With boat season upon us, how can you ensure that your boat is safe and properly insured? Did you know that there are steps you can take to reduce fatalities, injury, property damage and liability costs related to recreational boating accidents.  With the help of our partner, Safety Insurance, we’ve compiled some helpful tips for you to follow:

Personal Flotation Devices (PFD)

• All recreational boats are required to carry one PFD for each person aboard
• Boats 16 feet or longer require one throwable PFD
• PFD must be USCG approved, in good and serviceable condition and the appropriate size for intended users

Visual Distress Signals (VDS)

All vessels must be equipped with USCG approved visual distress signals (watch for expiration dates). Examples include:

• Orange distress flag (day signal only)
• Electric distress light (accepted for night use only)
• Hand-held flares, i.e., red flares for day, parachute flares for day or night, hand-help orange smoke signals and floating orange smoke signals

Fire Extinguishers

• USCG approved fire extinguishers are required on boats where a fire hazard could originate from the motors or fuel systems
• The extinguishers should be hand portable, either B-I or B-II classification, and have a specific marine type mounting bracket. It must also be marked “Marine Type USCG”.
• Inspected monthly

Boating Safety Course

Complete a boating safety course. Most insurers offer education credits for Coast Guard Auxiliary or Power Squadron courses

Vessel Safety Check (VSC) Program

• This is a FREE annual check available to This is a FREE annual check available to all boaters to ensure that their recreational vessels meet Federal and State equipment requirements.
• The USCG Auxiliary or US Power Squadrons vessel examiners, two of the nation’s premier volunteer boating safety organizations, participate in the VSC Program.
• Some of the items checked are proper display of numbers, registration/documentation, PFD, VDS, fire extinguishers, ventilation, backfire flame arrestor, sound producing devices/bell, navigational lights, navigational rules and overall vessel condition.
• A VSC decal will be affixed to the vessel upon successful completion of the check.

Additional Safety Equipment

• Marine radio
• Dewatering device and backup
• Anchor and line area
• First Aid and Person-in-Water kits

 Important Resources

• www.safetyseal.net
• www.USCGboating.org
• www.uscg.mil/news

For more information, visit https://www.safetyinsurance.com/pdf/boat_insert.pdf

Steven Aronson and Karen Love are currently attending the NetVU Conference in Anaheim, CA.  The conference is designed for members of the insurance agency, focused on improving  agency efficiency and gaining and sharing information about solving common business problems.  Not only do we attend to be sure we are on the forefront of any new technology that could make things better for our clients and staff, but our very own Steven Aronson led a panel discussion on the importance of protecting our clients’ personal information.

At Aronson Insurance, our priority is ensuring that our clients have the best possible protection, and that also means protecting your personal information.

Pictured below is Steven speaking at the conference:

Failure to purchase Workers Compensation is a felony under a new bill which is scheduled to be taken up by the Senate today.  Under this bill, business owners who fail to purchase workers compensation insurance will be committing a felony. Currently, business owners who do not purchase Workers Compensation are committing a misdemeanor. Supporters of the bill say the enhanced penalties will further deter companies from not buying coverage. If an injured worker is not covered, his care is paid for by a state trust fund, which is funded by the employers who do buy coverage.

This new felony characterization conveys how important it is that Workers Compensation coverage is in place.

To read the State House News article, click here.

If you’d like to learn more about Workers Compensation, check out this interactive tutorial from The Hartford: http://www.workerscompstarthere.com/workerscomp/

Or, call us today and we can answer any questions you may have: 781-444-3050.

When thinking about open burning, it is important to be aware of the increased risk of uncontrolled brush fires. Earlier in the week, there were brush fires reported across the State. What should you know about open burning?

If you’re like most Bay States, you probably spend a lot of time getting your lawn green and your garden ready. This also means you are cleaning up tree limbs, brush, etc. While open burning is still allowed in many MA towns (usually requiring a permit), open burning has its distinct disadvantages, including the combustion process releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide, other gases and solid substances directly into the air and the risk of brush fires.

Check out the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s website to answer your burning questions: http://www.mass.gov/dep/air/compliance/burning.htm

This week, one of our insurance partners, The Hanover Insurance Group, kicks off a year-long celebration of their 160th anniversary, recognizing the company’s proud past and bright future. Over the course of this time, Hanover has with stood the many tests of time: from the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 to the earthquakes, tsunami, and tornadoes of 2011, and the Great Depression in the 1930s to the recent recession, Hanover has delivered protection and peace of mind that comes with quality insurance coverage, to many of our cherished clients.

Click here to check out Hanover’s ad in the Wall Street Journal, reinforcing their standing as a leading national property and casualty insurance company.

Also, click here to read more about their 160th anniversary celebrations.

Our client, Jordan’s Furniture, is collecting dresses for prom-bound girls in need. Teaming up with Anton’s Cleaners, Jordan’s is delivering gently-used, like-new prom gowns and cocktail dresses to girls in need looking to attend their high school prom.

Donations will be collected through April 1, so you only have a few days left!

Once dresses have been collected, an “invitation only” boutique is planned, enabling high school girls to try on and select a free gown. A typical boutique usually includes over 2,000 dresses, all professionally dry-cleaned by Anton’s Cleaners.

Over 300 volunteers assist the girls, serving as their personal shoppers. Invitations are arranged through a Referral Partners Program of 125 public and private agencies. More than 1,495 girls have been outfitted since the Belle of the Ball program began in 2005.

Check out this link for more information: http://www.jordans.com/About%20Us/Charities/Key%20Partner%20Programs/Belle%20of%20the%20Ball.aspx

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has formulated the following list of the Top Ten Safest Cars, compiled based solely on driver and passenger death rates:

1. Audi A6
2. Mercedes Benz E-Class
3. Toyota Sienna
4. Ford Edge
5. Nissan Armada
6. Land Rover Range Rover Sport
7. Land Rover LR3
8. Honda CR-V
9. Jeep Grand Cherokee
10. Acura MDX

What do all of these cars have in common? They are all up to date with the latest safety standards and innovations, like Electronic Stability Control (ESC). This helps to prevent the car from rolling over in an accident. In addition, all of these cars are larger vehicles, which are generally safer because they are heavier and more difficult to push off the road.

It is always most important to drive safe and where your seat belt. However, if you’re shopping for your next car, keep this list in mind.

See the list of the Top Safest Cars: http://www.iihs.org/externaldata/srdata/docs/sr4605.pdf