Happy Wednesday! In this week's Big I Buzz we are discussing the travel forecast for the holiday weekend, which dog breeds Animals 24-7 names as the 'most dangerous' and the Sales & Leadership Summit. 

4th of July Travel Forecast: Best Days to Hit the Skies and the Road

Planning to travel for the 4th of July weekend? You're definitely not alone. AAA's Travel Forecast has reported that the Fourth of July holiday weekend is expected to be the second-busiest for travel since 2000, with 47.9 million Americans taking trips. If you'll be hopping in your car to start your holiday on Thursday or Friday afternoons, plan for traffic as AAA has reported those will be the most crowded days on the road as commuters leave work early and mix with holiday travelers. Should you decide to hit the roads anyways and you have some leeway for start times, Friday before 10 a.m. or after 9 p.m. will be the best and on Thursday, plan to leave before 7 a.m. or after 8 p.m. For lighter traffic, analytics company INRIX has listed July 3 and July 4th. 

Use the above graphic on your social media pages to warn your clients of heavy holiday travel. 

The 9 Most Dangerous Dog Breeds

According to Property Casualty 360, the American Veterinary Medical Association estimates that insurers paid out around $881 million in liability claims related to dog bites in 2021. A study from Animals 24-7 has looked at the dog breeds responsible for the most recorded dog bite-related fatalities in the US between 2014 and 2020. Here are their top 9 breeds: 

9. Doberman Pinscher - 23 attacks (2014-2020) and 8 fatalities (2014-2020)

8. Chow Chow - 61 attacks and 8 fatalities

7. Akita - 70 attacks and 8 fatalities

6. Rottweiler - 535 attacks and 8 fatalities

5. German Shepherd - 113 attacks and 15 fatalities

4. Presa Canario - 111 attacks and 18 fatalities

3. Hybrid Wolfdog - 85 attacks and 19 fatalities

2. Siberian Husky - 83 attacks and 26 fatalities

1. Pit Bull - 3,397 attacks and 295 fatalities. 

"While breed isn't a fail-proof indicator of which dogs will bite - and the majority of dog bites reported are from those of mixed-breed or whose breed could not be determined - some insurers still take this into consideration because a dog's breed can influence temperament, whether the dog is easily startled and how strong its protective instincts may be. However, no matter a dog's breed, it is common for insurers to introduce exclusions or deny coverage completely for a canine that has a history of biting or aggression," Property Casualty 360 reports.

2022 Sales & Leadership Summit

Have you registered yet for the 2022 Sales & Leadership Summit? Now's the time!

Your registration will include access to the 1.5-day summit on August 23 & 24th PLUS it will also include your ticket for a fun evening of Timber Rattlers Baseball The IIAW will provide transportation to the Timber Rattlers Baseball game from Bridgewood Resort. Head to https://bit.ly/SalesLeadershipSummit today to save your spot now. 

For more news, check out the Action News section of our weekly e-newsletter, Big I Buzz. If you aren’t subscribed, click here  to add your email to our emailing list.