​You probably already know that many insurance companies boost your rate for getting into accidents. But did you know that traffic tickets can raise your rates, too?
 
Late to work one day and have a bit of lead foot? Rate increase. Miss the speed limit sign? Rate increase. Forget to signal at a light? Rate increase. Seems crazy, doesn’t it? You already were punished with a pricy ticket, and then you find yourself hit again with a rate hike.
 
But insurance doesn’t have to be that way. When you choose ERIE Rate Lock, you’re protected against rate increases due to traffic tickets or accidents. After all, we’re your insurance company, not your driver’s ed teacher—we don’t need to punish you every time you make a mistake.
 
Why does ERIE offer this feature to qualifying applicants when so many other companies don’t? It’s simple: We think it’s the right thing to do. A pretty radical stance, but we’ve been doing the right thing since 1925 when H.O. Hirt founded ERIE with the plan to offer commonsense service at affordable prices.
 
Add some certainty to your auto insurance bill with ERIE Rate Lock. Give us a call at Best-Walker Insurance Group  today, and let’s talk about whether ERIE Rate Lock makes sense for you. 

ERIE Rate Lock does not guarantee continued insurance coverage. Insured must meet applicable underwriting guidelines. Premium may change if you make a policy change.
 
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As a driver, you try to do everything right. You check your mirrors when you get in the car, always use your turn signal and never text behind the wheel. But even the best drivers get into accidents sometimes—one little mistake is all it takes.
 
Most insurance companies think that because you make one little mistake, have one little accident, you should have to pay more in insurance premiums. At Erie Insurance, we don’t think your one slip-up should cost you more money. We’re all human, right?
 
When you buy insurance through ERIE, you have the choice of choosing a rate lock policy. Think of it as your “we’re only human” policy. When you have ERIE Rate Lock, your rates won’t increase—no matter how many accidents you might have. The only time your rate changes is when your life changes: when your address changes, your vehicle changes or you add or remove a driver from your policy.
 
It’s that simple. We think your auto insurance should protect you, not punish you. Give us a call today to see whether you qualify and let’s find out if rate lock makes sense for your life. No tricks, no gimmicks, just seriously good insurance.

ERIE Rate Lock does not guarantee continued insurance coverage. Insured must meet applicable underwriting guidelines. Premium may change if you make a policy change.
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Have you ever compared your car insurance rate with a friend or family member and found it wildly different—even if you both use the same insurance company? It's not that your carrier likes one of you better than the other. In fact, the way rates are determined is based on many different factors—some obvious, some you might not expect:


        ñ Accident History and Driving Record-- Okay, this one's a given. If you've had many accidents in the past, you're likely to have more in the future, and your insurance rates will be accordingly higher to make up for the risk. The same logic applies if you have a slew of speeding tickets or other traffic violations on your record—higher risk, higher price.

        ñ Mileage and Vehicle Usage-- This factor boils down to simple probability: the more you drive, the more likely you are to be in an accident.

        ñ Vehicle Make and Model-- This factor tends to surprise a lot of people, but it is an important part of your insurance rate. Some cars are just safer than others, while some tend to crumple if you look at them sideways—which affects risk, and in turn, rates.

        ñ Demographics--   Demographic information  is a very good predictor of who are the most—and least—safe drivers out there.

        ñ Insurance Score-- You probably knew you had a credit score, and that all-important number helps us calculate your insurance score. Believe it or not, there's a strong relationship between how you manage your credit and your likelihood of loss in a car accident, which is why we take it into account when calculating your rates.


 We hope this helps shed some light on how auto insurance rates are calculated, but if you're still confused, give us a call. We'll not only help you find a great Erie Insurance rate, we'll also help explain it—and how you can lower your costs.

Protect Yourself

Being sued is not fun, but it’s often an unavoidable part of doing business. Rightly or wrongly, you can be sued for everything from a slip and fall on your floor to a customer choking on a fish bone. The most difficult thing about all of these liabilities is their unpredictability. You never know when a tableside flambé will go wrong, or when a fly will land in someone’s soup. So don’t wait until trouble comes to you: take steps to protect your business now.  

Liability insurance is the simplest way to protect your business from lawsuits. ERIE’s Ultrapack business policy package will protect you from most forms of liability litigation, including bodily injury and property damage, personal and advertising liability and more. You can even purchase additional liability insurance, covering you for $1 million or more in damages.

 Don’t let an unexpected situation bring your business to its knees. Get ready for the unexpected. For more information about how to protect your business from liability, call us.

It’s not just the law – it’s the right thing to do.   

CALL TO ACTION

Let’s Tell All Drivers:  Move Over. It’s the Law.

Help Us Protect Those Who Protect Others

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is calling on you to help put an end to roadside fatalities among law enforcement officers.

Already in 2014, 67 law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty—26 of those fatalities being traffic-related. For the second year in a row, traffic-related incidents are the leading cause of death for law enforcement officers. From 2003-2012, there were 672 on-duty law enforcement officers killed in such incidents. Law enforcement officers put their own lives at risk when they step onto the side of the road to conduct traffic stops, help motorists, or investigate crashes.

 To address the heightened danger involved in these roadside stops, every State has enacted “Move Over” laws, requiring motorists to change lanes and/or slow down when approaching stopped emergency vehicles.

 These laws can only save lives if:

•             Motorists are aware of them;

•             Drivers obey them; and

•             Law enforcement officers enforce them.  

 In a recent survey about 7 out of 10 Americans had never heard of “Move Over” laws.    In 2013, 46 law enforcement officers were killed in traffic-related incidents.   We don’t want one more law enforcement officer to be killed in the line of duty by motorists who don’t move over.   We need your help in educating all drivers that moving over to give space to emergency personnel isn’t just a courtesy—It’s the Law.

 In the coming months, you’ll notice NHTSA using high-visibility tactics like billboards and social media to tell motorists to Move Over. It’s the Law. The more people hear the message, the more they’ll understand. Think about the hundreds of law enforcement officers killed on our Nation’s highways over the last decade. Let’s honor their memory and prevent any future, similar tragedies from happening.

For more information on the “Move Over, It’s the Law” initiative, click here.

From the Governor’s Office

Ohio Department of Safety

 

You probably come to a full halt at stop signs, always use your turn signals and never speed through a yellow light. But even the best drivers all have one thing in common: we're all human, and humans make mistakes.

Maybe you forgot to look both ways before making that  right turn on red, or you were following the car in front of you just a smidge too closely. It happens to the best of us. With most auto insurance companies, one human slip-up might be enough to send your premiums sky high. Luckily, Erie Insurance isn't like most insurance companies.

We offer two different types of accident forgiveness.  First Accident Forgiveness lets you off the hook for your first at-fault accident, with no surcharge. The second is called Feature 15. This special forgiveness means that after 15 continuous years of holding your car insurance with ERIE, you'll never get surcharged for another at-fault
accident again. It's just our little way of rewarding your loyalty.

So keep your eyes on the road, your hands on the wheel and your head in the game. We never want you to have an accident. But just in case you, we'll help get you back on your feet as soon as you can.

Call us today to learn about how accident forgiveness andother discounts and extras can save you money on your auto
insurance.

No one likes to think about life insurance, much less talk about it or buy it. It’s uncomfortable and a little scary, acknowledging that we won’t live forever. But remember: life insurance isn’t about the people who are gone. It’s about the people who remain.

Life insurance is the ultimate safety net. It ensures that even in the event of your death, your loved ones are taken care of. Maybe it’s ensuring that your kids can still go to the college of their choice, or making sure that your spouse still has the golden years you two dreamed of. Or it can be as simple as making sure funeral arrangements are paid for so friends and family aren’t burdened with final expenses.

It’s time to stop pretending that life insurance doesn’t exist. Let’s sit down and talk about your needs, your options, and how you want to protect your family in case of the worst. You’ll be amazed at the peace of mind it affords you. No matter what happens now, your family will be provided for. There’s no better feeling in the world.

It always brightens our day to hear that we’ve made a client’s day a little better. How is yours going so
far?

Good Job!

Don’t you love getting a pat on the back? It’s so satisfying to know you’re doing a good job. Here at The
Walker Insurance Group, we have to admit, we love it too. Typically, our clients don’t see us on their
good days: it’s on the days when cars wind up totaled, roofs blow off and things are going very, very
wrong.

But hearing from a client that we made that bad day better makes it all worthwhile. Here’s what one
client said about how we made a bad day a little brighter:

“They sprayed the roof Monday and it looks great! Mark sent the check about 2 weeks ago and
they are putting in the carpet Thursday and Friday and then have a walk thru on Friday! This has
been so hard but with your help and would recommend Erie and you to any one!"

Have a story of your own to share—good or bad? We want to hear it. Click here to submit your own story. If we didn’t do our best, we want to try to make it right. If we did right, well…everyone likes a pat on the back every now and then.

Local Secrets

Who would you rather do business with: a company headquartered halfway around the world, or one
with an office right around the corner? If you’re anything like us, you think local is the way to go. We
love working with other local companies. Not only is it good for our economy, it also just makes good
business sense. Local companies helping local people better understand the challenges we face here in
Cincinnati: that means better service for you.

That’s why at The Walker Insurance Group, we try to use local businesses whenever we can. From the
mechanics and roofers we might suggest to our clients to the great folks who keep our offices clean and
our favorite restaurants, we believe in our community.

If you’ve enjoyed the service you’ve received from our agency, we hope you’ll help spread the word.
If you have a spare minute, post a review on our Google Places page and let others
know about how your local ERIE agency treats you.

What local businesses are our best kept secrets? Who do we need to know about?