5 Fascinating Facts about Tornadoes- Protect Yourself with Cheap Insurance

Toll

1. According to a study by A.M. Best, tornadoes are responsible for 57 percent of all catastrophic losses since 1953. The costliest tornado to date struck Georgia in 1973, causing $5.35 billion in damage. Tornadoes are approaching hurricanes in terms of costliness. According to the Insurance Information Institute's 2009 Insurance Fact Book , "insured damages of $1 billion or more from a single event [are] becoming more common."

Frequency

2. In 2008, 1,390 tornadoes touched down in the United States in the first seven months of the year, setting a new record. Kansas and Texas typically see the most action; in 2007, twisters hit Kansas 137 times and Texas 197 times. However, Florida, with its dense population, saw the highest number of tornado fatalities in 2007 with 21. Given the right circumstances, tornadoes can occur at any time of year, but they are most frequent between April and September.

Cause

3. While we know that tornadoes emerge from thunderstorms, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) doesn't fully understand why some t-storms produce them while others don't. "The classic answer - 'warm moist Gulf air meets cold Canadian air and dry air from the Rockies' -- is a gross oversimplification. Many thunderstorms form under those conditions (near warm fronts, cold fronts and drylines respectively), which never even come close to producing tornadoes." Needless to say, this gap in knowledge makes tornado prediction ??a very imprecise exercise.

Rating

4. Tornado strength is measured by the enhanced Fujita scale, from 0 to 5, with an F5 tornado packing 300-mph winds. The F-scale, as it's known, measures intensity by analyzing wind damage to manmade structures. While based on engineering guidelines, the scale is subjective. NOAA: "Nobody knows the 'true' wind speeds at ground level in most tornadoes, and the amount of wind needed to do similar-looking damage can vary greatly, even from block to block or building to building."

Coverage

5. Most standard homeowners insurance policies cover tornado-related damage. Car damage is covered under your auto insurance policy's comprehensive coverage (which is an elective coverage that kicks in after you pay your deductible amount).

GO HERE: PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENTS

Interesting News - Get a Cheap Insurance Quote today

Get Smart About Insurance Fraud

What many Americans don't know is that insurance fraud increases insurance rates for consumers nationwide. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), insurance fraud costs each American household $200 to $300 per year—a loss totaling at least $30 billion a year.

About Insurance Fraud

Insurance fraud is defined as an intentional misrepresentation of facts and circumstances to an insurance company to illegally obtain funds. Insurance fraud is a very common white-collar crime, right up there with tax evasion.

Insurance fraud can be committed at different points in the insurance transaction, by applicants, policyholders, third-party claimants or professionals such as physicians or chiropractors who provide services to the claimants. Insurance fraud may also be committed by insurance agents by misrepresenting themselves to a client, resulting in the consumer paying for coverage he or she may not actually have.

Hard vs. Soft

"Hard" insurance fraud occurs when there is a deliberate attempt to stage or invent an accident, injury, theft or other incident that would be covered by insurance.

In the world of auto insurance fraud, "crash test dummies" are known as drivers and passengers used in staged auto accidents. “Crash test dummies" will typically approach people and convince them to participate in the scam, saying that legal, medical and all other paperwork will be taken care of. Generally, the two motorists will then crash their cars into each other and report the accident to authorities. In addition, the driver and any passengers in the car will falsely claim they were injured in the accident.

The result for consumers? Auto insurance fraud increases premiums for everyone—criminals and law-abiding alike.

In Florida, a new trend in hard auto insurance fraud is called "ditching" or "owner-give up." "Ditching" typically occurs when the owner can no longer afford the vehicle or is otherwise unhappy with it. The vehicle is then dumped somewhere or burned, after which the claimant reports that his or her car has been stolen or victim of arson.

On the other end of the fraud spectrum, "soft" insurance fraud occurs when the policy holder exaggerates a legitimate claim. Soft insurance fraud also occurs when people provide false information their insurance agent to favorably affect the underwriting of their policy. Soft insurance fraud includes fudging facts, like the number of miles driven and where a car is garaged, or providing an inaccurate medical history when applying for health insurance.

Both hard and soft fraud contribute to all forms of insurance fraud—auto, health, home and life—and takes money out of the pockets of consumers across the country.

GO HERE: LET US HELP WITH YOUR INSURANCE NEEDS

Cheap Insurance Facts - 5 Secrets to Cutting the Cost of Driving

Owning and driving a car affords you freedom, independence and flexibility you wouldn’t have by any other means. With keys in hand and gas tank full, you can travel almost anywhere you want on your own timetable.

But driving isn’t cheap. In fact, expenses like maintenance, fuel, taxes, insurance and depreciation can make a severe dent in your wallet.

Ways to Save

When times get tough, some people ditch their ride in favor of other means of transportation.

While an alternative worthy of consideration, catching a city bus, hopping on the local light-rail or peddling your way to work may not be your cup of tea. It may also require rearranging your life, schedule and habits—and you may not be willing or able to make those kinds of concessions.

If you’re determined to continue driving but you need to spend less doing it, consider these secrets to help cut the cost of driving.

1. Find a great mechanic—and practice preventive maintenance. Your car needs frequent, light maintenance to keep it in tip-top running shape. But if you’re not handy yourself, don’t take it to just anyone for servicing. Instead, ask around and find out who family and friends use. Then experiment with a recommended mechanic, let him get to know your vehicle, and form a relationship of trust with him. Some procedures you’ll want him to perform on a regular basis include oil changes, air filter replacements, tire balancing and rotation, and overall operations systems checkups. Taking care of these items now will help prevent larger repair bills down the road.
2. 
   
3. Shop for auto insurance online. Though it’s one of the most expensive responsibilities of car ownership, auto insurance protects you financially in case of accident—and thus is absolutely essential. When money gets tight, don’t cancel your policy, drive uninsured or pay too much for the right coverage. Shop your rates online and compare policies at a site like InsureMe.com at least once a year. You’ll save money on insurance premiums and keep everyone in your household in case they’re involved in an accident.

3. Consider sharing a ride. Live near someone you work or go to school with? OK, so maybe that coworker or annoying classmate isn’t your best friend. But with the savings you can amass by sharing the expense and driving one car, it can be well worth your time to put aside personal feelings and carpool. If you don’t know of anyone who might be interested, try posting a note on your employer’s intranet site, asking friends for recommendations or checking bulletin boards at local schools and churches.
4. Don’t just stop at the nearest gas station. Before you head out to fill up your gas tank at whichever gas pump is closest, take a minute to shop for the cheapest fuel online at a site like AAA.com or your local news station. Though this may require you to plan ahead before your tank is actually empty, being prepared can save you a considerable sum of money that really adds up over time.
5. Shop locally—and plan ahead. Why spend extra money driving to the supercenter across town when you can save money in gas shopping closer to home? Sure, your local grocer’s prices may be slightly higher than that mega-center’s. But do you really save that much driving miles and miles from one side of the city to the other when gas costs $3 or $4 a gallon? Try shopping locally instead, planning your trips for times of lowest traffic volume and least backtracking. This keeps you from wasting gas by idling in rush hour, waiting in line behind other motorists or driving additional miles to get to your destination.

 A Common Sense Approach

In case you haven’t heard, you don’t have to give up your car to counter the high cost of driving these days.

Instead, use common sense, consider alternating driving with other means of transportation occasionally, and put the secrets above to work in your favor on a daily or monthly basis. You might be surprised how much cheaper driving can be!

START SAVING TODAY : GO RIGHT HERE AND CLICK NOW

"INSURANCE RATE QUOTE" Quick and Easy

The Upside Down House

Designed for a once off exhibition of art German based artists Klaudiusz Golos and Sebastion Mikuciuk created this “upside-down” home just for the hell of it. It is located in Trassenheide, Germany and still stands as a tourist attraction.


"HOME INSURANCE DEALS"

No matter the size or shape of your home, you need to properly insure it with people who know their business... Insurance Agents, who will shop the markets for you and get you the best coverage for a competitive premium you can afford.

Fast, Free "Insurance Rate Quote"

Busy lives call for simplicity, convenience and "easy insurance". And when it comes to finding "average insurance rates" for insurance, nothing makes your life easier than a  free "insurance rate quote".

So make things easy on yourself. When it's time to shop your "property and casualty insurance" rates, let us streamline the process. Tell us where you're located and what kind of "superior insurance" you're looking for, and we'll snag top agents by "insurance definition" in your area with the products and services you need.

It's all quick, straightforward—and comfortable. Now that was unexpected, wasn't it?

CLICK HERE: GET STARTED SAVING TODAY

Comparison - Cheap Insurance Shopping

Do you think of this picture when paying your Insurance Premium?

Well good news has arrived. 

Your Personal Insurance Premium through your local Insurance Agent 

may be more than you need to pay.

Why not take a moment and get a quick "Insurance rate quote" 

with

and see how "superior insurance, "easy insurance"
with great "home insurance deals" and more, can be 
quoted FREE, quickly and easily with
"No Obligation"

CLICK RIGHT HERE: START SAVING TODAY