Wawanesa Insurance Newsletter March 2024

The days are growing longer, the air is warming, and the world around us is bursting with vibrant colors. Spring is finally here, bringing with it a renewed sense of energy and optimism. As we revel in the joy of longer days, let's also take a moment to ensure our homes and driving routines are prepared for the changes this season brings. We'll uncover ways to help you gear up for spring adventures, share savvy saving hacks, host an exciting giveaway, and provide tips for keeping both you and your loved ones safe for an enjoyable spring season.  Here's a peek at what awaits you in this edition: Million mile machine? It starts here! This is how to maximize and extend the life of your vehicle. Is it illegal to drive barefoot? Put your road smarts to the test in this Fact or Fiction: Traffic Ticket quiz and you could win a $25 Amazon gift card. Homeowners insurance is becoming more difficult to obtain in California. Wawanesa is here to stay, but here’s why homeowners are experiencing an insurance crisis. Are your robo-calls increasing? This is how scammers are using AI and ways to protect yourself. Tires are a necessary investment. Here’s how to make sure you’re choosing the best tires for your needs and budget. Why has my car insurance premium increased if I haven’t had a claim? Understanding how various factors can affect your insurance rates. Red and blue lights are only fun on the 4th of July. Here’s how to avoid getting pulled over by the cops. Is insurance more expensive for leased cars? Here’s what you might want to consider before leasing a car. Does California need a rebrand from the sunshine state to the bumper-to-bumper state? This is why there's so much traffic in California. Get ready to embrace the fresh air, explore the outdoors, and create lasting memories this spring! The Wawanesa Team

Road to 300k Miles: Here's What You Can Do to Extend the Life of Your Vehicle Throwaway culture has become one of the defining characteristics of our modern world. With many household goods costing more to fix — if you can even find a repair shop — than to replace, it’s easy to see why. While it may make sense to toss a broken juicer or hairdryer and shell out for a new one, you want to prolong the life of bigger investments like your car for as long as possible. With vehicle repair costs skyrocketing, taking good care of your ride pays off in multiple ways. By investing time and effort, you’ll enjoy a safer, more reliable ride, increase your car’s resale value, and improve efficiency, which is good for the planet as well as your wallet. It’s a no-brainer, right? So let’s explore simple ways to extend the life of your vehicle. Transmission Keeping your transmission system healthy will keep your car healthy. Transmission fluid is the lifeblood of the system as it lubricates the gears, minimizes friction, and helps prevent overheating. As with other fluids in your car, it gets less effective over time so it needs to be checked and replaced regularly to minimize wear and tear. When you check the levels, also look at the color. Healthy fluid looks translucent and reddish, while a dark or burnt shade signals that it’s probably ready for a change. If you’re not sure, your owner’s manual will tell you how often you should be changing the transmission fluid. Fuel System If you drive a hybrid or a gas-powered model, rising prices at the pump make it more important than ever to maintain your car’s fuel delivery method. Like the transmission fluid, your vehicle depends on a healthy fuel system to keep it operating optimally. Follow your vehicle manufacturer's recommendations for fuel filter replacement timing, and always use the manufacturer-recommended octane. (Tip: using a higher grade than necessary can be as bad as using too low a grade.) If you drive in a cold climate, winter-grade fuel will help the engine and transmission reach optimal operating temps faster. Fuel additives like octane boosters and fuel system cleaners can help maintain optimal engine performance. Here's the full list of tips to keep your car running smoothly for years to come...

Are you a road whiz? Take our interactive quiz and see if you can separate traffic ticket myths from the real deal! Take the quiz to see how well you score. This driving quiz (2-3 minutes) is designed for educational purposes and has no effect on your insurance policy — it's just for fun and to help you stay safe on the road. You could win a $25 Amazon gift card for playing.

California Insurance: Homeowners in Crisis

For years, homeowners in the Golden State have had to pay dearly to experience the California Dream. With a high cost of living and one of the most expensive real estate markets in the country, property owners in California must also contend with a wide range of natural disasters. The state’s diverse geography and climate make it particularly susceptible to wildfires, mega-storms, floods, and mudslides, which have all increased in frequency as humans build into fire-prone areas. Rising Costs and Strict Regulations It’s not just the cost of reimbursing policyholders’ claims that’s affecting insurers. Soaring home construction costs and a heavily regulated property insurance market have forced many insurers to reevaluate their presence in California. This has left many homeowners in a precarious position — scrambling to secure alternative coverage while becoming increasingly vulnerable to the devastating effects of a natural disaster. As wildfires grow more frequent and more severe, it follows that related insurance claims will increase too. Earthquakes, while less frequent, have also caused major damage to homes in the state. The huge financial losses incurred by California insurers have resulted in some of the bigger players — 7 of the 12 largest companies — either pausing or restricting coverage in California. Rest assured that’s not the case for Wawanesa. We are deeply committed to serving our California customers. In fact, over 90% of our existing business is in the state and we have no plans to change that. Protecting Homeowners Affected by Wildfire A recent law (SB 824) ensures homeowners in areas affected by wildfires cannot have their homeowner's insurance coverage canceled or non-renewed within a year of the Governor issuing a state of emergency for a wildfire. This law allows homeowners to recover from the impact of a wildfire without the risk of losing coverage. Learn more about SB 824 and see a list of areas where the law has been activated due to wildfire damage. Read more and find out what's causing the homeowners insurance crisis...

Peace of Mind, Year-Round: An Annual Home Maintenance Checklist Don't let little fixes turn into big headaches! This FREE home maintenance checklist equips you to tackle tasks throughout the year, keeping your home safe and comfortable.

How Scammers Are Using AI and Ways to Protect Yourself Artificial Intelligence (AI) is ushering in an exciting era of technological innovation, reshaping our world in countless ways. However, alongside these advancements, a darker side of AI is emerging. The very technology that promises to revolutionize our lives is being manipulated to create new scams using cutting-edge tools like voice cloning, deep fakes, AI-powered phishing, and phony AI investment schemes. In this post, we'll delve into AI scams and other deceptive practices, illuminating the shadows in the digital landscape so you can better protect yourself. Voice-Cloning Scams: AI-Powered Fraud Hits Close to Home Imagine a late-night phone call from your grandson, his voice filled with fear and desperation. He's in jail, needs bail money, and is begging you to keep it a secret from his parents — they’d be furious. It's a plea tugging at your heartstrings, and you know how strict his folks are. This is the haunting reality of voice-cloning scams, where fraudsters use AI to perfectly mimic the voices of loved ones, turning modern technology into a tool for deceit. This AI phone scam is not so much a new scam as an old one that the power of AI has turbocharged. All a fraudster needs is an audio clip of any person — hello, social media! — and they can clone the voice to make it say anything they want. Protect yourself from this AI phone scam in the following ways: Always independently verify the distress call through a known, trusted number. Be very cautious of urgent requests for money, particularly if they involve untraceable payment methods. Remember — payment via unconventional methods like cryptocurrency or gift cards is a common sign of a new scam. Ask your caller questions about your family that they would know but a fraudster wouldn’t.  As scary as voice-cloning AI scams are, deep fake video scams are even more jarring. They can make you believe you see and hear something that never happened. Forewarned is forearmed, so be aware and stay safe! Click here to learn about AI investment mirage, zero-click malware, and phishing scams...

Spring into Clean with this Planner Bid farewell to winter hibernation and embrace the season of renewal! This downloadable cleaning planner helps you tackle every corner of your home, leaving it sparkling and ready for the warm months ahead.

Tire Safety Tip! That 4-digit code on your tire. That's your tires birth date (first 2 digits = week, last 2 digits = year). It's a handy way to gauge tire age and ensure your safety on the road!

How to Buy Tires: Get the Best Tires for Your Vehicle How to buy tires for your vehicle shouldn’t be a guessing game. Along with maintaining your brakes, purchasing the right tires for your needs is one of the most important decisions you make regarding vehicle safety. This guide unpacks the tire-buying process, highlighting the importance of choosing the right tires by vehicle type. Let's dive in to discover more about different types of tires and what you need to consider when making your choice. Decoding Tire Specifications The key to learning how to buy tires is all in those mysterious letters and numbers on the tire’s sidewalls. They tell you everything you need to know about the tire and its performance:  Tire Size: This includes tire width, aspect ratio, and wheel diameter measurements. Load Index: This numeric code indicates the maximum weight capacity the tire can support when properly inflated. Speed Rating: This alphanumeric code indicates the maximum safe speed at which the tire can be driven. Construction Type: Different types of tires have different construction, such as radial, bias-ply, or belted. Tread Pattern: The tread pattern affects traction, handling, and performance in different weather and road conditions. Tire Type: This specifies the tire's intended purpose, such as all-season, summer, winter, or specialty tires designed for specific applications or vehicles. Price isn't everything! Understanding tread wear can save you BIG in the long run! Click here for everything you want to know for tires that last...

Why Has My Car Insurance Premium Increased If I'm Claim-Free Across the country, but especially in California, car insurance rates seem to be skyrocketing — along with the cost of most other goods and services. Most of us now understand the reasons for these increases, post-pandemic. In the last few years, we’ve seen supply-chain slowdowns, raw materials shortages, and staffing issues that result in everything taking longer to complete and costing more. But when it comes to car insurance, drivers often get frustrated as to why their rates increase if they haven’t had any recent tickets or accidents. The expectation for many is that good, careful driving and a clean record should result in lower rates. While that’s partially true, it’s not the whole story. In this article, we’ll uncover the reasons for rate increases. How Premium Is Calculated  Insurance companies charge a premium based on two factors: the likelihood of that customer making a claim, and the economic factors involved in settling claims. Insurance actuaries predict the likelihood and costs of a claim being filed based on multiple factors including miles driven annually, driving record, and the make and model of the vehicle in question. This information is used to set the premium. However, the primary cause of premium increases is the costs involved in settling claims. This includes the cost of: Medical treatment for accident injuries Auto parts and repairs for damaged cars Used cars to replace totaled vehicles Wawanesa has seen these costs jump by an astounding 40 percent or more since 2018. This increase in the cost to pay claims is spread among all the group members. Your premium goes into the account to help pay for those who file a claim after an incident. Here's a cost breakdown example and why being a Wawanesa member is a smart choice...

Choose Your Monthly Payment Date with AutoPay Life is dynamic and it's nice to have the flexibility to choose your payment date. Maybe it's already convenient for you, but if you ever want to adjust your monthly recurring payment date, give call us!

How to Avoid Getting Pulled Over: 5 Tips Many of us have been there. You’re cruising along without a care in the world when you hear the dreaded sirens and see the flashing lights of a patrol car in your rearview mirror. In some instances, the vehicle in question goes flying past and you let out a huge sigh of relief. But sometimes, it’s you they’ve got in their sights, and you need to pull off the road safely but quickly. No one enjoys that heart-pounding feeling — whether you believe the police attention is justified or not. With that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of tips you can adopt to avoid being pulled over. Time It Smartly Knowing when to stay off the road can help you avoid a speeding ticket or other infraction. Of course, that’s not always possible, especially if you commute to work during regular hours. While rush hour and other high-traffic times may prevent you from driving over the speed limit, there’s still the possibility you’ll do something else that gets you noticed by the police.  Highway patrol officers are often more vigilant and in increased numbers during the busiest times on the road. And if you’re driving late at night, any erratic or sloppy driving behavior can put you in the spotlight due to heightened police presence in certain areas. We reveal how to use GPS (and other tips!) to help you stay legal and avoid getting a ticket...

Avoid a Traffic Stop Stumble!: Ensure a smooth encounter by keeping your registration and insurance card current. Download your digital ID card for easy access, anywhere you go. Need help? Click here for a step-by-step guide.

Is Insurance More Expensive for Leased Cars? Before you decide whether to buy a new car or lease one from a dealership, take the time to learn how your insurance may be affected. Insurance for a leased car must meet standards specified in the lease contract, often resulting in higher premiums than a car owner may choose to pay. This guide to car leasing with insurance can help you better understand what factors go into the cost of insuring leased cars. Financial Considerations in Car Leasing Leasing a car comes with some drawbacks. When the vehicle lease is up, you return the car to the dealership and do not see a return on the payments you’ve made. If you buy a car, you may be able to sell it at some point, recouping some of your investment. Without vehicle ownership, you cannot recover any money you pay toward the lease. Additionally, many lease agreements place annual mileage limits on the leased vehicles. You can be charged for every mile driven over the allotted distance if you exceed these limits.  Financially, the decision between leasing vs. buying a car comes from convenience vs. equity. Drivers who lease one car after another may benefit from lower monthly payments and reduced maintenance costs. Over the long term, you could spend more on constant monthly lease payments than you would by paying off a car purchase. You should also budget for higher insurance for the leased car. Different Factors That Affect Car Leasing Insurance Dealerships that lease their vehicles retain ownership. That puts them in the position to require more complete coverage for the insurance for a leased car. The better coverage naturally raises your monthly premium. Insurance on a leased car typically includes the following coverage: Comprehensive Collision Bodily Injury Liability limits of $100,000 per person Bodily Injury Liability limits of $300,000 per accident Property Damage liability limits of $50,000 per accident Further, the lender may require lower deductibles than you might choose yourself. This, too, can result in higher premiums. Find out what financial institutions may require and if it could cost you more...

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