Assignment 5A
Opportunity 1:
Title: Why Smarter Cars Aren’t Saving Us Money on Car
Insurance
Link: http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/169A2128224CDE58?p=WORLDNEWS
Description of the
story: People are assuming that since the cars are newer, and that there are
better safety features in new cars, the rates for insurance and accidents will
decrease. However, this is not the case. Many factors are affecting this
increase, such as older cars being on the road, more vehicles are drivers on
the road due to a better job and market economy. More miles result in more accidents,
which becomes a domino effect and results in more claims being filed. In
addition to that, medical and car repair costs are rising. Nowadays, the
complexity of repairs is greater and requires a higher skill set to fix
vehicles.
Description of
the problem: Reasons such has higher number of drivers resulting in higher claims,
higher cost of labor and medical expenses is resulting in an increase in insurance
rates even though people are purchasing newer cars because they are safer.
Who has the
problem: Any individual who is going to be owning a vehicle or driving a
vehicle will be affected by this issue. Insurance companies are affected by
this issue because they will also be losing business.
Opportunity 2:
Title: ASO:
Man points airsoft gun in crowd
Link: http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/169A212872EF3AF8?p=WORLDNEWS
Description of
the story: A 21 year old man was arrested after pointing a semi-automatic handgun
looking airsoft gun at a group of people. Him and his fiancé were sitting on
the back porch, where he thought juveniles threw an object at their apartment. Him
and the Juvenile began to fight, resulting in him taking out an airsoft gun and
started to point it towards a crowd.
Description of
the problem: There was miscommunication and disrespect within a community. Instead
of getting involved in a physical fight, they should have discussed the issue.
Instead of allowing the situation to escalate, his fiancé should have calmed
him down or sought help from someone who could have de-escalated the situation.
This causes Gainesville to be unsafe.
Who has the
problem: Citizens in the area, anyone who may become involved or come across a
situation like that.
Opportunity 3:
Title Morriston
woman dies, two injured in head-on crash
Link: http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/1699C9B81E5E46D8?p=WORLDNEWS
Description of
the story: 21 year old Morriston passed away after a fatal head on car accident
on US highway 41. She was pronounced dead at 6:30 am. One of the two cars partially
crossed the northbound lane causing a head on collision.
Problem: Drivers
are not aware of the situation and do not pay attention to other vehicles on
the road. In addition, some drive too fast, not allowing them to break on time
when this occurs. This results in a bad driving environment for Gainesville and
will increase insurance rates.
Who it impacts:
All drivers on the roads, and anyone who is related to families that are
involved in accidents. Insurance companies.
Opportunity 4:
Title: LifeSouth
says cold weather has hurt blood supplies
Link: http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/169976F5630E03A8?p=WORLDNEWS
Story: The
winter storms in Alabama and Georgia have been hurting blood supplies. The
weather caused numerous cancellations in blood drives and some centers had to
be closed. Due to the weather, Florida’s blood supply has been low.
Problem: Hospitals
will need the blood during an emergency. By having low stock of blood, this could
potentially cause death or hardship for patients who need immediate treatment.
Who it impacts:
Hospitals, patients, and any family of patients.
Opportunity 5:
Title: Mortgage
Rates Friday: Rising and There Are Fewer Homes to Buy
Link: http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/169921A115911E40?p=WORLDNEWS
Description: Mortgage
rates are increasing, and there are 10% fewer homes for sale across the nation
starting from December. People are urged to purchase homes as soon as possible
while the rates are low, and houses are available.
Problem: Some
people want to purchase homes but do not have the right credit or are still
saving money. Therefore, when they are ready to purchase a home, their rates will
be very high in the future depending on when they want to act. People who are
looking to sell may not be able to sell due to mortgage interest rates increasing
for buyers.
Who it impacts:
Agents, agencies, sellers, and buyers.
Oh wow, I wonder why exactly the weather has affected blood donations. Maybe the mortgage rate are increasing because the job market is so terrible right now, especially for young adults looking to settle down into a house. The cars are most interesting though, I had never thought about older cars on the road affecting insurance costs and bringing down overall safety of the road.
ReplyDeleteHey Michelle!
ReplyDeleteI thought you picked out some really interesting articles for the assignment this week. The fake gun article was surprising. MAny of the airsoft guns are indistinguishable from a real gun from far away and it could cause quite a panic if people are not aware its a real gun. I agree that he escalated that situation to an unsafe degree and should've chose a different option to deal with the situation.
Hey Michelle!
ReplyDeleteYou picked out some really great articles to show some local opportunities. I had never really thought about how new cars might cause insure rates to fluctuate. I was also very intrigued by the article discussing the altercation involving an air soft gun. Overall, this was a good collection of articles that showed a variety of local opportunities.