Fall Brings New Challenges to Pennsylvania Roads
Fall is a beautiful time to drive throughout the Lehigh Valley, but changing weather and shorter days can make familiar roads feel very different. Earlier sunsets, rain, fog, wet leaves, and increased deer activity can all affect visibility and stopping distance.
Preparing for fall driving should include more than checking your tires and headlights. It is also a good time to review your auto insurance and make sure the policy still reflects your vehicles, drivers, and current needs.
At Bleiler Insurance, we help drivers throughout Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, Whitehall, and the surrounding communities compare auto insurance options and understand the coverage they are purchasing.
Watch for Changing Road Conditions
Wet leaves can create a slick surface, particularly on curves, hills, and shaded roads. Rain may also collect in low areas or make it harder to see lane markings. Drivers should slow down, increase their following distance, and avoid sudden braking when road conditions are less predictable.
Shorter days add another challenge. Morning and evening commutes may take place in lower light, making pedestrians, cyclists, animals, and other vehicles more difficult to see.
Before heading out, check that your headlights, brake lights, turn signals, and windshield wipers are working properly. Keeping the windshield clean inside and out can also reduce glare from headlights and the low autumn sun.
Be Alert for Deer
Deer activity increases during the fall, and Pennsylvania drivers should be particularly cautious around wooded areas and locations marked with deer-crossing signs. Morning and evening are common times for deer movement.
When you see one deer cross the road, watch for others nearby. Avoid swerving into another lane, and maintain enough distance from the vehicle ahead to give yourself more time to react.
Even a careful driver may not be able to avoid every collision. This is one reason it is helpful to understand how your current auto policy may respond to animal-related damage.
Review Your Comprehensive and Collision Coverage
Comprehensive and collision coverage handle different types of vehicle damage. Collision coverage generally applies when your vehicle strikes another vehicle or object, subject to the terms of the policy. Comprehensive coverage may apply to certain non-collision losses, including theft, vandalism, falling objects, weather-related damage, and contact with an animal.
Coverage details, exclusions, and deductibles vary by policy and carrier. Rather than assuming a particular event is covered, review your policy with an insurance agent who can explain how it is written.
You should also consider whether the deductible remains an amount you would be comfortable paying after a covered loss.
Make Sure Every Driver Is Properly Listed
Households can change quickly. A teenager may have recently received a license, a family member may be using a vehicle more frequently, or someone may have moved into or out of the home.
Your insurance agent should know who regularly operates each vehicle. You should also let us know when a vehicle is used for business, deliveries, service calls, or another purpose beyond personal transportation.
Keeping this information current helps us look for a policy suited to the way your household actually drives.
Ask About Available Discounts
A policy review may also uncover discounts you are not currently receiving. Depending on the carrier and your eligibility, discounts may be available for multiple vehicles, multiple policies, low mileage, safety equipment, accident-free driving, paperless billing, advance purchasing, or paying the premium in full.
Discount availability and savings vary, but it never hurts to ask. As an independent insurance agency, we can compare options from multiple insurance companies rather than being limited to one carrier.
Review Your Coverage Before You Need It
Fall driving conditions can change quickly. Taking a few minutes to review your policy now can help you understand your coverage before an accident, storm, or unexpected repair occurs.
Bleiler Insurance offers auto coverage for private passenger vehicles, cars, trucks, SUVs, business-use vehicles, trailers, antique and collector cars, and modified vehicles throughout the Lehigh Valley.
Call us at 610-435-3802 to review your auto insurance or request a personalized quote. We will help you compare available options and look for coverage that fits your vehicle, lifestyle, and budget.
