DURING presidential election years, the great state of Iowa leaps to the headlines of every newspaper and the forefront of every political talk show. Iowa's election-season-opening caucuses and swing-state status lead politicians to make appearances throughout the state, munching Iowa corn and extolling Iowan ideals. It was during this election season that I recently sojourned to the Hawkeye state for a series of insurance seminars. Within just a few miles of me at any given time, Laura Bush, John Kerry, Tom Ridge and President Bush himself were making appearances and discussing a multitude of issues.

Of course, all politicians avoid directly addressing any controversial topic, no matter how crucial to the survival of the republic. One such issue arose during my trip. Seeing that none of the politicos was willing to take a stand and were fleeing instead to "feel-good" issues like Vietnam, Iraq, terrorism and the economy, I felt the responsibility to answer this burning question. Being the kind of guy I am, I took the bull by the horns, strode into the ring and fearlessly declared, "Hang the popularity polls, the buck stops here!" I speak, of course, about Business Auto Symbol 1.

The issue came up during a class break, when one attendee mentioned that using Symbol 1 for liability coverage on the ISO Business Auto Coverage Form (CA 00 01 10 01) was all well and good, but that an insured still must notify its carrier of newly acquired vehicles within 60 days, or there would be no coverage on the new autos.