Halloween Safe-Driving Tips

Just in time for Halloween weekend one of our many carriers GMAC Insurance has given stome useful tips for keeping your family and your neighbors safe this weekend. Be on the look out for gouls and goblins running around your neighborhoods!

Halloween Safe-Driving Tips

According to Safe Kids USA, children are twice as likely to be killed by a vehicle on Halloween compared to other days of the year. Take extra caution behind the wheel on Halloween and use the following driving tips to keep trick-or-treaters safe.

1. Yield to Trick-or-Treaters: Be prepared for children to run into the street at anytime.
2. Refrain From Passing Idle Vehicles: You never know when the driver in front of you has stopped to drop children off. Be patient and take extra caution when traveling near other vehicles.
3. Park Your Mobile Phone: With children crowding the dark roads, it is especially important to avoid any distractions while behind the wheel.
4. Communicate With Other Drivers: Use hazard lights when picking-up or dropping-off trick-or-treaters. And, always use turn signals.
5. Consider Alternate Routes: Avoid driving near trick-or-treaters by taking routes that go around busy neighborhoods, not through them.

Be a safe driver. Take the National Drivers Test!
Share and compare driver's test scores with family and friends and figure out who the smartest and safest drivers are. Visit www.gmacinsurance.com to see how well you know the rules of the road.

Tips to Prevent Auto Accidents

We want to help you protect yourself on the road. Keep these five tips in mind when driving to help prevent an accident. Being aware of your surroundings helps you and the drivers around you.
Five Tips to Prevent Auto Accidents

Risky driving behavior causes accidents. Be safe and avoid accidents by following these safe-driving tips:

1. Watch Your Speed: It's easy to go too fast—especially when you are in a hurry. Remind yourself to slow down and keep it safe.
2. Mirror, Mirror: Properly adjust all mirrors before starting your trip. It is also important to check the side and rearview mirrors frequently while en route. This will allow you to constantly observe your surroundings.
3. Avoid Road Rage: Leave aggressive drivers to the police. Call 911 and report unsafe drivers—you could be doing them and everyone else on the road a favor in the long run.
4. Drinking = No Driving: If you've been drinking, have someone else drive—no matter how you feel.
5. Eyes on the Road: Minimize distractions when driving. Avoid eating, using your phone or doing anything else that takes your concentration off the road—even if it's just for a few seconds.

Be a safe driver. Take the National Drivers Test!
Share and compare your scores with your family and friends and figure out who the smartest and safest drivers are. Visit http://www.gmacinsurance.com/ to see how well you know the rules of the road.

Home Fire Escape Plans Save Lives

It's National Fire Prevention Week Oct. 9-15! We will be posting tips and advice from multiple insurance carriers on how to keep your family safe. Below is an article on haveing a fire escape plan from Trusted Choice (which TWFG Insurance Services - Pflugerville is a proud agency member of). Remember it's not just your family and home that need insurance coverage from fires but also pets, vehicles and anything that could be at risk to fire. Call us for more information on policies!

Celebrate National Fire Prevention Week by creating or reviewing your family’s home escape plan.            

Fall is officially here, and with it comes the National Fire Protection Agency’s National Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 9 -15. This year’s theme is “Protect Your Family from Fire,” which makes now a good time to come up with a fire evacuation plan or review the one your family already has in place.

A small fire can escalate into a major blaze in less than a minute, and a sound escape plan greatly reduces fire-related deaths and protects your family if a fire occurs. Whether you have established an fire evacuation route or are coming up with one now, these are some important safety reminders and instructions you can you use when reviewing or planning your home evacuation plan.

• Plan two ways out of every room in your house -- this way if one path is blocked by flames or smoke there is an alternate path out. For example, a bedroom door can be the primary escape path and a window the secondary one. If you intend to use an upper-story window as an evacuation option, be sure to store a collapsible ladder in the room in a well-known place. The U.S. Fire Administration advises consumers to only purchase ladders evaluated by a nationally recognized laboratory.
• Practice escaping from the house with a blindfold, in the dark, or with your eyes closed. This will prepare you and your family to navigate through smoke if it is blocking your exit route. Remember to stay low to the ground to avoid the smoke and keep your mouth covered with a piece of clothing, blanket, or towel since the toxic gases from smoke can cause disorientation or fainting.
• Make sure doors and windows open easily. Check windows to make sure they are not stuck, and that everyone in the house knows how to open them and remove the screen if necessary. If you have security bars on your windows, check the quick-release device to make sure they can be opened immediately, and practice opening the locks with everyone in the house.
• Designate a meeting place that’s away from the house, such as the end of the driveway or a place on the sidewalk. Hold a fire drill to ensure everyone in the house knows where to meet. Also pick someone to be in charge of going to a neighbor’s house and calling 911.
• Time is of the essence during a fire, so don’t waste time trying to save property. Remind your family members of this, too, especially children who may want to save their toys. A homeowners policy will help with the replacement cost of your property, and while some items are impossible to replace, they’re not worth a life.
• Teach children not to hide or be afraid of firefighters. Remind young kids that firemen will help them in the event of an emergency.
• In the event of a fire, check a closed door using the back of your hand to feel the door, doorknob, and the crack between the floor and door frame to make sure the fire is not outside the door. If any of these things feel hot, use the second escape path from the room. If the door is cool, open it slowly and brace your shoulder against the door. If heat and smoke come in, close the door quickly and use the other escape route.

For more information on National Fire Prevention Week or fire safety procedures, visit www.nfpa.org. You can also contact your Trusted Choice® independent insurance agent for more information on protecting your family from the flames by obtaining or reviewing your homeowners or renter’s insurance policy.

Carrier Spotlight - Foremost Insurance

Foremost Insurance is also one of the many insurance providers TWFG Pflugerville carries. Call us today to find out if Foremost is right for you. Remember we can shop around multiple carriers to get you the best coverage at the best rate!
Check out there commercial. This rapping man is actually a part of the marketing team at Foremost!

Four Facts About Speeding

Our friends at GMAC Insurance have provide us with more useful facts to help you become aware of your driving habits. Those speed limit signs are there for a reason.
Four Facts About Speeding.

Exceeding posted speed limits accounts for nearly one-third of all fatal car crashes. Next time you are rushing to get somewhere and find yourself speeding, consider the following facts from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):

1. Don't Let Low Traffic Fool You: Speeding-related fatalities are twice as likely to happen in rural areas as they are on urban streets. In fact, only 12 percent of speeding-related fatalities occur on Interstate highways.
2. Ten Miles Per Hour Makes a Difference: The probability of death or a debilitating injury doubles for every additional 10 mph when a vehicle is traveling 50 mph or faster.
3. Wear Your Seatbelt: One in three drivers killed in car accidents are not wearing safety restraints.
4. Talk to Your Teen: The likelihood of fatality in a speeding-related crash is highest for divers in their teen years. Young men are particularly at risk. They have twice as many fatalities from speeding when compared to women.

If you still aren't convinced about the risks of speeding, click here to see more speeding facts.