Shannon Harvey Insurance

When shopping for your sweetheart this Valentine's day, don't forget to save big with Allstate Motor Club's Access to Savings. You'll save on everything like flowers, gifts, books, or apparel.

With membership plans from Allstate Motor Club, you'll receive excellent care at a price that's right for you.

1. Plans start at $48/year
2. All plans include 24/7 roadside assistance
3. On-Time arrival guarantee
4. Incredible travel and savings benefits
5. Call us at 864-268-9580 to discuss your options

Once you're signed up (if you aren't already), you can visit our Allstate Motor Club site, click on Access to Savings and search for great gifts in your area. Here are a few gift ideas for the one you love:

• Most guys will enjoy any thoughtful gift for Valentine's Day, but especially if it comes from a hardware store. For a limited time, Ace Hardware is offering Allstate Motor Club members $5 off your next purchase of $25 or more. From tools, hardware or home goods, Ace is the place!
• Enjoy a special night out and save up to 80% on $25 gift certificates from Restaurant.com With over 13,000 restaurants to choose, you're sure to find your favorite local spot.
• Books are a great gift for the person who has everything. Show them your love with the latest novel, and save 5% off your purchase at BarnesandNoble.com.
• Whether buying for a loved one or splurging on yourself, check out LOFT's special offer to Allstate Motor Club, where you'll save a whopping 20% off your next purchase.
• And don't forget the flowers this Valentine's Day! In a special arrangement with FTD, save $10 on all flowers and gifts, but only if you follow this link.

Occasionally I'll get a text message while driving...and as soon as I go to read it my wife will remind me to practice what I preach. She's right, of course. All it takes is a little patience and discipline to exponentially reduce my odds of having a traffic accident. Apparently we're not the only ones dealing with this issue.

Recently many American parents have been turning to a British Public Service Announcement (WARNING! BRITISH PSA IS GRAPHIC!) produced by the Gwent Police Department in Wales to make an impression on American teens about the dangers of texting while driving. The response has been staggering as it has received nearly 3.5-million hits on YouTube.

The Today Show ran a segment in response to the British PSA that underscores just how big of a problem texting while driving is here in the U.S. A couple of interesting points:

1. Recently in Los Angeles, 25 died and 100 were injured when a train driver ran a signal just seconds after texting
2. A recent Virginia study shows the risk of collision jumps 23-times if texting while driving
3. A recent study shows that 18-to-25-year old drivers talking on a cell phone with a headset reacted as slowly as 65-to-74-year old drivers without any distractions.
4. 17 states and Washington, DC ban texting while driving
5. 7 states ban hand-held cell phone usage while driving
6. The National Transportation Safety Board thinks 10,000 deaths on US roadways annually could be prevented if we all stopped texting while driving

If anyone has a teenager, I recommend having them watch the British PSA so they can see the real and graphic consequences that could result from texting while driving. Since AAA conducted a survey recently that showed 21% of respondents had recently texted while driving, I also recommend the video for adults as well. Adults should aim to lead by example here. It's better to plan for the worst than to simply hope for the best.

Some friends had a pretty big scare recently.  An auto fire resulted from their having left a cell phone charger plugged into their car outlet .  The charger overheated and started a fire while parked in their garage. Fortunately, they are all okay but they wanted to warn everyone not to make the same mistake they made. 

A couple of lessons they say they've learned here:

1. Never leave anything plugged into a power point in your vehicle - especially if your vehicle maintains constant power to the outlet when the engine is shut off.  (If you're lucky enough to avoid a fire, the device can still run down your car battery.)
2. Make sure you have smoke detectors installed in your garage and house...and just as important, check regularly to make sure that the detectors are working!

Our friends feel very fortunate to have accidentally discovered the fire (at 11pm) before going to bed and before it spread to the house.  None of their garage heat detectors or house fire alarms went off. PLEASE unplug anything you have in your car outlets once you turn off your car! It's nice to hope for the best, but better to plan for the worst.

Feel free to pass this along, in hopes that you and everyone you know has a safe and happy new year. Below I've attached some pictures of what remains of their 2007 Suburban.

At the first sign of cold weather, many of us scurry to make sure our home is "winterized;" we check over the furnace, replace drafty windows, try on last year's coat and pull out the down comforter. One more thing we need to double check so we're not left out in the cold is our car.

The cold winter months can be very hard on your automobile. If you notice any problems with your automobile, have your mechanic take a look at it now so that you do not end up stranded on a cold winter day.

The following tips from Allstate will help to prepare your automobile for the cold weather:

• Make sure that if your engine is experiencing hard starts, stalling or having other problems that you get it repaired.
• Windshield wiper blades that are not making full contact with the window or that are dried out should be replaced.  Also make sure to keep extra washer fluid and an ice scraper in your car.
• Keep a cold weather safety kit in your car that that includes gloves, boots, blankets, flares, water and a flashlight.
• Examine your tires for tread life and uneven wearing.  Also make sure tires are properly inflated, tires lose a pound of pressure for every 10 degrees the temperature drops.
• Make sure the heater and defroster are properly working to ensure passenger comfort and driver visibility.
• The cooling system should be flushed every two years with a 50/50 mixture of antifreeze and water.  Have the level, condition and concentration of the antifreeze mixture checked periodically.
• Have your mechanic check your battery fluid levels, battery posts and cable connectors.  Bad connections can keep your car from starting.
• Brakes should be checked as recommended, but if you are having trouble such as pulsations, noises or longer stopping distances, get a professional to look at it right away.
• Make sure all lights and bulbs are in working order and replace any burned-out bulbs.

We also offer drivers the following safety tips for driving in extreme winter weather conditions:

•1.    Reduce your speed

Snow and ice greatly increase the stopping distance for all vehicles. Even four-wheel drive vehicles need to adjust to hazardous road conditions. Not knowing when you are about to encounter black ice, the best driving advice to those that must be on the road is, slow down.

2.   Maintain your car and check that the:

• Tires don't show excessive signs of wear
• Battery is fully charged
• Wipers are working and windshield fluid is full
• Cooling system is in good working condition

3.   Prepare for the unexpected and carry:

• A flashlight
• Jumper cables
• Blankets
• First-aid kit
• A shovel
• A cellular telephone

Additionally, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends that the following steps be taken when a vehicle stalls:

• Stay with the car
• Put a bright marker on the antenna or in the windows
• Clear the exhaust pipe, if you can run your car
• Run your car just long enough to remove the chill

We're concerned not only about our customers, but our community at large. It takes all of us to keep the road safe in challenging weather conditions. This is just our way of lending a good hand.