Family Safety | Consolidated

Silence Isn’t Golden – Electric Vehicles and Pedestrian Safety

Electric vehicles (EVs) continue to gain popularity as battery technology improves and charging stations become more widely available. Besides the obvious benefits of reduced fuel consumption and emissions, electric vehicles operate in near silence, which is great if you’re driving. That silence, though, creates a new hazard for pedestrians. Without the usual engine noise as…

Distracted Driving is a problem! We have a solution…

You probably don’t need statistics to tell you that distracted driving is a huge problem. Take a glance at other drivers and you’ll almost always find someone looking down at his or her phone instead of watching the road. For many, “distracted driving” translates to “teens texting.” And while it is a huge problem with…

Aruba, Jamaica … or Stuck in Newark? The Case for Travel Insurance

There’s no doubt that the Age of the Internet has changed the way we travel, from the way we book airfare and hotels to options that didn’t exist a few short years ago like Airbnb and other home-sharing services. The one thing that hasn’t changed about vacationing, though, is that things can and do go…

Taken for a Ride: What to Know as a Ride-Sharing Passenger

In a recent post we addressed the changing picture of liability coverage for those working as drivers for ride-sharing service like Uber and Lyft (if you missed it, read it here). But what are the risks to passengers of these wildly popular services? The first thing to understand is that in many cases individual states…

5 Teen Texting and Driving Tips

Your teen receives a text. Thumbs flash, head bends forward, eyes only on the tiny screen in hand; the urge to connect, nearly irresistible. It is hard to imagine your teen (or any other teen) not responding. But that is exactly what young drivers must do to help stay safe on the road. Considering teens’…

Cellcontrol: Putting the Brakes on Distracted Driving

You probably don’t need statistics to tell you that distracted driving is a huge problem. Take a glance at other drivers and you’ll almost always find someone looking down at his or her phone instead of watching the road. For many, “distracted driving” translates to “teens texting.” And while it is a huge problem with…

Getting Ready for Fire Season – Clean your chimneys and wood stoves

Click here for a Homeowner’s Quote Nobody wants poor old Santa to emerge from the chimney looking like a scary, sooty monster. Now that the weather is truly chilly and the generous man from the North Pole is on his way, it’s time to think about your chimney and/or to make sure your wood stove…

Spring Cleaning for Outdoor Fun

As winter’s lingering shadow lessens, and the sun shines brighter and warmer every day, it’s an ideal time to give your front and back yards a thorough spring cleaning in preparation for a long stretch of satisfying, beautiful, and safe outdoor fun. Here are some suggestions for outdoor spring cleaning: Rake it up! Put the…

Hooray for Earth Day!

For some Americans, buying organic vegetables, recycling, and biking to work are just a part of a modern healthy lifestyle, one that also happens to benefit the planet we live on. But there was a time when these environmentally sustainable habits were not part of everyday life, and when the protection of the planet was…

National Lawn and Garden Month

It’s fitting that the month during which we celebrate Earth Day is also National Lawn & Garden Month. Spring in Maryland is finally in full force, and this is the ideal time to nurture and beautify your own small patch of earth – your yard or garden. Here are some earth-friendly ways to turn your…