Vehicle maintenance is often overlooked as a preventive measure to help avoid accidents.  Most people are really only concerned whether their vehicle will start when they put the key in the ignition and try to go. However, vehicle maintenance can be a critical factor in avoiding an accident. Vehicles don’t last forever but we can help prolong their life span through planned maintenance and periodically examining for unusual wear. Below are a few common ways to help maintain a safer vehicle for passengers and other motorists on the road.

Tire maintenance is one of the most effective ways to increase vehicle safety and reduce accidents. Most people do not realize that tires expire even if they have useful tread left. Most tire manufactures suggest that tires be replaced every 5 years. After this time period tires can become hard and brittle, which will increase braking distance and reduce handling in all weather conditions. Inspecting tire tread wear bars and looking for signs of dry rot are easy ways to identify if tires may need to be replaced. You can also prolong the safe useful life of tires by checking tire pressures regularly (every other fill up), having the vehicle alignment inspected, and maintaining proper driving habits to avoid harsh acceleration, braking, and cornering.

Maintenance of the brake system on your vehicle is another effective way to increase vehicle safety. This system can be relatively complex and harder to inspect. However, there are a few ways to identify if your brake system needs attention. Periodically check the brake fluid level under the hood, if the brake pedal feels soft or has increased travel, noise from the brakes when stopping, ABS/brake dash light is illuminated, and increased stopping distance. If any of these things occur have a professional examine your brake system as soon as possible. Furthermore, one of the most over looked maintenance items of the brake system is a brake fluid flush. Much like engine oil, brake fluid needs to be changed. Usually brake fluid needs to be flushed once every two years or 24,000 miles.  

Checking for any fluid leaks under the vehicle may seem relatively simple but can also help increase safety and longevity of the vehicle. Possible fluids that can leak are engine oil, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, engine coolant, and brake fluid. A leak can indicate that a part needs to be replaced on a vehicle or service is needed. Fluid leaks when not addressed can cause break downs, reduced handling or stopping if fluid comes into contact with the tires or brake components, unintended pollution, and possibly vehicle fires.

The above are three easy ways to increase the safety and useful life of your vehicle. As always, it is best to become familiar with the maintenance schedule located in the owner’s manual of your vehicle. If any questions or suspected problems arise with your vehicle it is always best to consult with an ASE certified technician.

Insurance policies are legal contracts which create obligations for both the Named Insured and the Insurer. One of the Named Insured’s most vital responsibilities is to promptly report to the Insurer any incidents that may lead to a claim or lawsuit.

The timely reporting of incidents is important because the core function of a Claims Adjuster – whether they are handling Automobile or General Liability claims – is to collect information as quickly as possible and to make the most appropriate judgements based on the facts gathered during their investigation. The greater the amount of time between the incident and the investigation, the less likely a Claims Adjuster will be able to obtain quality information: eye-witnesses forget the details, physical evidence & other information deteriorate or are lost, and surveillance footage from local businesses are often recorded over after 30 days. These impediments negatively impact the adjuster’s ability to do their job, and legal counsel as well, which can result in larger settlements.  

Should you be involved in a not-at-fault accident, timely reporting of an incident is equally important. Many Insureds feel there is no true reason to report the incident as they were “not-at-fault”; however, this cannot be further from the truth. You want to make sure you report any not-at-fault accidents right away, in an effort to provide proof that your company was not the primary cause of the incident and allow ample time for them to begin their processes to document your innocence.

Many insureds are reluctant to report claims because they are under the misguided belief that:

• Over time, the claim will be forgotten or go away on its own;
• If the claim is reported, the Insurance company will just pay a settlement to close a claim, sticking the Insured with a higher premium rate at renewal; or
• If a claim is reported, the Claims Adjuster’s attempt to contact the Claimant will result in a lawsuit or claim that would not have normally become escalated to that level.

It is important to understand that insurance companies have an obligation to conduct thorough investigations on all claims and pay what is justly owed.  Delaying to report a claim to the Insurer is not only a violation of the Policy Terms & Conditions but could actually have the exact opposite effect than was initially intended: it could result in a higher settlement due to Claims Adjuster’s investigation becoming prejudiced. 

Be sure to reach out to your agent if you have any doubt or questions about your current coverages, and Apply Today to see how NEMT Insurance can better fit your needs!

Many providers believe that their insurance needs can be met by securing just Commercial Automobile & possibly Workers Compensation coverages.  The reality is that General Liability coverage is required by your broker and is certainly needed to protect your assets.

Typically, General Liability coverage is needed to protect your business from losses that may occur on your premises or losses that could stem from liability created by your operations.  Transportation providers (TPs) often forget that there are additional exposures related to the nature of their work that are understated.  Many TPs only provide ‘curb to curb’ service for their clientele.  If a loss arises related to the passenger from the time of pick up at the curb to the designation point aka curb, then coverage would be triggered by your Automobile policy.  However, if a TP provides ‘door to door’ service, there is exposure to a potential loss stemming from the extra assistance that is given away from the curb.   For instance, a passenger needs assistance from their place of residence to the vehicle or assistance to the drop off point which may be at the door of the appointment or possibly even inside the building.  Coverage for a loss emanating from this type of exposure past the curb is not contemplated in the standard Commercial Automobile policy that most insurance carriers provide.  If a loss arises due to providing this assistance, i.e., helping a passenger into/out of a wheelchair away from the vehicle, coverage should be provided from your General Liability policy.  These types of losses can be very costly and that is why it is important to maintain a sound General Liability policy in addition to your Automobile coverage preferably with the same carrier so there are no disputes in coverage.

Many carriers recognize this exposure related to your unique class of business and will sometimes try to exclude this “loading & unloading” exposure.  Other carriers may try to offer sub limited (lower limits) coverage for this exposure because they believe the premium generated isn’t sufficient for the exposure.  At NEMT Insurance, we recognize this inherit risk to your operations and do not try to eliminate or carve out this important coverage.  You can have complete confidence that you have obtained the coverage needed to protect your operations. 

Be sure to reach out to your agent if you have any doubt or questions about your current coverages, and Apply Today to see how NEMT Insurance can better fit your needs!

Are you aware of exactly how your vehicles are being operated by your drivers? Do you know where your vehicles are at all times? Is keeping up with vehicle maintenance schedules a burden? The real question you should be asking is this: am I utilizing any type of telematics solution to manage my fleet of vehicles?  

There are countless telematics offerings on the market today. Everything from basic data capturing of a vehicles performance, all the way to artificial intelligence and active accident-avoidance systems. Choosing the right telematics system for your specific needs can seem like a daunting task. However, the first step is deciding you want to deploy a telematics solution, and from there, it’s all about your specific needs and desires regarding its capabilities. For most small fleet operators, 1-50 vehicles for example, understanding exactly how your vehicles are being driven, where your vehicles are at all times, and maintenance intervals are among the first things that come to mind. It’s impossible to truly understand each of these elements seamlessly across your fleet without deploying a management system in the form of fleet telematics.  

You may have hired the most competent, most capable, and most reliable candidates to drive your vehicles for your company. However, you can only physically ride in one vehicle at a time. Without a telematics solution installed in each of your vehicles, how would you know if your driver is truly operating the vehicles as intended and instructed, and in a safe and courteous manner? Even the most basic fleet telematics systems are capable of capturing data such as excessive speeding, harsh braking, hard acceleration, and idling times, all while alerting the owner of each event based on the parameters set by that owner. Knowing exactly how your drivers are operating your vehicles, and having the data to support it, allows for proper, and timely, driver counseling should the need arise.

Having the ability to know exactly where your vehicles are at all times has a number of benefits. It’s easy to know where you’ve told a given driver to go, but are they really going where they were directed? Are your vehicles being utilized for unauthorized personal use? Is a given driver utilizing more fuel than normal? Having a GPS monitoring system installed in your vehicles will give you the answers to those questions in real time. Set up a geo fence yourself, and be alerted when any of your vehicles are driven outside of a designated area of operation. Instead of calling your driver to find out where they are, know exactly where they are, and exactly where they’ve been.

Keeping up with routine vehicle maintenance schedules can be a time-consuming task, especially when not every vehicle is on the same maintenance cycle. Let your fleet management system do the hard work for you. Know exactly how many miles are on each vehicle without having to physically be with the vehicle. Preselect alerts to notify you when a particular mileage is hit.  Always know when it’s time to change the oil, replace the tires, or if it’s inspection time. Enjoy the confidence of knowing that your vehicles are being properly maintained, and are safe for the road, your drivers, as well as your passengers.

Implementing a fleet telematics system is one of the best decisions you can make for your transportation business, but with so many options available, finding the one that best suits your company can seem like a daunting task. NEMT Insurance takes the guessing work completely out of the equation. Our team has evaluated the pros and cons and capabilities of numerous telematics offerings and has partnered with a telematics team that understands the NEMT industry. We offer our telematics solution with every quote we produce, and can even add it to your finance agreement to drive down your up-front costs. Apply today for a quote to learn more about our telematics offering and high-quality insurance solutions.

One of the questions we are asked daily is “What are these coverage symbols my Transportation Broker wants me to carry?”  While simple to us, we understand that these terms are a little difficult to understand for someone not versed in insurance.  With Commercial Automobile insurance, there are coverage Symbols that range on a scale of 1-9, each one carrying a very specific definition. 

If you contact an insurance broker and simply ask for a Commercial Automobile premium rate, they are most likely going to rate your account as a Symbol 7 policy.  The definition of Symbol 7 in Commercial Automobile is a “Scheduled Auto”.  When a policy is written as Symbol 7, the coverage only applies to vehicles listed or scheduled on the policy. If your company has an accident in a vehicle that is not listed on your schedule, the claim will be denied as you never scheduled the vehicle nor paid insurance premiums on the vehicle.  Many years ago, Symbol 7 policies were widely accepted by Transportation Brokers in the non-emergency medical transportation space, but that has become a thing of the past. 

The majority of Transportation Brokers now require your Auto Liability policy to be written to cover Symbols 2, 8, 9.  What exactly does that mean, and why am I being required to carry these symbols? By insurance definition, Symbol 2 means All Owned Autos, Symbol 8 means Hired Autos, and Symbol 9 means all Non-Owned Autos.  Essentially if you own it, rent/lease it or borrow it, your Automobile Liability policy must transfer to cover the liability portion of a claim, even if you failed to add the vehicle to your policy. For example, you have a client that has to be picked up from their dialysis appointment, the vehicle that was in route is now on the side of the road with a flat tire, and your other vehicles are tied up.  If you, the company owner, send one of your employees to pick that Member up from their appointment in their personal vehicle, which is not listed or “scheduled” on your policy, and an accident while making that pick up, the Automobile Liability from your policy will provide protection to the Non-Owned vehicle being used.

Why is the Transportation Broker asking me to carry this coverage?  The answer is simple, Transportation Brokers have to make sure their Members make it to and from appointments, safely and are protected in the event of an accident.  If your policy is written as Symbol 7 in the same scenario as above, and an accident occurs, that claim will be denied. A denied claim will most definitely come back financially to your company, as well as to the Transportation Broker.  Requiring Transportation Providers to carry Symbols 2, 8, 9 on their Automobile Liability policies, gives an added layer of protection to ensure that if a Member being transported is injured in an accident, liability coverage is in place.  

What does this mean for my company, and the premiums I pay?  The answer to that question is fairly simple as well.  Insurance companies do not typically like to write policies with Symbols 2, 8, 9, as it is a much broader liability exposure for the insurance company.  Do they charge an additional premium for these coverage Symbols?  Absolutely.  You wouldn’t expect to receive 15 additional gallons of gas every time you fill up, or 10 extra bags full of groceries for the same amount you regularly pay, and the same applies here. Most of the time the premium difference is minimal, but there is a difference, as there should be. 

There are a couple of important aspects to remember when adding these Symbols to your Automobile Liability policy.  First, most insurance companies are not going to provide this coverage to your Transportation Company unless it is a contractual requirement, and poof of contract is typically required when a policy is written this way.  Second, if your company runs Hired, or Non-Owned vehicles regularly, but you do not add them to your insurance policy, you risk having your insurance canceled.  While you are paying a premium to have this coverage, it is still your responsibility to add all vehicles that you are regularly using in your business to your insurance policy, even if only for a limited amount of time.  Never assume you are covered without first discussing with your agent.

In the end, everyone wants to save as much as possible on insurance cost, but not properly insuring your vehicles is a quick way to find the bankruptcy court while harming other people who are counting on you procure and maintain the proper insurance.  NEMT Insurance and our retail agents are here to help you navigate this challenging pathway.

While additional cushions may provide a wheelchair occupant greater comfort, the cushion may not be compatible with a given wheelchair manufacturers make and model.  This can compromise the occupant’s stability, and ultimately their overall safety, and should be removed prior to transport.

The back support of a wheelchair should ideally be set to the occupant’s shoulder height.  The addition of a seat cushion onto a standard wheelchair seat will raise the occupants seating position in the wheelchair.  Subsequently, this raises the occupants center of gravity, leading to compromised forwards, rearwards, and sideways stability.  This effect on stability can be critical should an accident occur, especially for occupants with poor core strength.  Additionally, by raising the occupants center of gravity, the angle of a slope or ramp that a wheelchair can remain stable on, is reduced.  This increases the chances of the occupant tipping over more easily when met with even the slightest of angles. 

Any impact can be considerable regardless of the rate of speed the vehicle is traveling.  Permitting the use of additional cushioning for wheelchair passengers only increases the likelihood of a more severe injury if an impact were to occur.  Additionally, by raising the center of gravity of the occupant, the probability of the occupant tipping over inside the vehicle during a cornering or breaking event is also increased. 

It is perfectly acceptable that additional cushioning may be an integral component to a wheelchair user’s level of comfort.  However, the cushion should be specifically designed by the manufacturer, and integrated into the original design of the wheelchair by that manufacturer. If it isn’t, then it should be removed from the wheelchair prior to transport in an effort to reduce the likelihood of severe injury if an accident were to occur. 

While a passenger’s personal comfort is important; ultimately their safety, and the safety of those around them is more important.

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month!  NEMT Insurance would like to bring attention to this widespread activity plaguing American roadways. Distracted driving is the leading cause of automobile accidents and results in personal hardships and increased insurance costs. 

The common misconception associated with distracted driving is that it only entails the use of mobile phones, but the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) points out that anything that takes a drivers’ attention off the road while behind the wheel contributes to the problem of distracted driving. Other distractions while driving include: eating & drinking, applying makeup, looking after children & pets, and adjusting the radio.

We at NEMT Insurance would like to provide you with some helpful tips to prevent distracted driving:

• Before you hit the road, plan your route, set your music or radio, make sure all passengers/pet are buckled up and restrained, and most importantly drive sober. Do not get behind the wheel while impaired by alcohol, medicine, recreational drugs or exhaustion.

• Once on the roadway, do NOT multi-task. Drivers should be focused on one thing while on the road:  DRIVING.

• Use your cell phone only in emergency situations, even then its best to pull over to the shoulder in order to safely make a call. Even hands-free devices can cause distractions that could lead to an accident.

• Avoid eating while driving, drivers should eat before or after their trips. If necessary, they should pull off the road to eat in a safe place.

• Keep your eyes on the road. It is easy to get distracted by items outside your vehicle while driving such as billboards/buildings. It is recommended that drivers move their eyes every two seconds and scan their mirrors every five to eight seconds.

• Groom/Dress at home. Drivers should never be trying to get dressed or doing makeup while driving. Do so at home or once you arrive to your destination to avoid distraction.

• Take a pledge to avoid distracted driving. Make an effort to stick to your pledge that while driving you will not conduct activities that can take your attention away from the road.

• Distracted Driving Prevention Technology. The implementation of distracted driving technologies can help to hold you accountable. Technologies such as SafeDrivePod keep drivers from using their cell phones while the vehicle is in motion. SafeDrivePod is a comprehensive solution for smartphone/tablet use while driving. It ensures that the device cannot be used while driving, but allows for use of hands-free devices to make voice-activated calls.

All of these tips can help drivers to avoid distracted driving actions while behind the wheel ensuring that you, your passengers, other drivers and pedestrians arrive alive.