Monday, April 26, 2010

Off the Road Again


Arnie Gonzalez, Jr.

Pronto Insurance Marketing Department


06/15/2010

With the song School’s out for Summer, by Alice Cooper, blazing in the forefront of every student’s mind, that has seen the movie Dazed and Confused, and every teacher that remembers what it was like to be a student in the 70’s, it is now June, and summer is here. The bags have been packed, for weeks, in anticipation, for this date, and the only thing to do now, is hit the open road with friends and family for the next two and a half months. For those of us, like me, who do not have the two and a half months off, for summer, we beg for our two weeks and head out as well. A lot of people fly to their destinations, but there are still quite a few that still love the adventure of the open road that brings the sense of liberation and adventure of the unknown; the road becomes a notebook to fill with the memories of family and friends that can never be replaced.

I am pretty sure you can remember being cramped, in the car, with your brothers or sisters; the trip started fine, everyone was in a great mood, but after two or three hours, maybe less, World War Three started. One of the siblings was screaming, at the top of their lungs, veins on the side of the neck ready to burst, that they had to go to the bathroom, right when you pass a sign that read: Next Bathroom 1,200 Miles. You could not stand each other, Mom was threatening to turn the car around, Dad had turned into Mr. Hyde, and there were still eighteen more hours to go. I loved it. Those were the memories that became today’s embarrassing stories, twenty years later, at the Thanksgiving dinners, Christmas dinners, and every other family gathering that you could ever think of.

God forbid that you got a flat tire, or the car broke down on the side of the road. That is where we, Pronto Insurance, come in with our Road Side Assistance. Being a family oriented company, we want to make sure your memories aren’t tainted with the bad experience and feelings of helplessness in an unfamiliar area. The days of those National Lampoon’s Vacation walks across the desert, to get to a payphone, are over; Pronto Insurance offers a variety of protections, under the Roadside Assistance umbrella, to make you feel safer, on the road.

Pronto Roadside Assistance is available 24 hours a day, and 7 days a week; it offers services such as tire changes, fuel delivery, towing, lockout assistance, Jump Starts, and Concierge Service. You can also get discounts on car rentals and hotels, and take advantage of our Custom Trip Routing, with a ten day advance notice. If you ever find yourself without fuel, in need of a tow truck, with a nail in the tire, with a dead battery, or locked out of your car, Pronto Insurance will be there DEVOLADA, 24 hours a day, and 7 days a week; the worry has been taken out of road trips. We can even help you with the information needed to reserve hotels, book car rental services, maps, trip itineraries, and most information that would make the trip planning a little bit easier.

For more detailed information on each service that our Roadside Assistance provides, go to prontoinsurance.com and or call 1-888-DEVOLADA (388-6525). It is the dawn of the worry-free traveling age; get on the road!

Pronto Insurance headquartered in Brownsville, Texas, provides quality insurance at a fair price for all Texans. Now with over 68 locations, state wide, and inside select HEB locations, in the Rio Grande Valley, Laredo, San Antonio and Houston.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Car Seats: An Option or Necessity?

Arnie Gonzalez, Jr./ Pronto Insurance Marketing Department


05/15/2010
Walking, in a rush, almost running, you are fighting that sixth grader still deep inside that is afraid of getting in trouble for running down the hall, you make your way down the hallways of the local hospital; the journey, through the almost overwhelming scent of Clorox and Fabuloso, has been made and your significant other, lying on the hospital bed, screaming in a near exorcistic state, is found. After much reflection you make your way into the room, and somewhere just beyond all this madness, the clouds finally subside; an angel is born.
Holding your child for the first time, you grip them for dear life and try to protect them from all the bad in the world, nearly suffocating them. All the negative thoughts of the nine months of nausea, dizziness, weird cravings for peanut butter with pickles, and your child’s late night Tae Bo sessions on your stomach disappear in the blink of an eye; you have created a miracle. Since the first seconds of life, they have begun to trust you, even though they are not able to verbalize it, they do. This child, in your arms, has become your responsibility.
Where do all those feelings of joy, love, and longing to protect your flesh and blood, against all odds, go when a parent decides to transport their infant and or toddler, in a vehicle, not protected with a proper car seat, or one at all? It is unfathomable.
All of the 50 states require that children up to 18 months ride secured in car seats, and most have laws requiring them until the child is at least 3 years old. Studies have shown that children who don't ride in car seats are four times more likely to be seriously injured in a car crash, even in a parking lot fender bender. If that isn’t sufficient, down this: In 2000, 248,000 kids in the United States were injured in auto accidents and 1,668 children died as a result. Most of the children that became the fatalities-stat were not properly restrained, which means that car seats could have prevented many of their deaths. Many may think these deaths were a result of accidents of a catastrophic nature, but most were wrecks a few miles from home and at an average speed of 40mph or less.
There are many programs, which have classes to teach new parents on how to properly restrain their child in a vehicle, and that give information on ‘Inspection Stations,’ around your community. One local non-profit organization that offers programs such as those is the Tip of Texas Family Out Reach Center; they are located at 455 E. Levee. St., in Brownsville, Texas. Their phone number is 956-541-5566. Please keep your children in mind, when deciding whether to spend the $50-$60 for a car seat; are they worth it? For more information on the different types of car seats available and for the nearest inspection stations near you, please contact the following:


• Graco Children's Products
150 Oaklands Blvd.
Exton, PA 19341
1-800-345-4109
http://www.gracobaby.com/

• Britax Child Safety, Inc.
460-R Greenway Industrial Dr.
Fort Mill, SC 29708
1-888-427-4829
http://www.childseat.com

Cosco
Cosco Consumer Relations
P.O. Box 2609
Columbus, IN 47202
1-800-544-1108
http://www.coscoinc.com/

• Evenflo
Evenflo Juvenile Furniture Co.
1801 Commerce Dr.
Piqua, OH 45356
1-800-233-5921
http://www.evenflo.com/

• Fisher Price
636 Girard Ave.
East Aurora, NY 14052
1-800-432-5437
http://www.fisher-price.com/us/default.asp

• Kolcraft Products/Playskool
10832 NC Highway 211 East
Alberdeen, NC 28315
1-800-453-7673
http://www.kolcraft.com/

Pronto Insurance headquartered in Brownsville, Texas provides quality insurance at a fair price for all Texans. Now with over 68 locations state wide and inside select HEB locations in the Rio Grande Valley, Laredo, San Antonio and Houston.