When Hurricane Florence hit the Carolinas in September 2018, the damages were catastrophic leaving many people without a roof over their head, so to speak. It doesn’t take much to remind those affected, that roofs are a front-line protector against severe weather and when a major hurricane hits, making sure your roof is strong enough to withstand strong winds, water, and hail is essential.

In an effort to address this, North Carolina Insurance Underwriting Association (NCIUA) is introducing a pilot program that will offer up to $6,000 grants for new FORTIFIED Roofs to eligible homeowners living in the Outer Banks and Barrier islands. The FORTIFIED Roofs are designed to improve the strength and protection that your roof may not currently offer.

The Benefits of FORTIFIED Roofs

These superior roofs are designed to reduce the water entry up to 90% and come outfitted with high wind-rated roof coverings, roof mounted vents, sealed roof deckings and are installed by a certified FORTIFIED evaluator and overseen by a skilled roofing contractor. These roofs offer the following benefits:

• Superior performance to withstand severe weather
• Peace of mind knowing that your home is better protected
• Insurance premium reductions/discounts
• Increased value of your home

How Can You Apply for the Grant?

In April, this program was launched by the NCIUA along with IBHS (Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety) in an effort to install stronger roofs to those homes (in areas of the Carolinas) subject to natural disasters. NCIUA establishes initial eligibility for the Grant and from those eligible, IBHS inspects the home to determine if it is eligible for a FORTIFIED Roof.

In order to receive this grant, you must apply during the time period from April 15, 2019 through June 15, 2019, but is recommended that you apply as quickly as possible since the grants are offered on a limited, first-come basis to those who meet the eligibility requirements.

If you have any questions about this FORTIFIED Roof program or whether you are eligible, please contact NCIUA at 1-844-NCROOFS (844-627-6637) or visit StenghenYourRoof.com

The post NCIUA FORTIFIED Roof Program appeared first on Paramount Insurance Agency.

The Proposed Drive Safe Act 

On February 26, 2019, The Drive Safe Act bill was introduced that, if passed, states drivers from 18-21 years old will be allowed to drive trucks professionally across state lines. Right now, drivers under the age of 21 can be a professional truck driver, but must remain in their home state until they reach the age of 21.

This bill was introduced to reduce the interstate commercial truck driving age to 18 nationally in an effort to address a truck driver shortage. Currently in the United States, there is a 51,000 truck driver shortage and appears to be on a continuing rise, unless something is done.

“DRIVE” Safe Act stands for Developing Responsible Individuals for a Vibrant Economy. Because of the concern for interstate safety knowing that 18 year olds may be soon operating 18-wheelers, there are requirements that must be met.

First of all, the drivers must log 240 hours of on-duty drive time in the presence of an experienced truck driver as part of their job training. Furthermore, the trucks being driven by the trainees must come equipped with approved safety technologies such as automatic “active breaking” systems and dashboard cameras.

Once these requirements are satisfied, that driver(s) will then be eligible to drive the trucks, moving freight, across state lines without limitation.

All in Favor Say Aye 

There are varying opinions on the Drive Safe Act, but those who are in favor of it have their reasons. Supporters strongly believe it will improve the national truck driving shortage and thus, enhance the job economy by giving younger people more job opportunities in this field.

Supporters, in response to highway safety concerns, claim with the outlined extensive training program and safety equipped trucks, that safety is not a concern. Their argument is that safety/training are the focus and not the age of the driver.

All Opposed Say Nay 

This bill has a lot of people shaking their heads wondering how severely this will affect public safety if passed by legislation. Despite what the followers state, those against this Bill claim that age is a factor and studies show that young drivers are more likely to be involved in fatal crashes than their older counterparts.

Furthermore, those against this bill state that instead of solving the trucking shortage, they are simply endangering others on the interstate and only putting a Band-Aid on the problem.

Their belief is that by putting younger people behind the wheels of 18-wheelers, it will only drive the wages downward due to the increased truck driver expansion pool of young people. Right now, by maintaining a smaller pool of people, the wages remain high and could even rise to a higher level. That is not a Band-Aid, but a solution in the eyes of those protesting this Bill.

Stay Tuned

Nothing to date has been resolved with the Drive Safe Act, so the issue remains until legislation votes. If you have any questions regarding the Drive Safe Act, feel free to contact our office at 866-869-3335.

The post The Drive Safe Act appeared first on Paramount Insurance Agency.

And the Top Honors Go to:

The top ranking for the safest autos falls into the category of IIHS Top Safety Pick+, with 30 vehicles making that top honor and 27 vehicles falling into the IIHS Top Safety Pick. Last year, only 12 vehicles qualified for the top category. To receive the highest rating (Top Safety Pick+), those cars must finish strong in all of the vehicle testing. Automakers continue to make strong efforts to address and enhance the safety of their vehicles.

Stricter Standards Mean Safer Cars 

Each year the standards are elevated to meet the established criteria to include testing on headlights, passenger side crash tests, along with front end crash testing. In the past automakers had to receive an “acceptable” rating, whereas now, it must be “good.”

Headlight testing has become a real issue due to the confirmation that cloudy headlights pose a huge safety risk. IIHS has shown that many vehicles fail in this category due to outdated regulations, faulty design, or poor manufacturing so in order to receive the top award, vehicles must have “good” headlights to provide safe illumination.

Right now, IIHS is increasing their focus on vehicles’ performance regarding pedestrian safety, which means it may be part of the criteria for 2020 Top Safety Pick. The criteria would include whether each vehicle comes equipped with proper emergency braking systems upon pedestrian recognition.

Preliminary List of Top Safety Pick+ Honorees for 2019 

Small Cars

• Honda Insight
• Hyundai Elantra (built after September 2018)
• Kia Forte
• Kia Niro Hybrid
• Subaru Crosstrek
• Subaru Impreza 4-door Sedan and Wagon

Midsize Cars

• Hyundai Sonata
• Kia Optima
• Subaru Legacy/Subaru Outback
• Toyota Camry
• Genesis G70
• Lexus ES

Large Cars

• Toyota Avalon (built after September 2018)
• BMW 5 series
• Genesis G80/G90
• Mercedes-Benz E-Class 4-door sedan

Small SUVs

• Hyundai Kona
• Mazda CX-5

Midsize SUVs

• Hyundai Santa Fe
• Kia Sorento
• Subaru Ascent
• Acura RDX
• BMW X3
• Mercedes-Benz GLC
• Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class

You Can Never Be Too Safe 

If you are in the market for a new vehicle or have any questions regarding IIHS safest cars for 2019, contact us today at 866-869-3335 and we will be able to answer your questions and offer any N.C. auto insurance information you may need. Call us TODAY!

The post 2019 IIHS Safest Cars appeared first on Paramount Insurance Agency.

Now that I have defined all of these acronyms, let me get into the meat of this article.

In recent weeks, hundreds of motor carriers have been shut down due to high scores resulting from maintenance issues, poor drug testing, driver fatigue, driving violations to mention a few. Although the primary purpose of this program is to make our roads safer which makes sense, these new regulatory actions are catching motor carriers off guard. Many don’t realize the danger they are in until it’s too late.

For this reason along with our commitment to protecting trucking companies not only with quality insurance protection but with tools to help them become and remain profitable for the long haul, we are proud to announce a free service offered to our trucking clients.

This SMS Monitoring service is designed to notify our clients before any of the five SMS categories rise within 10 points of alert status allowing the trucking company to take immediate action to avoid government intervention. We also provide tools to help get SMS scores under control allowing you to focus on your business instead of the government hound dogs.

If you own a trucking business and want peace of mind knowing your business is safe from government crackdown, give my office a call today at 866-869-3335. We’ll be glad to show you more about this service and send you a link to see your current SMS scores.

The post Exclusive SMS Monitoring Service For Trucking Companies appeared first on Paramount Insurance Agency.