Here’s a great way to kick off the Christmas season….visit our friends in Coppell and view their spectacular Christmas light display! We go every year, and the kids love it! Enjoy and Merry Christmas!
https://www.facebook.com/DeckTheHallsHouse/
First Responder: Securing The Accident Scene
Learn about being a first responder. When there is a car accident, you need to know how to secure the scene. This can make it easier for help to arrive, and for the people involved in the accident to walk away.
The first thing you want to do is secure your car. This means pulling it off the road and at least 100 feet away from the accident. You should also put your hazard lights on so approaching cars know that something is going on.
The second thing you want to do is call 911. Even if other cars have called, it’s a good idea to place the call because you don’t know if someone has actually called it in. be ready to tell the operator:
- The location of the crash
- The number of cars involved
- What’s going on
- Your contact information
After the 911 call, approach the accident carefully. Talk to the victims and find out what’s going on with them. Often, just knowing that help is on the way is enough to keep people calm. If they can get out of the cars, help them to do so. Otherwise, leave them in and assure them that help is going to be there soon. If a person cannot move their back or neck, don’t attempt to move them as it can result in further injuries.
Stabilize the cars, too. This means turning off the ignition and possibly moving the car out of the way so that other cars can’t potentially hit it. This may involve the help of more good Samaritans.
At The Select Insurance Agency, we are prepared to help you with auto insurance in Texas. Call today and one of our friendly agents can get quotes, talk to you about being a first responder, and much more.
Protect Yourself and Your Property from Theft this Holiday Season
During the holidays, we’re often times busy and distracted. Here are five types of theft to watch for, and a few things you can do to help protect your purchases, personal information, or business, this holiday season.
Taking steps to protect your personal information, particularly during the holiday season, is key to preventing Identity Theft. Now and through the year be sure to:
- Monitor your credit report
- Review your credit card statements carefully
- Keep a close eye on your wallet and purse while shopping
- Carry only those credit cards you need, leaving cash, debit cards, and checks at home
To help Protect Your Car (and everything inside) from burglars during holiday shopping, it is best to keep all valuable items, including purchased gifts, out of plain site. Be sure to park in well-lit, safe areas, roll up your windows, and lock your doors.
If you are having packages delivered to your home, you can help avoid the risk of porch pirating by instructing drivers to drop them off in a safe location at a specific time, or opt to pick them up yourself from the nearest facility.
Retailers should be extra vigilant to Protect their Assets and Inventory through the holiday season:
- Evaluate daily transactions
- Review security cameras every day
- Conduct background checks on all prospective employees
Having strong Cyber Security Controls in place to protect your customers’ personal information is always important, but the busy online shopping season is a good opportunity to take stock of your risk management plan to ensure it adequately addresses:
- The level of sensitivity of the stored, digital data
- Evaluation of company systems, and policies to protect them
- Data breach incident response teams and procedures
- Restriction of access to only necessary employees
- Separation and protection of payment processing systems
All kinds of Cargo Theft — deceptive pickups, identity theft, misdirected loads, driver-involved theft, and facility burglary — increase during the holiday season. Taking a few extra precautions to help ensure shipments arrive at their intended destinations is the key to keeping cargo safe and secure. Remain on heightened alert throughout the holidays and be sure to:
- Check driver documentation and credentials closely before releasing shipments.
- Be leery of drivers arriving early for pickup, especially closer to the weekend, when criminals hope theft will go unnoticed until Monday.
- Ensure drivers are properly trained in on-the-road safety protocol — such as securing locking devices on trailers, not picking up hitchhikers, fueling prior to loading, calling for help if you see a disabled vehicle, and not discussing details about loads or pick up points with unauthorized personnel.
Todd McShan Makes the DList in 2015
For the fourth year in a row, Select Insurance agent, Todd McShan, made the Dallas Magazine D List for the best inusrance agents in the Dallas area. To see the list and read about the process, go to
http://directory.dmagazine.com/insurance-agents/?awards_mv=Best+Insurance+Agents+2015
Congratulations, Todd!
Protect Your Small Business Against These Risks
You work hard to ensure your small business is thriving. But are you really addressing all of the possible (and costly) problems that can happen? Here are a few risk to protect your business against.
Liability Issues
One of the biggest risks that small businesses face is liability issues. Depending on what your industry entails, this chance of this risk can vary wildly. Those who have a single retail location may only run the risk of having a customer slip or fall while on the premises. A contracting company might face the chance of damaging property at a client’s home or causing an accidental injury.
Liability risk is incredibly hard to gage because there are an infinite amount of scenarios your company can encounter during the normal course of business. Thus, it is important to have a solid insurance policy that covers you for a wide variety of liability incidents.
Worker Injuries
Worker injuries are another risk that small business owners face. Accidents can happen at any time, so it is important to be prepared ahead of time by maintaining safe conditions for all of your staff members. In addition, if you have employees, it is most likely a requirement in your industry for you to have worker’s compensation insurance. This type of policy usually helps cover any medical bills associated with an on-the-job injury, plus compensation for time off work to heal.
Property Loss
You take great care to ensure your home and automobile have the proper level of insurance coverage in case of an unfortunate in incident. However, does your business have the same protection against property damage? Fire, theft, vandalism, and other unexpected events can still occur in a commercial setting. Your business building can become damaged or individual equipment pieces may need replacement after a claim situation, costing you tons of money if you do not have a policy in force. Property damage coverage is usually inexpensive enough for most small businesses and can really make a difference if something ever happens.
Of course, there are many more risks that small businesses face on a regular bases. Learn more about your company’s exact risk level and the type of policy you need for protection. Please contact our team at The Select Insurance Agency today for more information.
3 Tips for Having a Safe Halloween
Trick-or-treating is the highlight of Halloween, but it’s hardly the only activity associated with the day. Carving pumpkins and decorating are also part of many people’s Halloween traditions. At The Select Insurance Agency, we wanted to wish everyone in Coppell, TX a fun and safe Halloween.
Have a Safe Halloween
Whatever your favorite Halloween traditions are, please make sure you enjoy them responsibly and safely. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
- supervise children if they carve pumpkins
- avoid using open flames (e.g. candles or fire pits) in your decorations
- keep your yard well-lit on Halloween night
These are all basic safety tips that might seem like common sense. When having fun with friends and caught up in the festivities, though, it’s easy to forget even basic safety precautions.
Protect Yourself This Halloween
In addition to preparing for a safe Halloween, it’s also a good idea to check your homeowners insurance coverages. After all, you can’t entirely eliminate the possibility of an accident.
If someone is injured while carving pumpkins or trips over something in your yard, you might be held responsible for any injuries. Liability coverage might, depending on your policy’s terms, protect you financially. Additionally, your may also have protection against house fires.
If you don’t know what types of coverage you have, contact us at The Select Insurance Agency. Our experienced agents have read through many home insurance policies, and they’d be happy to look at yours. Should you need additional protection, they can find you a new policy that has better liability coverage and fire protection. To get in touch with them, contact us through our website.
Coppell Celebrates Oak Fest
Oak Fest in Coppell is coming up this Saturday, Oct. 17 at Andy Brown Park East. Celebrate life in Coppell being as diverse as the oak trees! Enjoy an evening of community, music, and fun! There’s something for everyone. Enjoy live performances by Downtown Fever and Professor Brainius. Kids can take a ride on the miniature train, jump in bounce houses, have their face painted and more! Stop by the arts & crafts tent to find a variety of vendors selling local artisan goods. The fun starts at 5pm and lasts until 9pm. Have a great Oak Fest, Coppell!
Coppell National Night Out is Tuesday, Oct. 6
Neighborhoods througout Coppell, the metroplex, the state and across the country will celebrate National Night Out on Tuesday, Oct. 6. This is a chance for neighbors to get together to know each other better and help keep a watch out for their neighborhood to keep it safe. Many block parties have guest fireman and police show up. Our block party always has great food and a fun bounce house for the kids. It’s a wonderful time to be a part of your neighborhood. Get out there, meet some new neighbors and enjoy the evening!
How Getting Married Will Impact Auto Insurance
When you get married, the last thing you are probably thinking about is how it is going to impact your auto insurance. However, for the most part, it’s going to impact insurance in a positive way.
Auto insurance companies will generally provide a discount if you can say that you are married. There are many theories as to why this is. Statistically, married couples get into less car accidents are eight it may be that they don’t drive as much, that they drive more cautiously, or because they live more stable lives.
Once you combine policies with your spouse, you are generally going to see a reduction in your premium. Two premiums rolled into one are going to be more affordable and that is likely because of multiple car discounts as well as multiple driver discounts.
The only time it won’t be advantageous for you to combine policies into one of you have a less than stellar driving history. One of you has not been the best driver, it may be cheaper for you to keep separate policies until the previous accidents have cleared up.
The best thing that can be done is to talk with an independent agent and learn about how the driving records look for both of you and whether it’s a good idea to combine policies.
Remember, just as getting married can impact auto insurance for the better, divorce can be for the worse. They should never impact whether you marry or divorce, but it is something to consider when you tie the knot.
At The Select Insurance Agency we are happy to help you find auto insurance once you have gotten married. We will obtain multiple quotes for you, answer questions you have, and ensure that you have an affordable policy for you and your spouse in Coppell, Texas.
FUMC Coppell Celebrates 136 Years
First United Methodist Church of Coppell celebrated 136 years this past weekend. The entire mission weekend was devoted to serving the community and the globe. There were hands on deck preparing food kits for the food bank, hygiene kits for Austin Street Shelter, clean up at the nature trail, gardening at Wilson Elementary, goodie bags for the Fire and Police stations, and more. My favorite event was “Stuck in the Boat,” which raised funds for an upcoming mission trip to Africa to help children who were trafficked and enslaved in the fishing industry in Ghana.
Congratulations FUMC on 136 years. Keep up the great service!
