Minnesota winters can get extremely cold. While those of us who have lived in Wayzata, MN or other parts of the state are familiar with how do drive in cold and icy conditions, it is still important that you always keep an emergency kit in your vehicle. This is especially the case during the cold winter months. At Pizano Insurance, we want all of our clients and their families to be safe while driving this winter. As an added measure of safety, take a few minutes to pull together an emergency kit and place it in your care.

What is An Emergency Kit?

An emergency kit is essentials that you might need if you are stalled, stranded, or otherwise detained on the road. It contains things supplies such as snacks, water, any medications, flashlight, and extra batteries. In the winter time, it should also have seasonal items such as a shovel and windshield scraper, blankets to keep you warm, and extra warm clothing including gloves, hats, and scarves.

Why Should You Keep One in Your Vehicle?

By keeping these supplies and any other essentials that you may need in your vehicle, you are prepared for the worst. If your automobile stalls or is involved in an accident and you are unable to run the heater, warm clothes, and blankets will come in handy until help arrives. If it is nighttime, a flashlight with working batteries can help you visually to assess the situation. Or, there may be times when you must clear a path of snow, and a shovel would be very helpful. At Pizano Insurance of Wayzata, MN, we hope that you stay safe while driving, but if you need help, give us a call.

Auto insurance can be difficult to understand. There are however some commonly asked questions that span most agencies and that have fairly basic answers. For those that live in the Wayzata, MN area, Pizano Insurance can help answer these common questions.

What Coverage Do I Need?

This is one of the most common questions. The answer is it depends on the actual vehicle. Basic requirements are liability insurance or the least amount that is required by both state and federal law. These amounts may vary depending on what state you live in but for the most part these policies require coverage between $10,000 and $25,000. This is to cover the basic fees and bills associated with an accident. If you have a loan out on your vehicle or you are paying for it through a third party lender you are required to hold full coverage insurance.

How Do I File A Claim?

This is another common question. The first step is to make sure you thoroughly document the accident. This is going to insure a speedy claim and an accurate claim to boot. You can then go through your insurance agent to help file your claim and provide your insurance company with the needed material to complete the claim. It is far simpler to talk with your agent about how to file your claim and what information is needed.

How Do I Change My Policy?

You can change your policy at any time by contacting your insurance agent or by contacting your insurance company directly or online. If you have questions, an insurance agent is the fastest and most accurate way to get the answers you need.

If you live in the Wayzata, MN area and have insurance questions or needs, contact Pizano Insurance today.  

Regardless of whether you’re taking a short trip to Wayzata Bay or driving all the way to St. Cloud, your car needs the right kind of fuel. Premium gas frequently costs about $0.30-40 cents extra in Minnesota, but it offers major benefits for some autos.

Octane Level

Regular gasoline has a lower octane level than premium. This means that it has a greater potential to prematurely ignite and cause the engine to knock. Engine knocking produces a "ping" noise or rattle.

The majority of vehicles don’t need high-octane fuel to prevent knocking. If a car’s manual doesn’t recommend premium, this type of gas probably won’t enhance performance. It may slightly increase fuel economy, especially if you move heavy cargo.

Other Cars

Even when an auto manufacturer doesn’t urge drivers to use high-octane gasoline, it can still benefit cars with engines that knock. This problem is more likely to develop in heavy, older vehicles with powerful engines.

Premium gas may help prevent a breakdown in this situation. However, mid-grade fuel might work just as well. Your car probably needs professional service if it continues to knock after consuming two tanks of higher-octane gas.

Engine Cleaning

Although many drivers believe otherwise, high-octane gasoline won’t remove more deposits from a vehicle’s engine. The federal government requires every grade of fuel to include detergents that help clean the motor, so regular works equally well.

Serious Risks

A number of luxury and sports cars need premium gasoline. When drivers use the wrong type of fuel, it may void the warranty, harm performance and increase engine noise. Certain components can eventually become damaged.

You could offset the cost of gas by finding affordable yet comprehensive auto insurance. To review existing coverage or compare rates on a new policy, please contact Pizano Insurance today. Contact our independent local agency in Wayzata today!
 

Fender bender fraud is one of the fastest growing types of insurance fraud in the United States. Unfortunately, most victims don’t even know that they’ve been scammed until it is too late. This type of fraud uses teams of professional drivers to deliberately cause accidents around the Wayzata, MN area, then bilk the driver’s insurance out of as much money as possible. Fortunately, there re some ways to protect yourself.

1. Document everything if you’re in a crash. Often, these scam artists will embellish their injuries or the details of the accident in order to claim more money. If you take pictures and write down as much as possible, it’s possible to make a counter argument to their claims.
2. Get a police report. Even if the other driver insists that they are willing to settle for less than your deductible, get an officer to document the crash. All too often, these scam artists will cause multiple crashes in the same day, netting thousands of dollars. The police, however, will be able to confirm everyone’s identity and look for other accidents that these scammers have been involved in.
3. Report your suspicions to your insurance agent. If you notice anything strange or off during the aftermath of the accident, make sure that you report it to the police and your insurance agent. Often just flagging a relatively minor case as suspicious can help investigators put together a pattern of minor accidents.

Scam artists are everywhere, and it’s important to stay safe. Having good auto insurance is the best way to make sure you and your family are protected from fender bender fraud. Contact an agent at Pizano Insurance today to make sure you have the coverage you need.

Believe it or not, there’s a lot you can do to prevent fender bender fraud. People get into these kinds of accidents all the time. It can be nerve wracking when it happens to you, though it’s important to be aware of all that’s going on. You can prevent any kind of fraudulent activity by being active throughout the few minutes that take place following the accident.

The other party who is involved in the accident may be trying to commit fraud. This means you have to be cautious about what takes place. You want to get a police officer on the scene as quickly as possible. If the person is trying to commit fraud, they probably don’t want this to happen. This is because there would be an impartial party providing record – and this would make it harder for them to commit fraud.

Essentially, this is exactly why you want the police officer on the scene. They will write up a report as to what they have seen.

You also want photos. Even though the case may seem cut and dry, if it ends up in a courtroom, you may want photos to show what kind of damage was seen on both cars. This will help the judge to determine just how hard the car was hit and what kinds of injuries could result from such a fender bender.

There are certain details you need to share. This includes your insurance information. The moment the other person drives away, you want to contact your insurance company and get your story in before they have an opportunity to reach out to your insurance company.

Contact us at Pizano Insurance today to learn more about auto insurance and what your options are. We can help you to find affordable premiums that will provide protection throughout Wayzata, MN and beyond.

It’s difficult enough to have the have the energy and skill to construct a successful small business- and learning how the right insurance policy can protect your investments and capital can seem like a whole other project on top of it. We will explain in simple terms, the basics of insuring your small business against all the risks that may challenge it.

1. Liability Insurance

Any type of business can be sued, sometimes for unpredictable reasons. Customers can file a claim for damages they say resulted from the use of your products. Employees or customers may claim that your business is a hazardous environment. Whether or not you win in such disputes, wages lost and court costs can be excessive. Liability insurance can cover such losses and pay for the damages should the claim hold up in court.

2. Property Insurance

The right property insurance policy can compensate your business should property become lost or damaged due to various common perils. Fire, theft and flood are common examples. Property insurance not only covers a building, it can also cover personal property such as office furnishings, raw materials, inventory, equipment, and other mission-critical items. Property insurance can also include coverage for equipment breakdowns, debris removal after a fire, some types of water damage and other losses.

3. Workers Compensation Insurance

In most states, an employer is required to have workers comp insurance whenever there are over a given number of employees. Workers compensation insurance pays for medical care and can replace some wages lost by the employee- regardless of who is at fault. Should a worker die as the result of a work-related injury, the Workers Compensation insurance will provide an award to the family of the victim. Extremely small businesses, (one operated by no more than one or two people from their home, may not need this kind of insurance. But such a business will often need more liability and property coverage than a typical homeowners policy would provide.

Pizano Insurance
The professionals at Pizano Insurance, are dedicated to providing you with the most comprehensive insurance plan available. Our mission is to make your insurance purchase simple, and productive.

Call or click today and let the experts at Pizano Insurance help to protect your small business.

When you live in Minnesota, car crashes are inevitable. Whether it happens in the winter or another time of year, there is much that you can do in order to help. While 911 is one of the obvious things to do, there’s actually quite a bit more that you can do as well.

Secure your car

It’s great that you want to help others, but you have to look out for yourself, first. Park your car away from the accident and then walk over.

Check on the victims

When you’re on the phone with 911, check on the victims. This can help the operator know how much help needs to be sent. They may also give you some guidance as to how you can help everyone a little further.

Turn their cars off

If the cars involved in the crash are still on, turn them off. This can be done by the driver or by you.

Wait for help to arrive

Depending on where you are and what the road conditions are, it can take a while for help to arrive. Sit patiently and keep the victims occupied so they can stay calm. Sometimes all it takes is knowing that there is someone there looking after them.

Leave a statement

Leave a statement with the police as to what you saw. Don’t admit to any kind of fault if you were on the roads with the other cars. Also, your contact information may be shared with an insurance company and potentially even a lawyer so that they can follow up as to what you witnessed.

Call and talk to us at Pizano Insurance now. We look forward to helping you with an affordable policy and our agents can get quotes to help with the comparison process, too.