Where home & auto collide (regularly) in Cleveland
What is a homeowner to do when cars continually crash into their property?
Not far from downtown Cleveland’s center is a stretch of road that was initially designed to connect lake-side Edgewater Park with other park systems nestled in the city’s suburbs. However, the design of a freeway exit ramp onto Cleveland’s West Boulevard has turned a slice of the road into a place where cars crash into homes with the frequency of around once every six months, according to reports from local media outlets.
The West Blvd. I-90 exit has a T-stop design, and speeding cars often miss the turn or skid through the intersection if the pavement is wet. These wayward vehicles then end up in someone’s yard. One homeowner told a local media outlet that wayward vehicles have damaged her front porch four times, wound up in her backyard on a few occasions and have taken out more than 40 guard rails. A neighbor reportedly lost three porches, a garage and numerous trees.
The city of Cleveland has installed more barricades to protect the homes and the Ohio Department of Transportation is planning to install a median island. The traffic signals have also been adjusted in an attempt to slow vehicles down.
Effect on home insurance rates
Having multiple home insurance claims can have a big impact on how much premium is collected, according to Pat Howard, licensed property and casualty expert at Policygenius.
Howard notes that the average home insurance rate was 9% higher after just one claim within a five-year period and an average of 47% higher after three claims in the five-year period.
He explains that, in general, claims that are derived from something that could have been prevented — like water damage from a leaking pipe or a dog bite — result in higher rate increases since carriers view them as events that are more likely to happen again.
“Claims due to weather catastrophes or freak accidents, like a car driving into a house at an interchange, won’t result in as high of increases because the chances of something like that occurring again are generally low,” Howard says. “However, in the case of a poorly designed interchange that causes cars to drive into homes, insurance companies may charge higher premiums than usual after these occurrences due to the high frequency of claims in the area.”
For policyholders in these types of situations, the best course of action is to push officials to make changes that improve road, and in turn home, safety, he says. More proactive insureds can also install barriers in front of the property to protect against speeding vehicles.
“If you suspect the heightened risk of crashes is making your insurance rates more expensive, let your insurance company know and they may be able to apply a protective features discount or credit to your policy to lower your premiums,” Howard says.
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