Ford introduced a new safety feature in their 2010 Ford Focus. MyKey allows parents to limit the speed and audio volume of the vehicle.  The safety feature also provides safety belt usage, provides earlier low fuel warnings. For the speed precaution feature the device can create a chime sound as the vehicle gets higher and higher in speed to warn the driver to slow down.

 Motor vehicle crashes is the leading cause of death for teenagers. With 16 year old teens having a higher crash rate than any other age. In 2008, 3,500 teens in the United States between 15-19 were killed.

 Hopefully technology like this can help reduce the number of motor vehicle accidents, not only among teens but all ages. Ford’s research for the MyKey program shows that 75% of parents like the idea where 72% of teens didn’t like it.

 For more information on the MyKey program : http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=29172

According to Insure.com an Arizona driver that pays the annual  rate of approximately $1152 per vehicle  and has an annual income of approximately $42,000 pays around 3 percent of his or her gross income for auto insurance alone.  Arizona was the ninth most expensive state to insure your vehicle, according to new documents we have moved to the 43rd.   Louisiana is ranked number one ($2500 per vehicle) for the most expensive state to insure your vehicle and is closely followed by the state of Michigan ($2098 per vehicle).  Currently, Maine is the most affordable state at $900 to insure your vehicle. 

Why such a difference?

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Yesterday was the official beginning of monsoon season here in the valley. In 2008, the National Weather Association decided that instead of guessing when the monsoon season would begin that they would give the season official dates. The dates are June 15th through September 30th. Even though these are the official dates of the season, the average starting date is July 7th. Normally the season will leave us on September 13th. What qualifies as a monsoon day? The dew point average must be 55 or higher. In history the worst monsoon season that Phoenix had ever encountered was 1984. It was the wettest with over 9 inches of rain!! 1984 also had the most consecutive days, coming in at 72.

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In 1885, in the small town of Fredonia, Wisconsin a school teacher arranged for that district to observe June 14th as  the Flag’s Birthday. This point in history was the 108th anniversary of the official adaption of the stars and stripes. By 1889, the State Board of Education of New York adopted the observance.  In 1891, the Betsy Ross house held a celebration. In a 1914, a Flag Day speech read “I am what you make me; nothing more. I swing before your eyes as a bright gleam color, a symbol of yourself”.

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Have you started a small business that you run from your living room?  Maybe you are a photographer, or pet groomer. What about cosmetic sales? Do you know what coverages are needed even for the small picture framing business? Most homeowners companies will not cover a loss for the business materials that you have on site for your small business. Some insurance companies might even drop your policy all together if they knew about the taxidermy company that you are running. There are some options for your company that can be affordable, depending on the business you have decided to start.

 What do I need??

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Texting is HUGE now. We all know the dangers of texting and driving. But, do you follow the rules and avoid texting when driving?? Driving down the road and you hear the beep.. new text message waiting. Your curiosity gets the best of you and you just want to know what it says.  According to Car and Driving Magazine texting is more dangerous than driving while drunk. They tested reaction times and the results were:

• Unimpaired: .54 seconds to brake
• Legally Drunk: add 4 feet
• Reading an email/ text: add 36 feet
• Sending a text: add 70 feet

So how do you stop the curiosity??

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5.3 Million people are living with Alzheimer’s. It is the 7thleading cause of death. Alzheimer’s is a disorder of the brain. This progressive and fatal brain disease destroys the patients brain cell which cause memory loss and problems with behavior and thinking that are severe enough to disrupt everyday life.  Today there is no cure that been found.  There are many services and support that can make life better for people living with Alzheimer’s.

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