3 Steps Homeowners Can Take to Stay Safe This Holiday Season

The holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year, but it’s also one of the most dangerous. The United States Fire Administration reported that structure fires, and the dollar loss per fire, is nearly one-third higher between December 1 and January 7. On Christmas Day alone, the incidence of fires caused by candles quadruples compared to any other day of the year.

The holidays can also be a peak time of year for home burglaries as many police departments across the country list the week after Christmas as the highest burglary caseload. You can escape these worst-case scenarios with common sense and a little forethought. To keep your home safe and secure this holiday season, here are three simple rules.

1. Don’t Leave the Kitchen Unattended
One of the leading causes of fires during the holidays isn’t Christmas trees or Christmas lights—it’s cooking. While cooking-related fires are most common on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and Christmas Eve aren’t far behind.
Home fires occur in the kitchen more than any other room in the house. Make sure that you have a smoke alarm near the kitchen and that the batteries are in working order before you begin your holiday meal preparations. 
If you follow the rule of never leaving the stove or oven unattended, you can avoid a potentially dangerous situation. Distractions are inevitable when your extended family arrives for Christmas Day festivities. Adding an extra set of hands to assist with cooking can help mitigate the risk of a potential fire hazard. 

2. Mind Your Festive Lights
Even if you follow all instructions, like making sure that the base of your Christmas tree is always submerged in water, you are still at risk for a fire if you don’t manage your Christmas lights safely. To lower your risk of a fire, always follow these light-safety tips:

• Use low heat, miniature lights.
• Inspect every light before you put a strand on the tree.
• Refrain from overloading power strips or outlets.
• Use lights designated for indoor use only.

Christmas-tree lights should be treated like an open flame. Never leave them on when no one is home, and always turn them off before you go to bed.
Outdoor lights are a little more complex—and just as dangerous. Keep these basic guidelines in mind when setting up your display:

• Never set up your lights by yourself.
• Never place lights by gutters that might contain dry leaves.
• Never hang decorations from the lights.
• Never rely on strands of lights to support themselves—reinforce them with insulated, not wire or metal, hooks.
• Never use lights that haven’t been tested and verified by a group such as Underwriters Laboratory.
• Never ignore warm wires on your daily lights check.

Just like indoor lights, the most important step you need to take with outdoor lights is to turn them off before you go to bed, and when you are not at home.

3. Don’t Leave Your Home (and Gifts) Vulnerable 
Leaving your house clearly unattended is an open invitation for burglars. If you plan on going out of town, even for a day or two, follow these simple rules:

• Hire someone—a contractor, a neighbor kid—to keep your driveway shoveled.
• Arrange for a neighbor to collect mail, newspapers or any packages left on your doorstep.
• Let trusted neighbors know of your travel plans, but do not post your plans—or photos—on social media.

It’s tempting to display beautifully wrapped presents under the tree prior to the holiday but, if your tree is within sight of any windows, you may want to keep your gifts hidden until the day you’re unwrapping them. Burglars often monitor homes, looking in windows for easily accessible items like large presents in the shape of a television.
Even if you’re staying home this holiday season, you still need to take steps to defend your home against burglars:

• Do not place your presents under a brightly lit Christmas tree; keep them safely undercover until Christmas morning.
• If you are expecting deliveries—especially expensive gifts, such as a television—make sure that they are signed for and brought inside immediately.
• Conceal all packaging and boxes in dark trash or recycling bags, or organize the boxes inside your house and take them to the trash in the weeks after Christmas. You don’t want to show the entire street what everyone in your home received for Christmas.

Get Peace of Mind This Holiday Season from Auto-Owners Insurance
This holiday season is the perfect time to check with your insurance agent to confirm that you are protected against everything that could go wrong. The independent agents are experts at seeing gaps in your home insurance coverage that could leave you and your home vulnerable. For example, what if gifts are stolen from the trunk of your car while it’s parked in your driveway? Is that covered?

Your insurance agent can answer all these home insurance questions and give you the peace of mind that comes with knowing that your home and your presents are protected this holiday season.  

for more information, please visit Auto-Owners' blog.

Here are 5 important auto insurance tips to consider ahead of this winter's major weather events.

1. Confirm your insurance is active and premiums are paid. Have a current copy of your insurance card in your vehicle or with you.

2. Select liability limits that are right for your financial circumstances. If you find yourself at-fault in an accident and have insufficient liability coverages, your personal assets are at risk for paying the remaining financial obligation.

3. If you rent a vehicle for a trip, check with your insurance agent to see if your policy includes coverage. Also, make sure you don’t duplicate benefits from your own policy if you decide to get rental insurance. A quick call to your agent should help determine that.

4. Verify that your homeowners or renters insurance covers the theft of personal items from your vehicle, especially if you are planning to haul more expensive items. Many people believe that vehicle insurance covers replacement of stolen items from their vehicles, but that usually is not the case.

5. Know if your policy includes roadside assistance, such as towing, fuel delivery, lockout service and jump-starts.

In addition to the insurance tips above, Department officials advise drivers to keep emergency kits in their vehicles, especially for long trips. A good kit should include a first-aid kit, batteries, flashlights, drinking water, snacks, jumper cables, ice scrapers, tissues and towels, a tow rope, extra clothing and blankets.
State officials also recommend checking in on family members ahead of dangerous winter weather events, and reassessing your immediate family’s insurance needs. Make sure that important insurance and legal papers are in a secure place that more than one person knows about. Assess personal insurance needs for yourself and your family. Needs for an older adult, for example, could be much different from those of a child or grandchild.

For more information, please visit PropertyCasualty360.