indicated that you can significantly extend the fresh life of your tree by watering regularly. Daily versus weekly watering may double, triple, even quadruple the moisture content of a tree cut for two months. WATER, WATER, WATER, the more you WATER he longer your tree will remain fresh and safe.
  2. The most important advice to maintain a new Christmas tree is WATER. Water your tree daily my personal opinion is to avoid additives. Just Water. Tap water is fine. And never use the spay on tree fresheners.
  3. When you get home with your tree, cut an inch of the bottom to improve the tree’s ability to take up water.
  4. WATER your tree daily. One quart of water per inch your trees stem diameter
  5. Do not place your tree near a heat source.
  6. It is IMPORTANT TO WATER YOUR TREE DAILY
  7. Do not put your tree in an area that will expose the tree to changes in temperatures. Placing your tree to close to a door that is used regularly will lead to premature dring.
  8. Daily WATERING improves the trees moisture content which will increase the time your tree will be fresh and reduce fire risk.
  9. Turn lights off when you leave the room.
  10. BUT WATER the tree before you leave the room
  11. Keep the tree away from all open flames. Candles, fireplace, kitchen and other equipment that could increase the fire hazard.
  12. I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF WATERING YOUR TREE REGULARLY. WHEN I SAY REGULARLY, I AM STRONGLY SUGGESTING THAT YOU WATER YOUR TREE DAILY.
  13. Don’t remove the bark even to get the tree to fit in your stand. Buy a bigger stand.
  14. You don’t need a hole in the bottom of your tree to improve water absorption.
  15. Use low heat lights
  16. Don’t overload your circuits.

Great insurance is just the starting point for sound risk management. Taking the extra step to avoid risky situation further reduces your exposure to a financial loss. By reducing the number of car insurance claims and home insurance claims you should also be rewarded with more competitive insurance premiums in the future.


From all of us at TruePoint Insurance,
We wish you a safe and Merry Christmas