You’re driving your new car on LBJ freeway in Dallas, headed to D/FW Airport to catch a flight out of town. You smell smoke and notice people are looking at you funny and maybe even waving as they pass. Your car loses power but you’re able to locate a safe place to pull over. Your car’s on fire! You grab your cell phone, dial 911, and wait for the Dallas Fire Department to arrive.
The Texas State legislature passed the original Move Over law in 2003. It was designed to protect all law enforcement officers, emergency vehicles, and first responders from being struck by a driver when working on the side of a road or highway. The law requires any driver approaching a stopped emergency vehicle with lights activated to slow down or move over one lane.
In November of 2012, the states of Colorado and Washington voted to legalize recreational marijuana usage. People can now legally possess up to one ounce of marijuana if they’re over 21. They may also legally grow up to six plants for personal use; however, they may not legally smoke in public places such as parks or on sidewalks.
Technology has made our lives easier, more connected, and even safer. It continues to evolve and change at an incredible rate. A decade ago the only smartphone was a Blackberry which gave rise to mobile email. We now have access to thousands of apps to help us plan menus, shop, take pictures, read books, and connect. Technology has entered our homes too. We have programmable thermostats to manage our power usage, smart home systems that can turn on lights before we arrive, record shows and sporting events when we’d rather watch something else, and washing machines that help us use less water.
I’ve had a couple of interesting discussions with clients about their car insurance renewals. In both cases, their car insurance rate increased and both wanted to know why. Most of the carriers systems don’t give me a clear reason, so I called each company and we reviewed each client’s policy together. Most of the factors that led to rate increases were understandable and one was a surprise.
