Once reserved for the summer months, backyard entertaining has grown to be a popular year-round activity for many homeowners.  However, those backyard fire pits and large playsets carry their own risks, sending thousands of people to emergency rooms every year.  Before you send out the invitations for that pool party or backyard barbecue, here are some easy steps you can take to keep your family and your guests safe.

Water Features

While garden water features are pretty, they can also be enticing to young children. To reduce the risk of drowning or other injuries, take these steps:

• Supervise children at ALL times when around water.  Remember, a child can drown in as little as an inch or two of water.
• Secure yards with lockable fences and use rigid covers for in ground ponds.  Make sure a child CANNOT unlock them.
• To prevent poisoning, secure water treatment chemical mixtures between uses.  Store them far out of the reach of children.

Playsets

Playsets are a popular backyard accessory. But care must be taken with them to avoid serious accidents. Here are some tips to make backyard play safer:

• ALWAYS supervise children while they play.
• Check the structure regularly for rust, rot, warping, or other issues. Repair or replace equipment regularly.
• Check for gaps in playset pieces where a child’s head, neck, or other body parts could be trapped.
• Make sure playsets are firmly anchored on level ground. Use wood chips or other soft materials to cushion falls.

Fire Pits

Improperly supervised fire pits can start property fires and cause burns. To keep everyone safe, follow these tips:

• To lessen the risk of fire, place the fire pit in a location away from low-hanging branches or other flammable materials.
• Maintain adult supervision of children until the pit has cooled.
• NEVER leave the fire pit unattended until it has been extinguished and fully cooled.
• If using coals, use sand to fully extinguish the fire.
• Once cooled, place the coals in an appropriate metal container for disposal.

Lawn Mowers

Lawn mower injuries send thousands to people to the emergency room every year, so use these tips to help make mowing safer for everyone:

• Make sure you read and understand the owner’s manual and how the machine’s controls operate.
• Keep children and pets away from a mower while it is in use.
• Make sure your yard is clear of debris that can be kicked up by the mower and cause injuries.
• NEVER leave a running mower unattended.
• NEVER  operate the mower in an enclosed place where carbon monoxide can accumulate.
• DO NOT work on a mower if the engine is on or the spark plug is connected.
• Wear long pants, eye and ear protection and non-slip shoes or boots when you are mowing.

Your vehicle is your connection to the world around you and an integral part of your life. To help keep your ride safe from thieves, follow the basic security guidelines below and adopt a safety-conscious mindset.

Utilizing Security Measures

To begin, always roll up the windows and lock the doors as you exit the vehicle. Door locks are the first and only line of physical defense against cabin intrusion for many vehicles, and an open window offers a convenient bypass for the locks. If you don’t have a car alarm, look into installing one. Although most of your interactions with the wailing siren will be uneventful, that belies the benefit of the incidents in which it sends a would-be thief running for the hills. For more physical security, consider purchasing a wheel or brake lock to inhibit unwelcome drivers from maneuvering around.

Technological advancements can also improve your car’s overall security. GPS tracking is one of the few tools that has a chance of locating a stolen car. With a small device tucked into a clandestine location, your car will report back to you whenever you use the tracking program, which could be inside your phone for many models. There’s no harm in using it to find your ride in a broad parking lot, either! Some engines can be equipped with kill switches that disable the engine based on various conditions; some will even let you push the button yourself if you suspect an incident that avoided the normal detection methods.

Don’t Make It Easy

When targeting automobiles, most thieves are looking for quick opportunities to dart into the cabin, grab something valuable, and get away before someone notices. You can take advantage of their tendency to avoid the spotlight to minimize your chances of being a victim.

Avoid parking in alleyways, dark and empty parking lots, or other spaces that offer poor surrounding visibility. As you move away from concentrations of people and surveillance, thieves will have more freedom to spend time assessing the worth of your vehicle and its contents. If it’s night time, consider the extra cover granted by darkness when assessing the safety of your parking spot.

If possible, take all of your valuables out of your car with you. If you are unable to do so, relocate the items to a less visible location. This includes removing the charging cable from your electronic devices, even if they could use some extra time spent charging. High-end stereo systems should have covers for the control panel and the speakers shouldn’t be readily visible. Having your car stolen is certainly the primary fear of most drivers, but the average thief is hunting for the quick grab that can make them a profit without the overhead of a chop shop.

Respond to Incidents Rapidly

Even if you take every possible precaution, you may inevitably be the victim of an incident of theft from your car. To maximize the chances of recovering the value of the lost property, whether through police action or an insurance claim, file an incident report detailing the damages as quickly as possible. With luck or a good insurance company, you won’t suffer the pain of the loss for long.

We have all seen that reckless driver, while on the road, that makes us shake our head and wave a finger. For some reason people always try to place the blame or accuse the other driver of being the reckless one. These same people placing the blame have likely driven recklessly once or twice themselves. If driving unsafely can affect everyone and it is everyone’s problem, then how do we solve the problem and make the roads safer?

A team of safety professionals have taken the time to give us 3 tips that can help make our trips out on the road safer.

•  Assume that others do not see you. Of course having the expectations that other drivers out there will be following the rules of the road, are paying attention and that they will see you is normal. Unfortunately that is not always true. Never assume, always play it safe.
• Don’t be a competitive driver. Just go with the flow. There is no race to be won nor is there a reward at the end, there is only risks. Competitive driving leads to people or animals being injured or possibly even death. It is among the top ten reasons car accidents occur.
• Stay cool.  We all know it can be difficult to keep from acting with aggression towards aggressive drivers. ” For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction”, trust Newton’s third law! When another driver cuts you off, or fails to signal when turning, just breath deeply and let it go. Allow it to cause you to be more careful.

Here are a few tips to help you stay cool while driving around hot heads.

1. Keep calm during traffic delays. They might slow you down and even cause you to be late, but in the end there really isn’t anything you can do about it. So just sit back and enjoy the music.
2. Be sure to leave plenty of room between you and the next car when turning into or changing lanes, and use those turn signals, they have saved lives.
3. There is no point in confrontation with aggressive drivers, it will only cause a domino affect. Not to mention it creates a hazardous risk to all of the others around you.
4. Keep your distance. This in itself has kept others safe. You never know when someone will stop short or turn suddenly.

These tips and tricks to sharing the road can improve your driving skills along with your awareness. Always be ready and alert because you cannot trust that the others will do the same.

Whenever there is a hurricane bearing down on southern Florida, the entire country watches as Floridians brace themselves for the impending storm. The ability to recover from a hurricane depends primarily on the preparations that homeowners make before the storm even makes landfall. Therefore, if you live in an area that is prone to hurricanes, like Sarasota, it makes a lot of sense to prepare your home, inside and out, before a storm is even in the forecast. The fact is that you can never be too prepared for a major emergency like a hurricane.27

Stock and Maintain an Emergency Survival Kit

Stocking and maintaining an emergency survival kit is something that you can do all year round. There is no need to wait for a hurricane to be in the forecast. Stocking an emergency survival kit includes storing a number of non-perishable food items, three days worth of drinking water for everyone in the family, batteries, important medications, flashlights, a fully stocked first aid kit, toiletries and extra clothing. When a hurricane is forecasted, it will be very difficult to obtain many of these items as people will swarm the local grocery and department stores to stock up on them. Once a storm makes landfall, the power could be out for days and roadways could be impassable due to flood waters and debris. For this reason, having an ongoing stock of emergency survival gear in your home is the best possible idea.

Keep an Eye on the Forecast

While it is important to keep and maintain an emergency survival kit in your home, it is also important to keep your eye on the forecast. Once hurricane season begins, severe storms are an ever present possibility. While one storm approaches the Florida coastline, there could be a more severe hurricane to the south, gaining strength. Therefore, keeping a constant eye on the forecast is important for any homeowner. Depending on the forecast, there are several possible actions a homeowner must take when preparing for a hurricane.

•  Service your emergency generator.

If you have been living in Sarasota for any length of time, the home you purchased probably came with an emergency power generator. If it did, it will be important to ensure that the generator’s fuel tank is filled before the storm hits. Store extra generator fuel in your garage or a shed outside of your home.

•  Secure all outdoor items.

In the event of high winds, it is imperative that all items in your back yard are either brought inside, or secured to the ground. If you have a gas grill with propane tanks in your yard, bring them into your garage or basement. If you own a boat, remove it from your yard and keep it safely in storage.

•  Secure all doors and windows.

When a hurricane hits, winds will be so violent that all kinds of objects may be blown against your home including tree limbs, utility poles and lawn furniture. To minimize the amount of damage done by wind and rain, you will want to close up all of your home’s storm shutters and board up any windows and glass doors that are prone to damage. Otherwise, lock all doors to reduce the amount of wind and rain that blows into your home.

•  Be ready to evacuate.

Another important reason to keep your eye on the forecast is to know whether you are facing a hurricane watch or a hurricane warning. A hurricane watch lets you know that hurricane conditions may develop within the next 48 hours. A hurricane warning is more serious. This means that hurricane force winds are likely to hit your area within 36 hours. If you live in coastal areas near Sarasota it is likely that you will have to evacuate. For this reason, it is essential to have your evacuation route planned out well in advance.

A tire blowout is a frightening and sometimes dangerous experience at any speed. Although the number of tire-related accidents has decreased sharply since 2008, the numbers still remain high. Tire related accidents decreased in 2008 because automatic air pressure monitoring systems became a requirement for all vehicles. But the number of accidents remains high: Statistics show that blowouts and flats cause around 11,000 accidents and 200 deaths per year.

Even with advanced technology and safety standards, tire blowouts are still a dangerous situation because many drivers do not know how to handle them. In an instant, a tire blowout can turn a routine drive into a struggle to avoid a wreck. Your reaction to the blowout is vital to staying safe. You have to remain calm and maintain control of the vehicle.

The Sound of a Tire Blowout

The sound can vary by the situation, but there are generally three sounds that you will hear during a blowout: a loud boom of the tire popping, a whoosh of air escaping the tire, and a flapping sound as the tire flops along the road.

How a Blowout Effects Your Car

If you are moving at speed, the car will begin to slow down and pull to the left or right. A front tire blowout will be felt in the steering of the car, while a rear tire blowout will be felt more in the seats or body of the car. Your response should be the same, no matter which tire popped.

Driving Through a Blowout

The National Safety Council and other experts recommend the following steps to safely drive through a blowout:

• Stay in control of the vehicle and keep a firm grip on the steering wheel.
• Don’t slam on the brakes
• Let the vehicle slow down gradually
• Pull over to the side when you are at a safe speed
• Turn on your emergency flashers

After the Blowout

Only exit the vehicle when you are off the road and it is safe to do so. Put out reflective cones or triangles to increase your visibility to other drivers. Call for help if your location prevents you from changing the tire or you do not know how to.

Remember that the spare tire is only meant for emergencies and shouldn’t be used at high speeds or great distances. Read your owner’s manual to learn more about the spare tire. It’s a good idea to know how to change a tire before you hit the road and get stuck somewhere.

Preventing a Tire Blowout

Tire blowouts can be easily prevented by keeping your tires well-maintained.  Routinely check your tires for leaks and damage and keep them properly inflated. Remember that tires will lose their air pressure quicker during the summer because of the hot roads. Keeping the load on your vehicle within the manufacturer’s recommendations will also help keep your tires in good shape.

With the warm weather upon us, at last, it’s time to rip the shrouds off our grills and get to cooking. But before we fire up those BBQs and slap down the burgers, we should take a few minutes to remember that outdoor cooking carries a few hazards, and we would rather not create any Homer Simpson moments by going soft on our accident prevention systems.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, unsafe grilling accounts for about 8,800 home fires annually, and in 2012, the last year for which this statistic is available, 16,900 people sustained burns significant enough to require a trip to the hospital. Let’s not add to those statistics — not only for the obvious reasons, but also to avoid making insurance claims that could have been averted with just a little common sense and by adhering to the following safety tips.

For Gas Grills:

1. Use your nose.  Propane will have a distinct odor, and if you smell it, turn off the burners, close the tank valve and DO NOT light a match. Until you identify the source of the leak and replace the offending part, your grill is off limits.

2..  Check for leaks. To do this, whip up a bowl of soapy water and coat both the tank and the connecting hose with it. A leak will show by bubbling at the source. If nothing leaks, great! Rinse and you also have a clean tank and hose.

3.  Open the lid before lighting.  If you leave it closed (because it’s windy, maybe), you are setting yourself up for a potential explosion blowing the lid off or flames onto you. At best, you might ruin your grill and your favorite boss apron; at worst you, or some unfortunate nearby, may be seriously injured, if not killed. Grill, don’t kill.

4.  Give combustible materials a wide berth.  Make sure your grill is far enough away from siding, furniture, patio enclosures and whatever else might catch fire if your delicious rib eyes flare up. A little char on the meat might be tasty proof of your talent as a grillmeister, but burning down the house will land you in the BBQ Hall of Shame.

5. Turn off the burners and tank valve as soon as you’re done cooking.  Leaving the burners going and the tank open not only wastes your precious propane, leading to an empty tank when you least expect it, but if the flame goes out, the gas will build up. One little spark and your party may go up in smoke.

For Charcoal Grills:

1.  Pay attention to what surrounds the grill. If you wouldn’t light a campfire or your fire pit in the spot where you parked your grill, move your grill farther away. Banish it from anything that can catch fire and, yes, this includes your mother-in-law.

2.  Remember that the coals stay hot almost forever. Well, maybe not quite that long, but they can stay hot for days, even weeks, in the right conditions. Long after you’ve grilled your meal and toasted marshmallows, those coals can remain hot enough to start a fire. So, if you need to clean out the old coals and ash, never use a paper bag or plastic containers. You may not detect the smoldering coal deep in the ash, but it will grab the attention of your fire department if your trash bin ignites.

3.  Go easy on the lighter fluid.  Remember, NASA isn’t asking you to send your BBQ to the space station, so be moderate with the lighter fluid, if you need to use it at all. It’s now the 21st century where you can buy self-starting briquettes, rendering the can of fluid obsolete. They cost a bit more, but they are absolutely worth it.

For Both:

1.  Clean that baby once in a while.  Like little children, grills need you to wipe off the grease once in a while. A good plan is to keep one of those wire brushes nearby and use it on the grates before each use. Grease and food bit build-up is flammable, not to mention unappetizing, especially on your BBQ.

2.  Go play outside — only. If you grill year-round, you know you’ve been tempted to move your BBQ into the garage. Never, ever in a million years should you light a grill indoors. Not only are you too close to combustibles, but your grill exhales carbon monoxide when in use. Of course, if you’re dead from CO² poisoning, you may not notice your house going up in flames, but your neighbors will. So, don’t do it. Ever. We mean it.

3.  Check for rust-out.  Both gas and charcoal grills rust out on the bottom eventually. Once the bottom of the unit wears thin, it’s time to send it to BBQ heaven and adopt a new one. Imagine hot briquettes or lava rocks plunging to your nice cedar deck and starting a fire, or dropping on your feet, for that matter. So, keep an eye out for rust slag on the pan and don’t push your luck.

By simply minding these easy tips for grilling safety, your outdoor cooking will go off without a hitch. Grill safe or grill home.

Many people assume tornadoes can only occur in “Tornado Alley” during the spring months  that area between the Rocky and Appalachian mountains generally known to be prone to this type of extreme weather. While many midwestern U.S. states do see more twisters than other parts of the country, tornados have been reported in every state in the union. If the conditions are right, they can cause massive destruction any time of the year, in any region of the country.

The following guide and tips can be used to help protect yourself and your family from the dangers of tornadoes.

As a first step, and as you would in preparation for any natural disaster, assemble a survival kit and prepare an emergency plan. Make sure everyone in your household knows what they must do and where they must go to stay safe, and practice your plan at least once a year.

Tornado Safety Tips

What Is the Difference between a Tornado Watch and a Tornado Warning?

• A tornado watch means tornadoes are possible in the area. You should review your emergency plan, check supplies and be ready to act quickly if a tornado does approach.
• A tornado warning means a tornado has been visually sighted or indicated by weather radar and you should act immediately. Be sure to have a battery-powered weather radio available to monitor potential tornado activity.

What Are the Signs of a Tornado?

Some of the potential indicators of tornadoes may include:

• A strong, persistent rotation in the cloud base and/or whirling dust or debris on the ground under a cloud base.
• Hail or heavy rain followed by either a dead calm or a fast, intense wind shift.
• A loud continuous roar or rumble that does not fade in a few seconds, like thunder does.

What Should I Do if I Learn a Tornado Is Approaching?

• If you are in a house, go to the lowest level, such as a basement or a storm cellar.
• If there is no basement, go to an interior room such as a closet, hallway or bathroom.
• Try to cover your head with a blanket or jacket to guard against flying debris or broken glass. If you are in a mobile home, you should leave immediately and seek shelter elsewhere.
• If you are outside and cannot get to shelter, crouch beside a strong structure or lie flat in a ditch or low-lying area and try to cover your head and neck.
• Get as far away from trees and cars as you can.

What if I Am in a Car and I Learn a Tornado Is Approaching?

• Try to locate a sturdy building in which you can immediately seek shelter. If that isn’t possible, you have two options:
  • Stay in the car with the seat belt on, putting your head down below the windows and covering it with your hands and a blanket if you have one.
  • If you can safely get lower than the level of the roadway, exit your car and lie in that area, covering your head with your hands.

What Are Some of the Common Misconceptions about Tornadoes?

• One misconception is that opening a window in your house will “equalize the pressure” created by the tornado. Do not open any windows; doing so may actually pressurize the house and cause the roof to be torn off.
• Tornadoes are not always visible from a distance. Rely on a weather radio for the latest information.
• Although tornadoes are usually spawned by thunderstorms, they have been known to occur without lightning. They can cross a river or another body of water.
• Tornadoes are not confined to “tornado alley,” a region of the Midwestern U.S. where tornadoes are most frequent. Tornadoes can occur anywhere, any time.

How Will I Know When It Is Safe to Go Back Outside?

• Multiple tornadoes have been known to emerge from the same storm, so do not venture outside too quickly.
• Wait until the winds and precipitation have stopped and the roar of the storm has ceased.
• Use your weather radio to stay updated on what is happening outdoors.

As many golfers and other outdoors enthusiasts can attest, thunderstorms can often strike with little to no warning, especially during the warmer months of the year. The lightning strikes that accompany these thunderstorms pose a serious threat to people and safety. Knowing how to react to a sudden storm is critical to ensuring your safety in any situation when you may be caught unexpectedly. The following tips can help you stay safe when a storm does happen.

• Find indoor shelter. Get inside the nearest available hard-topped vehicle or building, keeping all windows shut, and stay there for at least 30 minutes after the storm passes before returning outside. Avoid picnic tents, pavilions or other open, outdoor structures.
• Get to low ground. Avoid hilltops and open areas. Lightning seeks the highest ground, so if indoor shelter is not available, crouching down in the nearest, lowest, unexposed point is a better bet.
• Distance yourself from tall objects. Never stand near tall structures — particularly metal ones — which can act as lightning rods. Avoid lone trees, flagpoles, telephone poles, fences and antennas.

Do not forget, you can sign up to have local weather alerts letting you know when thunderstorms, hail and other severe weather events are expected in your area.

What if You are Caught Outdoors?

If you are caught outdoors, the flash-to-bang method is the easiest way to estimate how far away a thunderstorm is, and how much time you have to seek shelter. First, count how many seconds pass between the flash of lightning and clap of thunder, then divide by five to find the approximate distance in miles.

Unfortunately, despite your best efforts, you may still find yourself caught outside as an unexpected thunderstorm approaches. In cases when a safe, indoor shelter is absolutely not available, here are some scenario-specific tips that may help lessen your chance of being struck by lightning.

On the Golf Course

If you are nowhere near the clubhouse, move away from hilltops, open areas and water and stay as far away from tall trees and metal conductors, such as wires and fences. Move away from your golf cart and clubs and try to maintain at least 20 feet of distance between you and other golfers on the course. If possible find the lowest place possible, such as a ravine or valley, and squat in a baseball catcher’s position — with your heels touching, ears covered, and head between your knees. Make sure to minimize contact with the ground, and do not lie flat.

On a Boat

Most lightning-related injuries and deaths on boats occur on vessels without a cabin. Larger boats with cabins are relatively safe, particularly when a lightning protection system is properly installed. If you cannot return to shore before the storm hits, drop anchor and get as low as possible or retreat to a cabin if your boat has one. Remember to stay off the radio unless there is an emergency. It is also a good idea to keep away from metallic surfaces, which may conduct electricity. If possible, return to shore before the thunderstorm reaches your boat, and seek indoor shelter.

On a Trail

Always avoid lone trees and other tall objects when on a hiking trail during a thunderstorm. Stay away from rocky outcrops, ledges, water and wet items like ropes and towels. If you are deep in the forest, retreat underneath a group of small trees, preferably surrounded by taller ones. In more open areas, retreat to and crouch down in the closest dry, low area, such as a ravine or valley, and squat in a baseball catcher’s position, and minimize contact with the ground and do not lay flat.

On the Beach?

If you are swimming as a storm is approaching, get out of the water immediately. If your car is parked within walking distance, return to it immediately and head home, or wait at least 30 minutes until the storm has passed before returning to the beach area. Do NOT stand under picnic or other open-sided shelters and never stand under the lifeguard chair or near metal objects (fences, poles). Do not be lulled into a false sense of security if the storm is several miles away. In general, a significant lightning threat extends outward about 6 to 10 miles from the base of a thunderstorm cloud.

Cyber security is a growing concern for investors and brokerage firms.  In response to this problem, the Securities and Exchange Commission has issued two reports aimed at educating investors on ways they can protect their investments.  SEC Chair, Mary Jo White observes that “Cyber security knows no boundaries.  That’s why assessing the readiness of market participants and providing investors with information on how to better protect their online investment accounts from cyber threats has been and will continue to be an important focus of the SEC.”

The first of the two reports, titled “A Risk Alert from the SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE),” examines observations from over 100 broker dealers and investment advisers.  The goal of this study was to identify specific cyber security risk, examine the  policies, procedures and processes being used to protect client information and ways to detect unauthorized activity.  OCIE Director, Andrew Bowden states, “Our examination assessed a cross-section of the industry as a way to inform the Commission on the current state of cyber security preparedness.”  The hope is that by making this information accessible to investors and industry professionals they will be better equipped to protect their online accounts.

The second publication, issued by the SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (OIEA), offers several tips investors can use to safeguard their online investments.  OIEA Director Lori J. Schock says, “As investors increasingly use web-based investment accounts, it is critical that they take steps to safeguard those accounts.”  The three most important steps investors can take are:

• Pick a “strong” password
• Use two-step verification
• Exercise caution when using public networks and wireless connections

In addition, investors and brokerage firms are urged to purchase cyber security insurance.  This type of insurance helps mitigate losses from cyber incidents such as data breaches, business interruption and networking damage.  Unfortunately, many companies either do not take the risk of cyber attack seriously or mistakenly believe that the costs of this coverage outweighs its benefits.  These reports reiterate that data is just as valuable as many physical assets and must be protected.

Scooters and mopeds offer incredible value in the world of rising gas prices, and more people have been turning to them to them as their main or secondary form of transportation. Their convenience for moving through tight spaces, affordability and ease in finding parking has helped increase their sales from 2008 to 2011 — setting record numbers according to the Motor Industry Council in Irvine, California. 

Comparing the scooter to the car in terms of cost is an absolute no-brainer. The actual scooter itself will only run you between $2,000 and $5,000, depending on how much power you need, while used scooters or those built from kits will be even less. According to scooterfocus.com, for local outings and errands, a 50cc gas scooter can go up to 35 mph at 130 mpg. The 250cc model can go more than 60 mph at up to 70 mpg for longer trips. Europeans have long taken advantage of these practical, cheap and fun ways to get from one place to the next. 

Because of the nature of how scooters and mopeds are used, it’s not required you purchase insurance in some states. In fact, you may not even need to register them. However, having some type of coverage, even at just the bare minimum, makes sense to protect the vehicle, those who use it and those who may be affected if there’s a crash. As an added plus, the insurance itself is much cheaper than traditional vehicles. A representative of State Farm confirmed that motorcycle and car insurance is more expensive than those of scooters. Actual rates will depend on the driving record of the insured, age and type of scooter. They offer several different polices for people to choose from. Some insurance companies will even give you a discount if you take a safety course or bundle your premium with another vehicle. 

You can expect to see the following types of policies to choose from:

Bodily injury/liability: Scooters don’t offer the same protection as a car does in the event of an accident, and with the rise of scooter sales there’s also been a rise of scooter fatalities. Always wear a helmet to decrease your chances of major bodily harm. If you are in an accident with a pedestrian, you’re liable for their injuries, so having insurance to cover yourself and others is crucial to avoid legal headaches.  

Property damage/liability: Should the driver of the scooter mar another’s car, land or other property, this insurance covers the costs and potentially can be used as a legal defense. 

Accessories: Total coverage gives you insurance not just on the scooter or moped, but also any accessories you may purchase like radios, side cars or backrests. These purchases can add up, so having that little extra coverage may be a smart move. 

Collision: Any damage resulting from an accident (regardless of the fault of the driver) will be covered under this policy. 

Comprehensive: This protects you against everything else that may happen to your vehicle: natural disasters, vandalism or theft.

Medical payments: This covers continuing medical treatments for other people involved in the accident if you were at fault. 

Roadside assistance:  Insurance to cover repairs if you’re on the road and need help.