Finance Tips

With Alice back in Wonderland thanks to Tim Burton, we continue this series of articles on how to earn discounts when insuring your vehicle. This time, the trip down the rabbit hole (or through the looking glass as you prefer), deals with the practicality of your use of private transport. Remember the insurance companies want as little risk as possible so they prefer you to have the vehicle parked on your front yard where you admire it from a distance and, when it gets dusty, wash and polish it. In short, the less you drive, the more you save. So lets see how it works. There are three times during the day when accidents are more likely. These are the two main periods for commuting to and from work, and the late night and early morning when driving is often associated with alcohol and other “substances”. The statistics show the more vehicles there are on the road around you, the greater the chance one will collide with another. At peak times for commuters, the roads are suddenly full and the risks of accidents are high. Now change the weather from sunshine and gentle breezes to the first ice and snow of the winter. The majority of drivers have forgotten the risks, made no advance preparations and find themselves on a skating rink without any way of stopping in a hurry. The accident rate goes sky high until people relearn their winter driving skills. At night, its the reverse problem. From 11 p.m. through to the early hours, there are fewer vehicles on the road, but the majority of drivers may be less alert. At best, this is simple tiredness. At worst, its substance abuse and you are in the way.

So, if you agree not to drive at the most dangerous times, you get a discount. For the same reason, agreeing to restrict your mileage also earns a discount. If you only drive a few miles every now and again, the chances of you being involved in an accident are small. The lower the mileage you accept, the better the discount. For the same reasoning, where you drive affects the premium. Although the practice is outlawed in some states, your zip code sets the tone for the premium rate. Some areas of the cities and larger towns are statistically more accident-prone. Equally, if you live in a wilderness area or in a remote part of the prairies, you can go miles without ever seeing another vehicle. Collisions are therefore rare, although some trees are known to throw caution to the wind when crossing the road. Be honest with yourself. Do you have to use the vehicle? Yes, it may be slightly inconvenient to use public transport but, if you are saving money on your insurance, you can be safer and better off financially.

In an earlier article, we mentioned the problem of fraud. The biggest discounts are given to those prepared to prove their honesty. Check the auto insurance quotes for those companies offering monitoring, whether face-to-face or through technology. Some companies ask you to call in once a month to prove your mileage is within limits. Others have devices to fit into your vehicles that monitor when, where and how you drive. This information is then routinely transmitted to the insurer. Sure Big Brother is watching but, if this saves you big dollars, its worth searching through the auto insurance quotes to find these offers.

Double runner ice skates for small beginners have two blades instead of one, so that a child can stand confidently on the ice right away. Because the skate has two blades, which greatly increases stability, maintaining his or her balance will not be difficult for a child wearing double-runner skates. When the fear of falling down is reduced or removed, a child will be much more confident and willing to try new things on the ice.

Double runner skates are especially helpful for very young children whose balance may not yet be ideal. Once a child  has developed enough balance to stand on one foot without support for at least five seconds without losing balance, he or she is probably ready for “real” ice skates.

“Real” skates have a single blade that bites into the ice. Because skates with two blades do not have the same ability to glide on the ice, children wearing these skates tend to walk flat-footed around the ice. Without the ability to properly glide they cannot develop true skating skills.

Children wearing these “training skates” are also unable to maneuver safely on a crowded skating rink. When there is a crowd on the ice the slower, less maneuverable skaters are easily bumped or knocked down by faster, more agile skaters. Youngsters in these skates tend to be “roadblocks” on the ice, and for this reason many ice rinks ban the use of double blade skates.

Because a child wearing these skates cannot glide, cannot complete the basic introductory maneuvers, and the boots lack toe picks, most skating teachers and coaches will not permit their beginning skaters to wear them. These professionals feel that even the youngest beginner can learn to balance on traditional single blades with little problem.

Instead, they strongly recommend that as soon as a child can comfortably wear the smallest boot, and as soon as the child has the necessary coordination to stand on one foot for the requisite five seconds, almost every youngster will be better served by starting out in a traditional rental skate with a single blade than they would be in a double runner ice skate. Renting traditional skates is a good investment for the very young beginner because at that age children’s feet grow so quickly that purchasing is probably not a good initial investment. If your child shows an interest in continuing with the sport after the first several lessons, you can then invest in a good pair of figure or hockey skates.