Homeowners Insurance versus Personal Medical Insurance

Many people wonder if their homeowners insurance would pay for an injury that they got while at home. After all, guests and visitors aren’t the only people who can get hurt in your home. The same dangers that lie in wait for non-residents of your home to stumble upon are waiting for you and your family members as well. There is an important difference, though, between what insurance foots the bill when you get hurt at home and when a visitor gets hurt in your home.
Understanding Liability
As a homeowner, you are liable for many of the injuries a visitor can have in your home. In the event that an invited guest or unexpected visitor should be injured in your home through no fault of their own, your homeowners insurance would likely pay medical expenses and damages. It might even pay for lost wages if the injury resulted in the individual being out of work.
When it comes to injuries, your homeowners insurance only covers your liability as a property owner, though. So if you or one of your family members were to be injured in your home, it’s not your homeowners insurance but your medical insurance that would be responsible for paying for those injuries.
When Homeowners Insurance Doesn’t Pay
But what injuries of visitors would your homeowners insurance not pay for? Well, if someone was in your home acting in an irresponsible or negligent manner and you had no way to prevent them from having an accident, and their behavior causes the accident, then you would probably not be liable for that injury. However, if someone acting in a normal capacity is injured in your home—even from something that was not the result of any negligence on your part, you would likely be responsible.
Whether you do it to avoid insurance claims or to keep your family and friends safe, creating a home that is free of obvious threats to health and safety will save you both money and heartache. And while you can never create a totally risk-free zone, diligence and close observation can work together to help you remove the most obvious threats and cut down in the opportunity for injury that much more.

Staying Safe in Your Automobile

By now, even if you live in a state without seat belt laws, you know that buckling up can save your life. But buckling up is not the only way you can proactively act to keep you and your family safe in your automobile.

1. Properly arm your airbags: If your car has air bags, make sure they are properly armed. If they have activated, you’ll need to have them armed again.
2. Use your seat belt properly: There is a reason why seat belts stretch across our chests and not just our laps. These chest straps keep us from hitting the dashboard, the seat in front of us, or getting an extreme case of whiplash. Make sure to wear your seatbelt as it was intended so you can get a full range of protection. 
3. Practice proper and timely vehicle maintenance: Transmission problems can cause your car to seize up in the middle of the road; improperly filled tires can compromise your brake system—there’s no end to the potential accidents that car maintenance issues can cause. Bring your car to the mechanic regularly so he or she can check for these issues before they help cause an accident.
4. Practice airbag safety: Airbags have saved a lot of lives, but they can also be harmful in certain situations. Children under age twelve should never sit in a front seat with driver’s side airbags. If they must, they should be properly buckled up with the seat as far away from the dashboard as possible, since airbags can actually harm anyone who is 2-3 inches from the point of inflation. Because the driver’s airbag is in the steering wheel, he or she can be injured, too. Measure your normal seating position when you drive and make sure that you are situated at least 10 inches away from the center of the steering wheel.
5. Use rear facing car seats: Airbags are not the only in-car threat to a child’s safety. Children less than one year old or who weigh less than 20 lbs. should always be buckled into rear-facing child’s seats in the back seat of the car. Children under 4’9” should also use booster seats when riding in the car. This prevents seat belt injuries in case of an accident.
6. Adjust your mirrors: It’s easy to get into your car after another driver has used it and forget to adjust your mirrors. This can lead to blind spots that allow you to back into an obstacle or change lanes without seeing a nearby driver. Always be sure that your mirrors are properly adjusted and that you check your mirror’s blind spots before making any moves in traffic.

Observing these simple auto safety precautions will give you peace of mind and might one day even save a life.