News

Are you reeeeally ready to get behind the wheel?

Preparations: focus on setting up for safe driving

• Get comfortable—adjust seat position, mirrors, find your favorite music, adjust cabin temp… before you pull into traffic (30 seconds)
• Keep the cabin calm—reduce distractions, restrain pets and children so you can focus on the task at hand—arriving safely at your destination! 
• Put the phone away—use your “do not disturb” feature or pull over in a safe location if you have to take a call

Effects of physiology as we age

• Peripheral vision—reduced sensitivity, difficulty driving in low-light (“I didn’t see them!”)
• Reflexes—not necessarily slowing down physically, it’s brain processing time (not how long it takes to move foot from throttle to brake, but how long it takes to realize you need to move your foot from throttle to brake!)
• Depth perception—judging speed, gaps, distance and recognizing road hazards – age related vision issues, glare from oncoming headlights at night
• Range of motion—neck rotation, neuropathy, muscle weakness

Newer vehicle safety features

• Lane-assist, blind spot alerts
• Automatic braking, collision alerts
• Cruise-control, adaptive safe driving distance 
• NTSB warning: over-reliance on these features has been found to contribute to fatal crashes! 

“Seems like only yesterday we were listening to the Bangles and Bon Jovi,” reminisced Francesca Smith, Vice President, McKenzie Smith Insurance Agency, LLC, on the agency’s upcoming 40-year milestone.  “The property and casualty insurance industry has evolved over four decades, with the last decade being the most turbulent and challenging.”

Through it all, McKenzie Smith Insurance works with clients and insurance carriers to identify coverage solutions that make sense. Realtors, mortgage brokers and lenders rely on the agency’s expertise and dedication to client service and its commitment as a both industry and community partner.

The agency’s long-time relationship with CIG (Capital Insurance Group) started back in the 1980s when the agency was based in Ventura, California. A move to Sonoma County, just north of San Francisco, 25 years ago broadened the agency’s reach. And the connection to CIG remains strong.

“It’s a source of great pride to me,” explained agency President, McKenzie Smith, “to have third-generation clients referring their friends and family. We are for some families, their ‘go-to’ agency and our business grows mostly from referrals and word-of-mouth in the community. CIG has been at the core of our growth for four decades.”

CIG supports its agency partners with innovative new coverage programs, streamlined processing and technology to make quote and policy servicing straightforward and uncomplicated.

“We are reminded that our work is important, vital even, to our policyholders and we work hard to earn and maintain trust,” explained Francesca Smith.  “Trust is the backbone of our agency’s success.”

To learn more about CIG, please visit www.ciginsurance.com.