Does Your Auto Insurance Policy Fully Protect You and Your Family?

Across the country, auto insurance premiums are up 23% over the last five years for the average driver.  A 40-year-old-male typically pays between $1,510 to $2,700 per year in premiums.  Due to these increased costs you may be thinking of ways to reduce your annual premium costs; however,  be careful not to cut corners so much that you fail to protect yourself and/or your family.  In regards to policy liability limits, insurance analysts recommend at least $100,000 per person / $300,000 per incident.  The state of Michigan only requires drivers to get $20,000 in coverage but this is far too low to protect your assets from a personal injury lawsuit.  If your insurance policy limit does not cover all the pain and suffering damages awarded in a lawsuit then Michigan law allows the injured party to collect from your personal assets. 

                           

Additionally, be sure to have a policy that has Uninsured Motorist (UM) and Under-insured Motorist (UIM) riders to protect you and your family.  Studies show that one in seven drivers drive without any insurance coverage.  Oftentimes, these uninsured drivers get insurance for only a few months or weeks so they can get their state registration and then they allow their insurance to lapse and continue to drive uninsured for 10 months or more of the year.  With around 14% of drivers being uninsured, you really need to have UM and it is relatively inexpensive.  Additionally, many other drivers will get the minimum $20,000 liability coverage.  If you or your family member are seriously injured by a driver with inadequate limits and that driver also has no assets that can be collected against, then this can lead to serious damages being uncompensated.  It makes sense to also get the UIM coverage.  Insurance analyst recommend $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident in UM / UIM coverage.  These insurance specialists find that these policy limits will cover additional damages in all but 5% of accidents.  

Crosswalk Safety and Distracted Driving

The recent incident in Ann Arbor, where a University of Michigan student was struck by a car while walking in a crosswalk on Plymouth road, has sparked new conversation about pedestrian safety. How much caution do flashing lights provide?  Is distracted driving more often than not the cause of fatal accidents? The disastrous accident in which Sharita Williams was killed is a clear reminder of two notable things: that pedestrians must always use caution when crossing streets and that distracted driving should be eliminated at all costs.

In the city of Ann Arbor, the crosswalk laws were re-worded two years ago.  A press release from the City of Ann Arbor explains that the prior ordinance required "a vehicle to stop for a pedestrian 'approaching or within' a marked crosswalk...." while the new ordinance requires "a vehicle to stop for a pedestrian standing 'at the curb' as well as 'within the crosswalk."  In addition, as an article from annarbor.com titled "Number of pedestrian-vehicle crashes up in Ann Arbor since adoption of crosswalk ordinance" states, the city's ordinance requires vehicles to stop for pedestrians standing at the curb, while the state's MichiganTraffic Code requires cars yield to pedestrians.  

While this changes the wording of the law, attempting to make it safer for pedestrians crossing the street, it is important for people to not let their guard down and to use caution.  There is no evidence yet to suggest that the change in wording has increased or decreased the number of pedestrian-vehicle crashes.  In the tragic case of Sharita Williams' death, just because there is a crosswalk and flashing lights to notify drivers, these efforts at improved safety are on no consequence if drivers are still distracted from their driving.  According to a recent article from annarbor.com the most dangerous intersection for walkers and bikers are in downtown Ann Arbor along Huron street; however, other places such as Plymouth Road can be very risky.

At all times, cautious pedestrians should be paired with safe, non-distracted drivers.  The incident on Plymouth Road is a reminder that even when the City takes action to prevent harmful accidents, people are still responsible for driving safely with as little distractions as possible.  Every added element that is not the steering wheel or gas peddle counts as a distraction.  Tracy Samilton from NPR says that even being late is an added distraction that impedes safe driving.

All of this means that crossing the street can be deadly, especially on busy streets such as Plymouth and Huron in Ann Arbor.  It also means that it is part pedestrian, part driver to ensure the safety of people in cross-walks. Driving distracted is risky and unsafe.  Walking and talking on a cell phone, listening to music, or texting while walking can also be a major distraction for pedestrians who need to be alert, free of distractions, and always cautious when crossing streets.