New Year New Law

Parents are reminded of a new $500 fine if their child is not large enough to pass the standards of a law.



Photo from Menlo Park Patch

 Beginning Jan. 1, 2012 a new California law will require that children riding in any vehicle must be restrained in the back seat in a child restraint until their eighth birthday or until the child reaches 4 feet 9 inches tall. If you're caught violating the new law, you'll be subject to a fine of nearly $500 and the loss of one point on your driver's record.

The California Highway Patrol won't be allowing a grace period when the new standard becomes law.

California's current child restraint law only protects children that are under the age of 6 or weigh less than 60 pounds. With the new law, California will join more than 20 other states that mandate an 8-year-old use a child safety seat or booster when traveling in a vehicle.

According to statistics, the number one killer of children in the United States is vehicle collisions. Young children are often too small for seat belts that are made to fit adults.
Authorities say restraining children who are under 4 feet 9 inches tall with only a seat belt puts them at risk for serious injury. If the belt is across the child's waist instead of across the hips or thigh bones, he could suffer damage to internal organs and/or a spinal cord injury if involved in a collision. (A series of images in one of the photos above this article shows what happens to the child's body - when not in a booster seat - in a crash.)


A group comprised of Safe Kids Santa Clara/San Mateo Coalition, the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, the CHP, and Assemblyman Jerry Hill suggest a 5-step test to confirm if a child over the age of 8 can safely ride without a child restraint once the new law no longer applies to them:

5-Step Test:
Can your child....

1. Sit with his/her back flat up against the vehicle seat
2. while his/her knees are bent naturally over the seat cushion edge

3. with the lap belt across his/her hip or thigh bone
4. and the shoulder belt across his/her shoulder (not crossing over his/her face orunder his/her arm or,   behind his/her back)

5. and he/she can stay seated in that position the entire trip?

There will be a group of 6 and 7-year-old children already out of child and booster seats who will need to return to the child seat restraints. For a mom or dad, that may be a frustrating discussion.

Homeowners Insurance, Reconstruction Costs

                           Why Is My Insurance Coverage More Than
                             The Value Of  My Home?

Trowbridge Insurance Agency

Buying the right amount of Dwelling coverage falls on the individual homeowners responsibility. If you have less than replacement coverage on your home, and it were to burn to the ground, that money you thought you were saving, by buying less than adequate coverage, could prove incredibly expensive. You buy Homeowners insurance to protect yourself from a catastrophic loss, so its important that you buy adequate coverage to protect yourself from that.

How much do I need to rebuild my home?

Previously, Insurance Carriers offered "Guaranteed Replacement" cost. That is, whatever it cost to repair

your home to its former condition, your homeowners policy would provide the resources to do so. But, after the Oakland Hills fires in the early 90's, Carriers found that many homeowners coverage had not

kept up with current construction costs, and only had coverage of $100,000 when it required $300,000

to 400,000 to rebuild the homes lost in the fire. All the Carriers then changed their polices and now only offer what is called "Extended Replacement" coverage. The Homeowner is responsible for telling the carrier how much it will cost to replace their home, and the carrier then adds either a fixed dollar amount, or a simple percentage over and above the Dwelling amount to take care of any discrepancies in the

amount available to rebuild the property.

 www.trowbridgeins.com

To contact me call  650-FARMERS or

email me at virginia.ctrowbridge@farmersagency.com