Currently, use of a hand-held phone while driving is a secondary offense, and drivers cannot be pulled over and ticketed for that offense alone. Under the new law, police will be allowed to pull over drivers solely for using a hand held phone while the vehicle is in motion. What was once a fine of not more than $40 for a first offense and a fine of $100 for second offense has increased substantially—up to a $75 fine for the first offense, $125 for a second offense and $175 for a third infraction.

The law takes effect on Oct. 1, 2013.

Howard Goldblatt, government affairs director at the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud, said the law would forbid contractors to offer a rebate on insurance deductibles to lure homeowners into signing contracts that lead to fraud, Washington, D.C.-based Coalition Against Insurance Fraud said.

It states, “It is a fraudulent insurance act for a contractor offering home repair or remodeling services for damages to a private residence caused by weather, to directly or indirectly pay or otherwise compensate an insured, or offer or promise to pay or compensate an insured, with the intent to defraud an insurer, for any part of the insured’s deductible under the insured’s property or casualty insurance policy, if payment for the services will be made from the proceeds of the policy.”

Goldblatt said rebating offers are especially common after storms sweep through neighborhoods and cause considerable home damage. Storm-chasing contractors, often unlicensed and out of state, typically seek business by knocking on doors.

One of the most commonly overlooked areas during spring cleaning is behind your washer and dryer. Lint can escape a poorly-connected dryer filter hose and build up against the wall, causing a fire hazard. Household appliance fires are one of the most common reasons given for homeowner insurance claims.

Other homeowner damage and claims can be prevented with these simple tips:

• Kitchen fires – The majority of fires begin in the kitchen due to food left unattended on the stove or the ignition of built-up grease. Thoroughly clean the oven and stove top.

• Fireplace ashes – After cleaning out the fireplace, don’t discard ashes in a combustible container and don’t store them in, or around, the house or garage. Store discarded ashes away from your home and be sure you have poured water into the container so that any remaining embers are extinguished.

• Washing machine hose – Check the washing machine hoses for dry rot, cracking and tightening. Hoses should be replaced every few years. Water to the unit should be turned off when not in use.

• Refrigerator ice maker line – Check lines annually since they can become pinched and start to leak, causing damage to flooring and cabinets.

• Sinks and toilet valves – As your home ages, regularly check all plumbing fixtures and connections. Look for corrosion and rust around valves. If your home is more than 20 years old, consider having a plumber check and replace all connections and hoses.

The new standard, announced on April 4, will require that residential, commercial or infrastructure projects using federal aid elevate their structures 1 foot above the latest Federal Emergency Management Agency recommendations or, if elevation isn’t possible, relocate or flood-proof boilers or other utilities a foot higher than the latest federal guidance.

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, appearing with LaHood, said the task force he leads that is overseeing the federal disaster response examined 10 years of FEMA flood mitigation efforts to reach the new standard. He said stricter standards have proved to be cost-effective, particularly along the Gulf Coast where there has been a demonstrable difference between buildings that took stricter flood prevention measures after Hurricane Katrina and those that didn’t.

The new standards apply to homeowners and businesses who are spending 50 percent or more of the market value of their property on rebuilding and who are using Sandy disaster aid

The new designations have a price tag attached: Homeowners in newly hazardous zones could pay up to 10 times their current flood insurance rates if they don’t elevate their homes

The certificate must be kept on the person at all times while operating. Penalties are in affect for those who fail to present the certificate to an officer upon request. There is a minimum charge of $25 for the first offense and up to $500 for each offense thereafter.

As of October 1, 2010, all persons under the age of 16 who DO NOT have a valid boating safety certificate and are operating a motorized vessel at least 11 feet in length MUST be under the supervision of an adult (18 years or older) who possesses a valid boating safety certificate or was born before July 1, 1972. If a person under the age of 16 is operating a vessel that is less than 11 feet in length, they may be supervised by a person of any age, provided they have a valid boating safety certificate.

The only time operators are NOT required to have their Boater Education Certificate is under the following conditions:

• If the operator is from out of country, operating a boat from out of country and is not in the state of Maryland for more than 90 days.
• If the operator is from out of state and has fulfilled the vessel registration requirements set forth by his/her state and is not in Maryland for more than 60 days. They must also be at least 16 years of age and have proof of successful completion of an approved boating safety course from the National Association of Safe Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA).
• If they hold a commercial vessel operator’s license issued by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Preparing for storms Includes home Inventory, and policy review according to The Maryland Insurance Administration. Homeowners and renters alike should review their policies to see which kinds of damage are covered and which are not. In addition, taking an inventory of your home now may ease your claims-filing process later.

Your insurance agent can help to explain specifically what is covered by your policy and what is not. The Maryland Insurance Administration offers guides and general information about insurance coverage on its website and on www.Facebook.com/MdInsuranceAdmin.

Some ways to prepare for a disaster include:

•Inventory your home. Whenever possible, take photos or videos of your personal property to support any claim you may need to file later. Smart-phone users can download a free home inventory application, myHOME Scr.APP.book, from the Insurance Administration’s website.

•Safeguard your records so they will not be damaged or destroyed. Keep your policy information in a waterproof, fireproof safe or off-site, such as in a safe deposit box, or scan it and save it to a flash drive that you keep in an emergency kit.

•Make sure you have your insurance agent’s name and telephone number, the insurance company’s telephone number, and all of your policy numbers, particularly if you have more than one or do business with more than one company.

•Know how to shut off the gas, electricity and water.

For more information on how to prepare for a major winter storm, read the Maryland Emergency Management Agency’s tips.  You also can read about Insurance Preparedness for Natural Disasters.

The answer to this question depends upon the language of your policy. The first thing you must determine is whether your policy covers the “peril” (event) that caused the damage. Damage caused by wind or hail generally is covered by most “named-peril” policies or “all-risk” policies.  Named peril policies may provide for payment on a replacement cost or actual cash value (depreciated) basis. All risk policies generally cover all causes of loss, unless otherwise excluded, on a replacement cost basis. Your policy will specify what perils are covered and the basis of payment, but if you have questions about the policy, you should call your insurer and ask.  

Under most policies, the insurance company is required to pay for the direct physical loss caused by the covered peril. This means that if hail  damages only one side of your home, then your insurance company is only responsible for the repair or replacement of siding on that damaged side.  If the policy provides for replacement cost, it generally will pay the lesser of the cost to repair the damaged material or to replace it. So what happens if the siding does not match the existing siding in color due to the age of the material, or the fact that the original siding is no longer available from the manufacturer?  You will need to look at your policy to see what it provides in the case of a mismatch. Many policies contain exclusions for mismatches that occur when the damaged material is replaced with new material. If the policy does not contain an exclusion for “mismatches”, and it provides replacement cost coverage, the insurer may have to pay additional amounts when settling the claim. For example, the insurer may be required to offer an appearance allowance if the insured can demonstrate that the mismatch will negatively impact the value of the home. For additional information regarding the insurer’s obligations under replacement cost homeowners policies that do not contain exclusions, see the Maryland Insurance Administration’s Bulletin 97-1.

If your policy does contain an exclusion for mismatches, you may contact your insurance producer (agent) or company to see if you can purchase an endorsement to provide coverage for losses resulting from mismatches for an additional premium.

If you have questions, contact the Maryland Insurance Administration at 410-468-2000 or 800-492-6116.

 The best way to protect itself is for a community association to know the risks and adopt a social media policy that addresses such risks.  The association should also check with its insurance carrier to make sure that any potential risks are covered by its insurance policies.

The storm’s effects reached far and wide, according to the National Hurricane Center report. While Sandy visited devastation on the East Coast, principally New Jersey and New York, it created wind gusts as far west as Wisconsin and as far north as Canada and caused water levels to rise from Florida to Maine, the center found.

The hurricane center attributed 72 U.S. deaths directly to Sandy, from Maryland to New Hampshire. That is more than any hurricane to affect the northeastern U.S. since Hurricane Agnes killed 122 people in 1972, according to the center’s records covering 1851 to 2010.

The report counted at least 87 other deaths that were indirectly tied to Sandy, from causes such as hypothermia due to power outages, carbon monoxide poisoning and accidents during cleanup efforts.

The deadliest hurricane in U.S. history hit Galveston, Texas, in 1900 and killed 8,000 to 12,000 people.

The state’s motor vehicle commission has seen a near 6,000 percent increase in flood-damaged and salvage vehicle titles processed in the past three months.

It is not illegal to sell a vehicle with either a flood or salvage title, but the status of such vehicles must be disclosed to potential buyers by law.

The Division of Consumer Affairs has added an online database to its website where consumers can look up a vehicle by make, model, year, or vehicle identification number to check for any flood damage.

The database has more than 13,000 vehicles in it so far.