Boating Season

It’s Boating Season

Every summer, our team gets calls from customers after a fun weekend on the water takes a turn for the worse. Often, these accidents could have been prevented with just a few simple precautions. Here are a few tips we like – courtesy of our partners at Safeco.

Don’t let an accident wreck your fun!

Life Preservers Aren’t Just for Kids. It’s not enough to just have life jackets on board — wear them! In an accident, people rarely have time to reach for a life jacket. This rule applies to adults, not just children: More people in their 30s die in boating accidents than any other age group. Life vests have come a long way in style. Today, you can even get vests for your water-loving dog!

Watercraft Insurance Most home insurance policies have limited coverage for boats. If you own a boat, watercraft insurance is your best bet: It covers theft, damage, and injuries or accidents while you’re on the water, as well as some of your expensive watersports gear.

Watch the Back of the Boat. Carbon monoxide kills in minutes. So tell your passengers where your exhaust pipes are located and turn off your engine when people are in the water, and don't let passengers "ski" or “teak-surf” by holding on to the back of the boat. Both Washington and Oregon made teak-surfing illegal in the last few years, after several tragic deaths. Carbon monoxide detectors are standard on most new boats; older boats install devices for less than $100.

Alcohol and Boating Don't Mix. More than 50 percent of drowning’s result from boating incidents involving alcohol. You don’t drink and drive, so don’t boat and drive.

Boats Need TLC Too. When you're out on the water, make sure your gas tanks are vented and bilges are free of vapors, oil, waste and grease. Carry a charged fire extinguisher. Have your boat's operating systems checked yearly by a certified marine technician. The Coast Guard Auxiliary and United States Power Squadrons also offer free vessel safety checks.

Experience Counts! The U.S. Coast Guard says that operator errors account for 70 percent of all boating accidents. Make sure anyone who drives your boat is properly trained. You can also earn boat insurance discounts from Safeco and other insurers if you complete a safety course with the Coast Guard Auxiliary or U.S. Power Squadrons.

Sites for Information:

Coast Guard: www.uscgboating.org

Coast Guard Auxiliary: nws.cgaux.org/

Safeco tips: www.safeco.com/insurance-101/consumer-tips/your-boat

Call Mower Insurance at 715-723-5525 or e-mail tsperry@mowerins.com for more info. We also have a list of summer boat safety classes that can save you money!

Yard Work Safety

Let's Keep Our Lawns - and Ourselves - Safe in Wisconsin

For many of our neighbors in Chippewa Falls, summer means more than sunshine and vacations. It also means working in the yard - often with tools that can be dangerous if not used properly.

Each year about 400,000 people are treated for injuries from lawn and garden tools, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Don't let your landscaping efforts land you in the hospital! Follow these handy safety tips.

Tool safety tips from the U.S. CPSC

• Dress appropriately. To protect yourself from debris when using lawn tools, wear eye protection, long pants, long-sleeved shirts, close-fitting clothes and no jewelry. Sturdy shoes are recommended, and ear plugs may be appropriate depending on how loud the device is.
• Before starting, remove objects from your work area that could cause injury or damage, such as sticks, glass or stones.
• Keep children indoors and supervised at all times when any outdoor power equipment is being used. Never let a child ride or operate a garden tractor or riding mower, even if the child is supervised. And never assume children will remain where you last saw them.
  Use extreme caution when backing up or approaching corners, shrubs and trees.
• Teenagers using power equipment should always be supervised by an adult.
• Handle gasoline carefully. Never fill tanks while machinery is on or when equipment is still hot. Of course, you should never smoke or use any type of flame around gasoline or any gasoline-powered equipment.
• Do not work with electric power tools in wet or damp conditions. For protection against electrocution, use a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI).
• Be sure that extension cords are in good condition, are rated for outdoor use, and are the proper gauge for the electrical current capacity of the tool.

Lawn Chemical Safety Tips from Texas A&M University

• If you use chemicals to control weeds or pests in your lawn, read the product label carefully so you understand the potential effects on humans, animals and the environment. Follow all instructions.
• Keep children and animals away from the application area, and protect your skin, eyes and nose during and after application.
• Remember, use only the recommended amount. Using more of the chemical will not do a better job.
• Ask yourself if you truly need to use a general pesticide. Is there a product that will specifically treat only the problem you need to solve?

From all of us at Mower Insurance, here's to keeping both you and your lawn healthy this summer!

RV Season is here... but where to go?

RV Campsites

 

Finding a great place to camp in your RV

“Wherever you go, there you are.”

 

Whoever said that must have been an RV owner — after all, one of the best things about vacationing in an RV is the fact that your “hotel” is pretty much anywhere you decide to stop.

 

Of course, there’s a little more to finding a great camping spot than just pulling over and hoping for the best, so we at Mower Insurance Agency put together some tips and resources to help you find the best spots on your next trip.

 

Plan ahead

Just as you would book a hotel before you leave on a vacation, it’s best to make reservations for your RV trip, regardless if you’re staying at a private RV park or a campground on public property. As anyone who has been to O’Neill Creek can tell you, spots fill up quickly during peak travel seasons and often sell out.

 

Public or private?

From basic accommodations to luxury RV resorts, you have many choices. State and national parks tend to have simple campgrounds, but they often offer the best in natural beauty! Whether you go public or private, you’ll want to factor in whether the site has hookups for your RV, how much you’re willing to spend and how close you’ll be to attractions you want to visit — particularly if you aren’t towing a separate car and need to use the RV for all of your travel.

 

What about parking lots?

Some shopping centers and truck stops will allow overnight camping, while rest areas generally prohibit it. Always be certain that you have permission to camp before setting up for the night.

 

The Family Motor Coach Association recommends the following if you stay in a private parking lot:

·         Park out of the way.

·         Avoid using slide-outs and awnings if possible.

·         Do not use your leveling jacks on asphalt.

·         Limit your stay to one night and leave the area cleaner than you found it.

·         Purchase fuel, food or supplies as a thank-you when feasible.

·         Do not put personal items, such as chairs or a grill, outside.

 

How to find campgrounds

RV campground directories are available at bookstores, libraries and some RV supply stores, and they can be very useful to keep with you as you travel. You can also contact local and state tourism bureaus for camping information. Naturally, you have plenty of online resources to choose from as well:

·         U.S. National Parks reservations and other public campgrounds: www.recreation.gov

·         National Recreation Reservation Service: www.fs.fed.us/recreation/reservations

·         Guide to Federal Recreation Passes: http://store.usgs.gov/pass

·         Reservations for Canadian parks: http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/voyage-travel/reserve.aspx

 

We know insurance is just about the last thing you want to have on your mind when you’re on vacation, so give us a call at 715-723-5525 before you leave to make sure you’ve got the coverage you need!

 

Here’s to safe travels and happy RVing!

Mother’s Day

A time to celebrate mothers

 

As the second Sunday of May nears, it’s time to think of ways to celebrate mothers - although, of course, that’s a worthy pursuit at any time of year!

 

At Mower Insurance, we thought it would be fun to give you a little of the history behind Mother’s Day, as well as a few ideas to honor the special women in all our lives.

 

Ancient beginnings

According to MothersDayCentral.com, the ancient Egyptians held an annual festival to honor “the mother of the pharaohs” - the goddess Isis. This is one of the earliest historical records of a society celebrating a mother.

 

How Mother’s Day came to be in the U.S.

In 1870, Julia Ward Howe, a social activist and poet (and author of the lyrics for “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”) had became distraught by the toll of the Civil War. She issued a “Mother’s Day Proclamation” that year, calling on mothers to protest the killing and create a day celebrating peace and motherhood.

 

Howe’s proclamation did not result in a national Mother’s Day, but in 1908, Anna Jarvis of West Virginia took up the cause. She wanted to accomplish her mother’s dream of making a celebration of all mothers. By 1909, more than 40 states were holding Mother’s Day services, even though it was not a national holiday.

 

In 1912, according to Wikipedia, West Virginia was the first state to officially observe Mother’s Day. Jarvis continued to promote the day until President Woodrow Wilson made it an official national holiday in 1914.

 

She later regretted creating the holiday, believing that it had become too commercialized.

 

Enough with the history – where are the gift ideas?

Like us at Mower Insurance, we know you might have more urgent concerns on your mind, like last-minute shopping, so here are the most popular Mother’s Day gifts, according to MothersDayCentral.com.

Flowers

Gift baskets

Personalized gifts

Jewelry

Perfume

Spa gifts

Magazines

 

Of course, perhaps the best gift of all is getting in touch and letting the moms in your life know just how much they mean to you. Happy Mother’s Day!