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Is there anything quite so pleasant as coming home to a warm and cozy house on a cold winter's day? Home isn't just where the heart is; in the winter, it's also where the hearth is.

Heat comes to us in many forms: electric, gas, portable space heaters, wood stoves, and fireplaces. All of these can pose a threat to a Maryland home's safetynot to mention that of its residentsif they are not properly maintained and managed. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, heating fires are the second leading cause of all residential building fires. About 50 percent of all fires that result from home heating equipment are reported during the months of December, January, and February. Fortunately, it is possible to stay warm safely this winter by following a few simple suggestions.

• Have your chimney professionally cleaned before lighting the first fire of the year. Removing all debris from the chimney and opening the flue will ensure that your home remains free of dangerous smoke.
• Use only seasoned hardwood such as ash, oak, or maple in your fireplace. Do not burn trash or cardboard boxes.
• Employ fireplace screens or glass fireplace doors to keep embers off of rugs and carpets.
• If you have a gas heating system, place carbon monoxide detectors in your home. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, carbon monoxidealso known as the "silent killer"kills about 300 people in their homes annually. There are small, convenient detectors that plug into electrical outlets and sound an alarm if carbon monoxide is in the air. Keep at least one near every sleeping area.
• Never leave electric space heaters on if they are unattended, and always position them away from flammable objects, as well as from people, pets, furniture, and curtains. Unplug them when they are not in use.
• Maintain a three-foot kid-free zone around all heating sources.
• Pay a professional to examine and clean your home's heating unit annually. He or she can repair potentially deadly leaks.
• Clean your home's air vents by removing their covers and vacuuming out any dust or debris that may have accumulated in them during warmer weather.
• Never use an oven or stovetop to heat your home, and always use gas or charcoal grills outdoors.
• If you ever smell gas, immediately extinguish all flames in your home, put out cigarettes, and do not operate electrical appliances because they may create sparks. Turn off all gas appliances and make sure pilot lights are out. If you still smell gas after opening windows and doors, turn off your home's main gas tap. Call the gas company immediately and evacuate.
• If a pilot light goes out, turn off the gas at that heat source and wait several minutes before re-lighting it.
• If your pilot light produces a red or yellow flame, call for service; the flame should be blue.
• Finally, make sure your smoke alarms are all functioning properly.

Call or contact Weaver Bros. Insurance Associates, Inc. today to make sure your home insurance policy is up to date.

Arrive Alive... or Just Stay Home

Whether your region is besieged by ice, blanketed in snow, soaked with rain, or one of those places that experiences a once-in-a-blue-moon taste of the aforementioned conditions, it's always imperative to be prepared. Even in warm, sunny locales, the abundance of stressed-out drivers during the holidays can make roads more hazardous than usual.

Use the following guidelines to ensure you travel safely in Maryland this winter.

• Make sure your tires are properly inflated, and never combine radial tires with other tire types.
• In cold weather conditions, always keep your gas tank at least half-full to prevent your gas line from freezing.
• Never drive while fatigued.
• Avoid using the parking break in cold, wet and/or snowy weather, as it may get stuck.
• Do not use cruise control when driving on a wet, icy, sandy, or otherwise slippery road conditions.
• Don't over exert yourself if you try to push or dig your vehicle out of the snow; you'll be dangerously tired when it's time to drive again.
• If your vehicle becomes stuck in the snow, stay put. Your auto will provide shelter and make it easier for rescuers to locate you. Do not try to walk in a severe storm; you can lose sight of your vehicle in blowing snow and get lost.
• If you are forced to wait out a storm in your vehicle, use whatever's handynewspaper, floor matsto keep yourself warm. Turn on the engine briefly and only when necessary to heat up the car; do not leave it running.
• Make sure your vehicle's exhaust pipe is free from snow, ice, or mud. A blocked exhaust may cause carbon monoxide gas to leak into vehicle's interior while the engine is running.
• Delay road trips when especially bad weather has been forecasted. If you must travel, always inform others of your route, destination, and estimated time of arrival.
• When driving on snow, accelerate slowly, helping you to gain traction and avoid skids.
• Similarly, decelerate slowly on snowy roads, because it takes longer to stop.
• Break properly. Whether your vehicle has antilock brakes or not, it's best to employ threshold breaking: keeping the heel of your foot on the floor, use ball of your foot to place firm, steady pressure on the brake pedal.
• Pay attention and shun distractions. Always look in the direction that you are headed.
• Needless to say, always wear a seatbelt.

Finally, always assess the need to drive this winter. Unless it's absolutely necessary to be someplace, consider keeping things simple and safe, and staying home on really snowy days. Is it really necessary to make another trip to the mall if you can shop for presents online? Go out to a restaurant for dinner when there's food at home? Drive around in search of entertainment when you can cuddle up by the fire and watch the snow fall from the window? Winter is an optimal time to slow down and snuggle in. Doing so may not just make you feel happy; it might also help to keep you safe.

Call or conact Weaver Bros. Insurance Associates, Inc. to make sure your auto insurance policies are up to date.

In these cost-conscious days, everyone is trying to save money wherever and whenever they can. It seems that people may especially look to their insurance policies as a place to realize some savings.

More customers are now requesting a reduction in the dwelling limits on their homeowners policy or a reduction in the policy's liability limits.

Some customers are even requesting a reduction in the limits of liability on their auto insurance policies. In most cases, these types of requests are not wise ones. We cannot stress enough how much you have to lose if a liability judgment goes against you -- for example, in an auto accident or if someone gets hurt at your home.

A wiser and certainly more consumer-friendly way to save money on your insurance premiums is to increase your property deductibles. On a homeowners policy, going from a $250 to a $500 deductible may result in a savings of between 10 and 15 percent on the premium. We understand; we've heard customers tell us previously: "But if I have a claim, I can't come up with $500 at one time." The important thing for you to remember is this: you only have to come up with $250 more than you would right now (the difference between your current deductible and $500) -- not a big amount. And remember, with the savings you will experience in the premium, you will probably save that $250 in less than 2 years.

Higher deductibles on the physical damage section of your auto insurance are also a good way save some money on the premium. A $500 deductible on both comprehensive and collision can save you to 30 percent on these coverage lines. A $1,000 deductible may result in savings of up to 40 percent.

If you cannot take the big leap from a $250 deductible to $1,000, consider a graduated approach. We'd like to suggest going to a $500 deductible now and putting the premium you save into a "deductible fund." Then in a couple of years, you will have enough in that fund to increase the deductible to $1,000.

The point to remember is this: don't risk a lot in order to save a little.

Copyright 2008 Insurance and Risk Management Institute, Inc. (www.irmi.com) reproduced with permission

If you have a domestic employee, such as a gardener, housekeeper, or nanny, who drives his or her own auto while working for you, there is a potential for you to incur liability arising from their driving that would not be adequately insured. If your employee negligently causes an accident, you as the employer can be drawn into the lawsuit and held liable. Your employee’s own insurance, if any, will protect you up to its policy limits, but you are on your own after that. And your personal auto policy may not respond to cover the difference. The courts have ruled in different ways on these types of loss situations.

For example, assume your housekeeper negligently injures someone in a serious accident in her own vehicle while out buying groceries for your household. Further assume she has low liability limits or even no auto liability insurance. If she is sued, the injured party may uncover information about you, her employer, and how her driving in this incident was related to her employment with you. As a result, your “deep pockets” may just get you named in the lawsuit.
If you engage domestic employees or contract workers who may drive their vehicles in their work for you, the following tips may prove helpful.

Ask any employees or prospective employees to provide you a current copy of their driving record. The employee can order this online through http://www.dmv.org/driving-record.php. If they do not have a good driving history, do not allow them to run errands for you.
If the domestic employee has a good driving record and you ask her to occasionally use her own car to run errands, ask for a copy of her current auto policy and verify that it has at least moderate liability limits.

Ask your insurance agent to confirm with your auto insurance company underwriter that your PAP policy will provide a defense and cover judgments in excess of your employee’s limits if you are ever named in one of these suits. If possible, get a copy of a letter from the underwriter.

If the domestic employee has an excellent driving record and a sterling employment history with you, consider having her use your auto to run errands to avoid any question that your PAP will protect you if she negligently causes an accident while working for you.
Periodically review your employee’s driving record and auto insurance policy.
Consider procuring a personal umbrella policy that will normally provide coverage on top of your PAP. However, if the loss is not covered under your auto policy but is covered under the umbrella form, you would only be responsible for the retained limit or deductible amount, which ranges from $250 to $1,000.

Copyright 2008, International Risk Management Institute, Inc. (www.irmi.com) reproduced with permission.

Want to Maximize Your Insurance Dollars? Make 'Conduct a Home Inventory' One of Your New Year's Resolutions

The I.I.I.'s Newest Version of a Popular Software Makes Creating and Storing a Home Inventory Easier than Ever

One of the best ways to make the most of your homeowners insurance is to have an up-to-date home inventory of your personal possessions. With so many people receiving expensive holiday gifts or taking advantage of the end-of-season sales on everything from home electronics to linens, dishes and other household items, there has never been a better time to create or update your home inventory, according to the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.)

"Having an up-to-date home inventory is one of the best ways to make the most of your insurance dollars," said Jeanne M. Salvatore, senior vice president and consumer spokesperson for the I.I.I. "A home inventory lists all your personal possessions and their estimated value. This helps you to purchase the right amount of insurance and will make the claims process faster and easier if there is a fire, hurricane or other type of disaster. And, remember, there is virtually no part of the country that is immune from some sort of catastrophe."

To encourage consumers to create a home inventory, the I.I.I. has developed the popular software program, Know Your Stuff. The software has been updated and version 3 is now available, making it easier than ever to enter, edit, print and store a home inventory. The new version can store multiple photographs of rooms and objects, and makes handling large inventory files fast, stable and secure.

The I.I.I.'s Know Your Stuff - Home Inventory Software makes the task of creating an inventory simple. It allows you to organize your possessions room by room and provides lists of possessions that are typically found in certain rooms as a prompt. It also has the capacity to store digital photographs so that you can document your possessions visually.

It is easy to update and store a digital home inventory-it takes no more effort than the click of a mouse to add a new possession. And when it comes to storing your digital home inventory, there are many options: saving it on an internal or external hard drive or; using an online storage solution; burning it onto a CD; or printing out a room-by-room document. Try to make multiple copies, and be sure to keep at least one copy of your inventory outside of your home, in a safety deposit box or other secure location.

Both Windows and Mac OS versions of Know Your Stuff, version 3 are available as a free download at: http://www.knowyourstuff.org. The software and your personal home inventory files are all stored on your computer to safeguard your privacy; the I.I.I. does not have access to any of the information about your home or possessions that you input.

Vault 24™ Secure Inventory Storage

The I.I.I. now also provides an optional, easy-to-use, low cost inventory storage service integrated into version 3 of the Know Your Stuff software. Secure Swiss Databank, also known as Vault 24™, utilizes an intelligent back-up strategy that makes it virtually impossible to lose inventory data. The back-up servers are safely located in Switzerland, the world's most secure banking zone. This way, if your home is destroyed, you can access this information remotely 24/7. Vault 24™ is ideal for long-term use and takes into account every aspect of a client's privacy and security. You can register in less than five minutes. To find out more about Vault 24™ go to http://www.vault24.com/public/ .

"We're proud of our software improvements, including incorporating Vault 24™ into this latest version," said Salvatore. "This easy-to-use service is ideally suited for storage and management of critical financial information."

"Emailing the link to family and friends is also a fun, free gift that they will really appreciate if they are ever the victim of a disaster," added Salvatore.

To view a video about taking a home inventory, go to: http://www.iii.org/static/video/mediaplayer/hinventory.wmv .

To download a related audio file, go to:
http://www.iii.org/media/radio/prkys3/ .

To download the new Know Your Stuff software, go to: http://www.knowyourstuff.org .

For more information about insurance and creating and keeping a home inventory, go to the I.I.I. Web site: http://www.iii.org.

INSURANCE INFORMATION INSTITUTE
Contact: Press Offices
New York: 212-346-5500; media@iii.org
Washington, D.C.: 202-833-1580