Business : Back to School Insurance Tips

It's the time of year that most parents are excited about and children are dreading! You've seen the countdowns from the school and the parents who are anxiously awaiting the return of a routine. There's a lot to do with getting registered, getting supplies, and the new backpack. Have you thought about insurance?

One thing is the high schoolers with school-issued laptops. The school offers insurance coverage but have you checked with your homeowner's insurance? Many policies can add an endorsement onto your home policy to cover the laptop and it might be worth the phone call to find out.

If you are sending a child off to college, do you understand what your policy covers? Typically, a homeowner's policy will offer coverage for a child's dorm room up to 10% of the content coverage of your home. Some policies will cover a student in an apartment at college but most do not if it is off-campus. Renter's insurance is typically recommended in those cases. If your college student is attending college more than 100 miles away from home and didn't bring a car to school, there could be a discount for that. Check with your agent.

Teen drivers are a big deal! I have one getting a permit soon and believe me, we've had several conversations about it! If you have a driver that is going to be driving to the high school, remind them to slow down, especially in the parking lot. The parking lot can be an area where a lot of fender benders happen that easily could be avoided if everyone slowed down. Of course, always reinforce that they should NEVER text and drive. We do offer free contracts you can have your children sign to enforce that rule available at our office. I know as parents we want our children home on time but it is also important to remind them that we'd rather see them 2 or 3 minutes late than to be racing home and get in an accident. Also, it might not be a bad idea to remind our student driver's that most policies give a nice discount to a good student. Your pocketbook might thank you if you encourage better grades, typically a B average.

Do you have kids walking or bicycling to school? It might be a good idea to review some of the pedestrian safety tips. Make sure they are paying attention to cars backing out of driveways that might not see them and they should not be distracted by headphones or devices while walking. Remind them to use crosswalks or intersections to cross the street. Also, remind them to NEVER take rides from strangers or someone they might not know that well.

We'd like to wish everyone a safe school year! If you have questions or would like to review your policy, give me a call.

Tressa Walton

Wilson-Hite Insurance