Time for a little PSA....that's Public Service Announcement for you guys like me that don't like to talk in text.

Let's play a game of "Let's Pretend".

Let's Pretend you are driving down the road, and there happens to be a WHEELBARROW in the road. You can see it, faaaaaaaaaar away in the distance, and as you get closer and closer, you start to think that maybe...just MAYBE, you can straddle it.

Well --- you can't.

So when you call your insurance company, here's the secret. Always always always tell that insurance person on the road that the wheelbarrow was in motion. NEVER tell them that it was just laying there. Just say that it BOUNCED out of a truck. Hell - tell them there was a laborer attached to the wheelbarrow, I don't know...just make sure that you tell them the damn thing was moving when you hit it.

Cause the difference is this. Do you want it to be a chargeable accident or not?

So remember. If you hit road debris of any kind....whatever it is....just make sure that you tell your insurance company the road debris was flung onto your car from another car hitting it and YOU COULDN'T AVOID IT.

Got it? Now, let's review this call I had yesterday. Some man called me and told me he had just run over something in the road, and now the underside of his car was completely torn out because the object flipped up and caused damage. Poor guy. He's facing getting his vehicle totaled because undercarriages are expensive to replace. So I quizzed him. I tried and tried to tell him the object was probably in motion, without telling him the object was in motion. He just didn't get it. He kept telling me that he came over the top of the hill, it was dark and he couldn't avoid hitting it.

I said: "Let me get this straight. You came over the top of a hill and this item rolled under your car and you now have pieces of your car's underside strewn across the interstate." "No ma'am," he replied "it was jest a'layin' there in the road. I jest couldn't go around it."

"Really sir? Are you SURE the item wasn't flung under your car by the vehicle in front of you as you came over the top of the hill?"

"Lady - I'm TELLIN' yew, it was laying in the road, and I couldn't avoid it!!!! Did yew git that?"

grrrr

"Yes sir, this is an accident that will be covered by your collision coverage which carries a $500 deductible. Additionally - I'm obligated to tell you that this will be considered an at-fault accident that may cause your rates to rise at renewal time."

silence. now wait a second...waait a second.. here it goes:

'WHAT THE HELL!? I JUST TOLD YOU I COULDN'T AVOID IT!!! WHY AM I AT FAULT!?'

my reply:

"I'm so sorry sir. If the object was in motion, then it could have been considered under your comprehensive coverage which carries a $100 deductible. Additionally, comprehensive claims are not as likely to cause rate increases at renewal time."

"Well ma'am.. I think I was mistaken. I do believe that item was in motion when I ran over it. In fact --- I know it was in motion. Put that in your notes lady."

"Sorry. You've already told me that it wasn't." "LOOK!!! THE DAMN THING WAS MOVING, THERE WERE ILLEGALS ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD THROWING SHIT IN TRAFFIC"

"Really!? Did you call the police?"

"Well....hell no. I didn't think about it"

"Oh. Ok sir, I'll make a note of that when I send this claim to the fraud department."

"FRAUD??!!"

"Yes sir. I'm pretty sure you're lying to me to get this accident considered differently. "

*click*

I do not think I'm going to last at this job too long. I keep pissing people off.