Last year, over 40,000 people were taken to U.S. hospital emergency rooms due to injuries from riding scooters. Most of the injuries were to kids under 15. Riding foot-propelled scooters can be fun for kids, and it’s a great form of exercise. But, without the proper safety precautions and equipment, serious injury can result.

To reduce scooter-related injuries, follow these safety guidelines from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC, 2009):

• Always wear safety gear, such as a helmet, kneepads, and elbow pads.
• Wear proper footwear; avoid bare feet or sandals.
• Always ride on smooth surfaces,such as sidewalks or paved, off-road paths. Avoid traffic, busy streets, and areas with water, sand, gravel, or dirt.
• Always ride during daylight hours.

These tips can help prevent injuries so that children can spend more time enjoying the ride!

In addition to reviewing and updating your insurance program regularly, you can avoid possible gaps in coverage by purchasing a personal umbrella policy. Once used only by high net worth individuals, personal umbrellas have become a viable option for anyone who may need extra liability protection.

In today’s world, liability protection is important. A personal umbrella expands the liability coverage you may already have through your homeowners and/or automobile insurance policies, in addition to protecting you in some unforeseen circumstances.

Lead is a proven health hazard. Unless previously deleaded, many older homes and buildings constructed prior to 1978 are likely to contain lead paint, which is a common form of lead found in homes. Fortunately, home sellers and landlords are now required to disclose any “known information” on lead in the home.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA, 2009), lead paint can enter the body simply through breathing in its dust. It can be particularly dangerous to children under age six because they are rapidly developing, both mentally and physically. However, lead is also a danger to adults. The effects of exposure to lead may be as minor as concentration problems or joint pain, or as severe as nerve disorders or reproductive difficulties.

Riding the Rails

Riding the rails may be returning to America, according to a survey by employee infrastructure firm HNTB Corporation. More than half of respondents (54%) would choose modern high-speed trains over automobile (33%) and air travel (13%) if fares and travel time were similar. If high-speed rails were introduced in their region, respondents would appreciate more convenient travel (71%), less expensive fares (69%), and faster trains that use less than one-fifth as much energy as driving (55%).

Texting While Driving

Text messaging and driving is a deadly mix, according to the Michigan State Medical Society. Statistics show that drivers are six times more likely to become distracted and cause an accident if they are text messaging. Distracted drivers account for almost 80% of all crashes and 65% of near-crashes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Currently, six states prohibit the use of hand-held phones while driving.

Lightning Claims Soar

While lightning may never strike in the same place twice, for insurers, it strikes hundreds of thousands of times annually, costing more than $1 billion in insured losses in 2008, according to the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.). There were over 246,000 lightning claims in 2008, up 39% from 2007, and the cost of homeowners claims for damage due to lightning strikes has increased 13% from 2007 to 2008 and nearly 45% from 2004 to 2008.