How Safe is Your Next Car?

Thinking about a new car? If you factor safety into your choice (most people do), then you’ll want to know what vehicles aced crash tests and are considered the safest to buy.

From minicars and sedans to SUVs and pickups, you’ll find hundreds of 2012 models deemed safe by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

"For the second year running a record number of models qualify," says Institute president Adrian Lund. "It's tough to win, and we commend auto manufacturers for making safety a top priority."

Each year the nonprofit research and education organization determines which vehicles do the best job of protecting people in four of the most common kinds of crashes — front, side, rollover and rear — based on ratings in Institute evaluations. The ratings help shoppers pick vehicles that offer the highest levels of crash protection.

Every major automaker has at least one winner that earned the Institute’s esteemed Top Safety Pick award. Among the 115 award winners, there are 18 new recipients this year, while 97 models that previously qualified for the 2011 award carry over to 2012.

The Winners’ Circle

Here’s a breakdown of some of this year’s qualifiers:

• The Toyota Camry earned its first-ever Top Safety Pick. Last year, the Camry missed the mark because of a marginal rating for seat/head restraints. Camry is a top-selling midsize car in the U.S. market.

• Subaru remains the only manufacturer with the distinction of earning awards for every model it builds. Subaru picked up five awards, including one for the redesigned Impreza, a small car.
• Ten of the 18 new winners are Honda/Acura models, including the midsize Accord, a top U.S. seller, which previously won the 2009 award but has been missing from the list since then. The manufacturer upgraded the roofs on the 10 models to improve rollover protection.
• Toyota/Lexus/Scion has 15 winners this year, more than any other auto manufacturer.
• General Motors has 14 winners, followed by Volkswagen/Audi with 13, and Ford/Lincoln and Honda/Acura with 12 awards apiece.
• The winning green models include Toyota’s Prius v, the Chevrolet Volt and the Nissan Leaf.

Car Insurance Coverage

Erie Insurance’s New Auto Security Coverage Endorsement* is an option if you’re thinking about a new car. Added to your auto insurance policy, this coverage helps protect against depreciation for up to two years in case you’d have to replace your vehicle after an accident.

If you’re shopping, contact our agency about how to add this endorsement to your policy. The vehicle make and model are also among several factors that may affect the cost of your insurance policy. Ask us about your insurance rates before you buy your new ride.

For more information about the Top Safety Pick awards and the winning models, go to iihs.org.

*Not available in New York or North Carolina.

Not all companies are licensed or operate in all states. Not all products are offered

in all states. Go to erieinsurance.com for company licensure and territory

information.

Beware of Ice Dams

Ice dams can form when melting snow and ice refreeze around the eaves of your roof and back up under the shingles. It’s especially prevalent this time of year when temperatures warm up during the day and then get much colder at night. Because heat rises, the air in your attic is always warmest at the top and coolest down by the eaves. With nowhere else to go, the accumulating ice backs up under the shingles, roofing felt or sheathing and as it melts causes interior leaks.

Prevention is the key when dealing with ice dams. Erie Insurance and the Institute for Business and Home Safety recommend the following:

• Make sure your gutters are clear of leaves and debris.
• Seal the places where warm air could leak from your house to the attic: vent pipes, exhaust fans, chimneys, attic hatches and light fixtures are all possibilities.
• Have a professional inspect your roof and attic for proper ventilation and insulation.
• Look for signs of inadequate ventilation: rust spots, rusty nails or a mildew smell are all signals that moisture has formed on the inside of your roof.
• If you have soffit vents in your eaves, make sure they are not blocked and the insulation surrounding them is secured so that air can flow easily.
• If you do not have soffit or ridge vents, you can have them installed or install them yourself fairly easily.
• Install snow and ice slides. These are metal strips about 24" wide installed as a retrofit solution over the existing roof to prevent ice and snow from bonding to the lower roof.
• Install a rubberized ice and water shield beneath the roof shingles for the first three to six feet from the eaves up.
• Consider installing heating cable along the eaves to melt ice. While generally effective, heat cables can cause pooling behind the ice if the snow pack is very heavy or if the cable is not turned on early enough.

Installing slides and shields can be effective in treating the symptoms of ice damming. However, you should recognize that these methods only treat the symptoms, not the disease itself. Only proper ventilation and insulation prevents ice dams. Talk with a professional to discuss the best options for your home. You should also speak to your Agent to review your homeowners coverage and to make sure you have flood insurance.

Our staff here at McElhinny Insurance Agency would like to wish you and yours a very Happy New Year. Listed below are 5 fairly common New Year's resolutions. I would like to help you with resolution number 5.

1. Stop Smoking

2. Start Exercising

3. Lose Weight (Start Dieting)

4. Spend More Time w/Family

5. Update Life Insurance!

If you are interested in starting the new year off on the right track by having your life insurance updated, please contact me today!

Sincerely,

Timothy McElhinny, CIC, LUTCF

McElhinny Insurance Agency LLC