Hi there - I’m a magazine writer working on a story for Good Neighbor, State Farm’s magazine. I’m looking for – hold onto your hats – male State Farm customers who can talk about their first accident – what they learned from it and how their agent might have helped them with it. Would LOVE to hear from you as soon as possible! Thanks.
Michaela
You may not get too many flattering reports. My brother had a brand new car, and on a trip during an ice storm, the car blew sideways off a steep slope, totalling it. It took 6 WEEKS to get a settlement; of course he had to get a new car.
Around here the joke is to get a quick settlement out of State Farm, you need to run into the adjuster, literally.
Sorry, I can’t help you. I bailed on State Farm a long time ago.
I’ve been a State Farm customer for 28 years. I’ve never had an accident. Accidents happen when you’re not paying attention to what you should be focused on.
So you go through a green light, everyone seems stopped, then a guy gets antsy and blows the light and hits you, and it’s your fault for not paying attention?
Or an 18 wheeler on the interstate loses control on ice, goes into the ditch, crosses the median and wipes out your car headed the opposite direction…
Are you looking for Male Customers of State Farm at the time of their accident, or Male Customers who currently are with State Farm, who have had accidents previously, even if they were not with State Farm at the time of the accident, or Male Customers who once were with State Farm, and had an accident, but no longer are customers of State Farm?
I’m a current State Farm Customer, but my one accident was over 12 years ago, when I had Progressive as the Policy for my motorcycle. It was the other person’s fault for the accident, and I would have to search all my papers to remember who her insurance company was back then. I had no help either from my insurance company, or her insurance company, so I have nothing positive to say at all about having a bad accident, and being treated well by insurance companies.
BC.
Just curious, but why are you only looking for males?
I think what Goldwing is getting at is a concept taught by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. The idea is that most collisions (they don’t call them “accidents”) happen because of an accumulation of risk factors, and reducing risk factors can help you avoid most collisions.
Think about it. How often does someone “get antsy and blow the light” without showing warning signs first? How often do truck drivers cause collisions? The last statistic I heard was that professional truck drivers are responsible for less than 2% of the collisions that happen in the U.S.
Yes, there are freak accidents where there is nothing anyone could have done to avoid them, but those are very rare. The majority of collisions happen when people ignore risk factors that could have easily been mitigated. It’s a fact.
Don’t kill the messenger. The truth of which Goldwing speaks has been scientifically derived via the “Hurt Report.” (It’s not a pun. The guy’s last name was really “Hurt.”)
Regarding the “guy (who) gets antsy and blows the light,” you can mitigate the risk by being on the lookout for such a driver as you approach the intersection so you can be prepared to stop. You can make sure you are not in the right-hand lane to begin with. In truck driving school, we are taught that when we approach an intersection, we should take our foot off the throttle and have it over the brake in case someone does something stupid like that. This is a great example of a technique for mitigating collision risk. You can also be aware of what’s around you. If there isn’t a car next to you, and you know it, you can safely swerve. If you haven’t been paying attention, that option isn’t available.
Regarding the “18 wheeler on the interstate (with a driver who) loses control on ice, goes into the ditch, (and) crosses the median,” if you are looking for such a thing in the first place, you have a pretty good chance of reacting in a way that preserves your life. Also, if you are driving in conditions where ice can be an issue, it would be wise to reduce your speed. Doing so might give you enough time to react to such an occurrence. Having good winter tires would increase your chance of avoiding a collision even more.
This is definitely a “locus of control” issue. Some of us believe there are things we can do to mitigate the risks, and some people believe life is a river that carries them along. If you take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s Basic Rider Course, you will be taken through a series of scenarios and asked how you can mitigate the risk of a collision before it happens. It’s great training, and I recommend it.
If a meteor falls out of the sky and hits your car or motorcycle, that’s not preventable.
Almost all other accidents are preventable - if all parties involved are focused on driving safely.
That 18 wheeler on the interstate was driving too fast for the conditions if he loses control.
I agree, but what I’m saying is just because I’M driving carefully does not mean I won’t be involved in an accident caused by someone else!
I’ll let you know when I have one.
I haven’t had one yet, but I’ve got several more years left behind the wheel before I kick the bucket. Also, I have Allstate, not State Farm.
A condition that I have notice about auto accidents that I never have been able to explain is the number of brand new cars involved in accidents. I have seen quite a few cars brought back the same day delivered all wrecked up. Some would say the drivers were not familar with the car but I am not so sure about this. You also see a high number of cars under 1 year old involved in accidents.
My personal tally, never have had an accident, and I have never asked for directions.
I got stuck in the snow one time in the early 1990’s. Does that count? Could have used an agent with a plow.
- People don’t be dumb, this is an obvious sting.
- People claiming never to had an accident… LIARS!!!
- Depending on what is considered an "accident"
3a. The time I was 16 and tried to take a corner at 40mph and plowed down a stop sign only to tell my parents that the bumper got bent backing out of my friends driveway and clipping the tree that was 3 inches from the drive.
3b. The time there was two lanes turning left and I thought there was only one and dragged 3 panels of my car across my “good neighbors” bumper and told my parents that another car backing out of a parking space ran into me.
3c. The time I rented a car in Germany after no sleep during the overnight flight from US, blew a stoplight due to tireness and the fact that the lights were placed on the sides of the road rather than overhead and I was broadsided by local, spent 4 hours in a German police station waiting for a translator, and had to submit an expense report to my boss 6 months after the trip for the damage… one line item $4000+ "rental car surcharge"
3d. At the recommendation of my public defender, I’d rather not elaborate (nobody was hurt).
Cheers!
Since you are getting replies OTHER than what you requested, her is my “2 cents worth”:
Driving to work one morning in a small town in Eastern Oregon. It was April 1, 1998. It had froze hard that night. I was approaching a stop sign (I had opterd to slow down 3 blocks ahead of time because it was slick), slow enough the speedo in my truck (1959 Ford F-100)wasn’t even registering. I hit the brakes and proceeded to speed up!!! I was on a patch of black ice… SLIDING!! Young and inexperienced, I did not have the presence of mind to take my foot off the brake pedal. Slow motion set in and I spotted a LOADED hay truck coming from my left (I later learned said semi was a 1979 Peterbuilt). He must have seen what was going on because he had his brakes locked up as well. He was obviously going waaaaayyy to fast because the police report stated he slid 1/4 mile on the same patch of ice with all his drive axles and trailer axles chained, hitting me in the middle., before he stopped.
About the only thing the insurance agent could have done, was to try to prevent them from totaling my truck. I just don’t see how $3000 dollars worth of damage to a truck valued at $9000 dollars was a total loss. I shot down ALL of his usual excuses of “parts aren’t available…” type stuff. I am currently NOT with State Farm because, even with the one accident over 13 years ago, the premiums are way to high, and they dropped me and my now x-wife due to HER having to many accidents (average of 4 a year for her.)
Oh, and to the guy who says people that say they have never had an accident are lyers: Your full of crap!! My parents, both in their 70’s, have in fact, NEVER EVER had an accident. EVER!!! And yes, they own several motor vehicles. Some dating back to the late 1920’s. The newest a 2006 Lincoln continental.
Andy59, Sorry my attempt at humor was interpreted as being full of crap. I’m REALLY REALLY sorry REALLY. I’m sure your septegenarian parents are either perfect drivers, a day or two away from their first accident (statistics don’t lie), or big fat liars.
Because, for whatever reason, I’ve been able to find women for this story relatively easily. We’re hoping to have an even number of men and women in the story… so I need to drum up a few more guys.
I’m looking for men who are currently State Farm customers and who were with SF when they had their first accident. Thanks so much for your response, though!