Good Neighbor Stories

State Farm Cuts Utah Auto Rates 8.6%

Mon, 20 Jul 2020 14:07:58 -0500

Driving behaviors across the country continue to evolve during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on current trends, State Farm® is working to reduce auto insurance rates in Utah by 8.6%. This rate reduction will save 450,000 State Farm customers a total of $27 million. This applies to current customers at policy renewal, as well as new and returning customers.

“Current State Farm driving data and claims experience show a considerable decline in miles driven and fewer accidents,” said VPA Kenneth Whitehair. “As a result, we’re looking for ways to continue supporting our Utah customers while we monitor and adjust to trends.”

In addition to the auto rate reduction, the discount for participating in Drive Safe & Save™ is increasing to 10%, and empowers drivers to save more on their auto premiums through driving behaviors.

Rate changes in Utah are subject to regulatory review. Customer rate reductions will vary based on their individual renewals Customers are encouraged to visit with their State Farm agent about individual policies, coverage and any opportunities for discounts, including Drive Safe & Save.

Utah Drivers Benefit from State Farm® Auto Insurance Rate Cuts

Wed, 17 Apr 2019 16:15:00 -0500

State Farm will cut its auto rates in Utah for a second year in a row. As a result, the overall personal auto rate will drop by 4.4 percent. Statewide, customers of the state's largest insurer will realize total savings of approximately $12.9 million.

The effective date for new and renewal business is May 13. The last rate change in the state was a decrease of more than 2.0 percent in October 2018. Combined, the two auto rate decreases will save Utah customers approximately $20.3 million.

“State Farm is very pleased to be able to offer another auto rate decrease in Utah,” said State Farm Senior Vice President Denise Hardin. “Improving expenses and losses were important factors, among many, that supported our decision to make this change."

Overall changes in premiums for individual motorists will vary. Rates depend on a customer’s policy and chosen coverage. Customers can contact their local State Farm agent to discuss their individual situation. Additional opportunities for discounts may apply.

A rate decrease, combined with discounts, offers exceptional long-term value to State Farm customers.

State Farm Auto Rate Cut to Save Utah Customers $8.7 Million

Mon, 04 Jun 2018 00:00:00 -0500

State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, the largest auto insurer in Utah and in the nation, will cut its rates in that state. As a result, its overall auto rate will drop by more than three percent. The total state-wide savings for all State Farm customers affected by this rate decrease in Utah will be approximately $8.7 million.

“The company’s financial strength is allowing us to pass along rate savings to our Utah customers," said State Farm Senior Vice President Denise Hardin. “We continually evaluate how we can best serve our customers and are very pleased to be able to offer this rate decrease in Utah.”

Overall changes in premiums for individual motorists will vary depending on the specific details of an individual customer’s policy and chosen coverages. The average Utah customer savings will be approximately $22 per year. The effective date for new and renewal business is July 16, 2018. Utah customers with questions can contact their local State Farm agent to discuss their individual situation.

In addition to this rate reduction, State Farm agents are able to review with new and existing customers the many opportunities for additional discounts that may apply to an individual’s unique circumstances. A rate decrease combined with discounts offers an exceptional long-term value to State Farm customers.

A Thankful Turkey Tradition

Tue, 22 Nov 2016 08:19:00 -0600

When you think of the word “pal” you think of a buddy or an acquaintance. But you may not know it also means “a mechanism which stops something from moving the wrong way.”

And that’s exactly what the South Salt Lake Police Athletic League (PAL) is striving to do: stop youth from moving the wrong way. In fact, area crime has been reduced by 65% between the hours of 3pm-7pm thanks to the PAL chapter.

Because of their progress, they were awarded the Directors Community Leadership Award by the FBI in 2015, a prestigious award which only four organizations receive annually in the nation.

South Salt Lake PALs

It all started in 1995 with a game of softball between neighborhood kids and the police. In 1998, Jerry Silva took over the South Salt Lake PAL program. Jerry, the current PAL director and a local police officer, started playing street hockey with kids in an underprivileged neighborhood.

Soon, local fire fighters got involved and it grew fast; officers were coaching flag football and paying for kids to play in athletic tournaments around the US.

Today, the PAL program has evolved into a nationally recognized after-school mentoring and boxing program. It is modeled after the original PAL chapter in New York City, were Muhammad Ali got his start.

“Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr, aka Muhammad Ali, was born in 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. Of all things, a red-and-white Schwinn bike steered Cassius to his future as a heavyweight champion boxer; the greatest," Jerry recalled. "When his beloved bicycle was stolen, the tearful 12-year-old Clay reported the theft to Louisville police officer Joe Martin (1916-1996)."

"Preteen Clay vowed to pummel the culprit. Martin, who was also a boxing trainer at the local PAL Boxing Gym, suggested the upset youngster first learn how to box, and he took Clay under his wing,” continued Jerry. “We here at the South Salt Lake PAL tell this story often because it shows these kids that working hard and using boxing as an avenue to better your self is the key.”

Boxing and mentoring program

The program, supported by State Farm, gravitated toward boxing instead of soccer and other sports because it’s less mainstream. Boxing is also a way for young kids to let out their aggressions in a safe environment.

“We are not teaching kids how to fight, we are teaching them when boxing is appropriate and the proper ways to box. But most importantly we are teaching our youth to have confidence,” shared Jerry.

Before any boxing or other recreational activities take place, all the students, approximately 70, must finish their homework. Members from the community volunteer to be a tutor like State Farm Agent Jonathan Hertel.

Jerry and Jonathan

“I came from a broken home, and easily could have gone down the wrong path. But because of mentors like Jerry in my life I am blessed to be where I am today,” reflected Jonathan. “That’s why I got involved, because it hit home for me. What they do for these kids is amazing. Instead of these kids being involved in juvenile crime and violence they create a way for them to be involved in athletic, recreational and especially educational opportunities.”

Pay it forward

“We teach our kids to pay it forward—that’s our philosophy,” Jerry explained.

Each year around Thanksgiving, the PAL youth identify several families in their neighborhood who could use a good Thanksgiving meal. PAL works with the local food bank and other organizations to deliver a home cooked meal to those families. More than 50 families receive a Thanksgiving meal prepared by the local culinary school in Salt Lake City.

Every Time I Look in the Mirror

Tue, 31 Mar 2015 08:00:00 -0500

“I never imagined a simple text message could change lives forever. It was an ignorant, terrible, selfish choice that will haunt me for the rest of my life,” shared Reggie Shaw.

On September 22, 2006, then 19-year old Reggie was driving to work on a country road in Logan, Utah. His car crossed the center line and causing a crash killing two men. Phone records revealed at the time of the collision, Reggie was sending a text message.

Reggie was sentenced to 30 days in jail, 200 hours of community service and one year probation for negligent homicide. The public uproar over his case led Utah to pass stronger distracted driving laws with stiffer penalties. Today, his phone is always turned off when he’s behind the wheel.

Since the deadly crash, Reggie has shared his story with thousands, dedicating his life to speaking about the dangers of texting while driving.

“I learned the hard way how deadly distracted driving can be,” he said. “Every time I look in the mirror I see someone who took lives in a crash that didn’t have to happen.”

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, distracted driving is a dangerous epidemic. In 2014, 3,179 people were killed, and 431,000 were injured in crashes involving distracted drivers. . Because of this major societal issue, the month of April is dedicated to raising awareness about distracted driving.

For many years, State Farm has researched this issue; and for the last seven years, has annually published a Distracted Driving Survey. The survey follows trends in drivers’ attitudes and behaviors when it comes to distracted driving.

While a large majority of drivers support laws prohibiting cellphone use while driving, people are still using their phones while behind the wheel. To read more about the latest State Farm survey, click here.

To end distracted driving, everyone needs to do their part. To learn more about what you can do and commit to distraction-free driving, please visit distraction.gov.

2012 State Farm Distracted Driving Survey

Auto Safety Learning Center homepage

Are You Ready for an Epic Road Trip?

Fri, 25 Jul 2014 00:00:00 -0500

Papiblogger, Manny Ruiz, and his family shared details of their family road trip in July 2014.They covered more than two thousand miles! In hindsight, they wish they could have added a few extra days to their trip so they could have driven less every day (they averaged nearly 250 miles a day!) and had more relaxation time and felt less rushed. Here were their updates from the road...

Hitting the Road (Update: July 2, 2014)

Manny Ruiz, aka PapiBlogger, has made road trips a family tradition. In 2014, Manny, his wife and their four kids headed to Utah, the Grand Canyon and Colorado for a trip that was a great adventure. Manny and family started the tradition in 2008 and now have more than 30,000 miles across the United States under their belts.

“These trips help to build memories for our family,” said Manny. “When I was young I went on one road trip with my parents and it stuck with me.”

After crisscrossing the country, Manny and his family are “seasoned pros” when it comes to family road trips. Tip number one in Manny’s book; a quarter of a tank of gas should be treated as an empty tank…since you never know where the next gas station will be located. You don’t want to spend a day of your family road trip stranded or walking miles in the heat to fill up your tank!

Manny and family also prep their car before taking off on longer trips by checking fluid levels, tires, packing an atlas (in case you are in a part of the country without strong cell reception), and ensuring they have emergency essentials in their trunk. Making sure your vehicle is in good condition will save you a lot of headaches down the road, literally!

When it comes to traveling with his four children, ranging in age from 14 to two-years-old, Manny takes an education route to prep for the vacation. Manny and his wife, Angela, teach their children about the unique history and cultural significances of the places they visit. They also make sure to pack healthy snacks along the way and bring books, toys and electronic devices to keep the boredom away on long stretches of road.

But you never know what can happen on the open road. And the Ruiz family knows that better than anyone else. Whether it’s trips to the Emergency Room (during one road trip, two family members landed in the ER), or car doors coming unhinged (strong winds on the Oregon Pacific Coast caused damage to their vehicle), or luggage flying off the roof of a car (fortunately no one was hurt when the roof rack flew off the car on a Texas highway), the family sticks to the mantra: “Adapt, Improvise, and Overcome” so they are always prepared for the unexpected.

Checking In Halfway (Update: July 17, 2014)

At the half-way point and five days into their 11-day trip, Papi and family noticed a few important things. Electronic devices to keep the kids from getting bored are absolutely essential. “Having the kids occupied in the car is very helpful – it could have been really, really bad without electronic devices,” said Ruiz.

Flexibility is also key. They got a late start from Monument Valley (a trip "wow moment") and they were heading toward Zion National Park in the Utah Mountains in the dark. They were tired and made the decision to stay at a hotel two hours from the Park so they did not drive fatigued in the pitch black through unfamiliar mountains. It was an audible, but even the hotel staff at Zion National agreed Papiblogger it was a wise and safe call.

And precisely the type of situation Papiblogger plans for by building a few road trip “bumper days” into the itinerary. Essentially a “bumper day” is a day left unplanned so it can be used to get some much needed rest or to do something spontaneous with the family. In this instance, he realized he probably should have built in one more “bumper day” so he and his wife did not have to drive fatigued.

Some other key Papiblogger takeaways:

Because many of the areas they traveled had some unpaved roads, it’s great to have an emergency trunk kit just in case..
It helps to have an SUV made for rugged terrain. “On a previous road trip, we had a vehicle that wasn’t made for the terrain and we were literally stuck in the sand.” Driving through national parks, Manny highly recommends having a proper vehicle for potential off-roading.
Sun block! You can get sun exposure even while driving in the car through the hot desert.

Eleven days and hundreds of miles later…. (Update: July 25, 2014)

Two tips vitally important to the Ruiz family vacation were:

Don’t drive drowsy!
Bring electronic devices to keep kids from getting bored.

These two tips kept the family safe on the road and kept the tantrums to a minimum!

Despite a few fits, their trip was an epic success! The family fell in love with Utah. Bryce Canyon National Park was the highlight of their trip. “Bryce Canyon has beautiful rock formations; they are so majestic,” said Papiblogger. “And to me, Utah is the most scenic state in the country, full of unexpected beautiful scenes.”

And it wasn’t just the natural beauty of the region that made this trip memorable for the family of six. The Ruiz kids got to be a part of something very special. Outside of Bryce National Park in Utah, the three oldest kids were in a real rodeo! Briani, five years old, rode a sheep; Elena, ten years old, rode a calf; and Jonathon, 14 years old rode a cow. All three kids did a great job but Briani surprised the thousand plus crowd by staying on her sheep the longest!

A few tips Manny and family leave us with until their next road trip:

The ever popular drone, while great for capturing beautiful bird’s eye view images, wasn’t a great road trip addition. It was big and clunky, and was more of a hassle than a plus.
Never go without shoes! Your drone might go haywire and you may have to climb after it without said shoes! OUCH!
And be sure to include yourself in all those vacation pics and videos. Manny realized once he got home he was barely in any of the pictures and videos of his family. Next time he will make sure he makes an appearance too!

To see some amazing video of the rodeo visit PapiBlogger.