The Moak Law Firm February 2019

Why Do We Need a Leap Year? The Calculations That Leave Us in Need of an Extra Day

Every four years, February gains an extra day at the end of the month. But what does this contribute to the year as a whole? You might be surprised by what this one day does for us! The 365 days in each year represent the time it takes for the Earth to circle the sun. However, the orbit actually takes nearly a quarter of a day longer than that. The additional 0.2421 of a day might not seem like it would make a significant impact, but after a few decades, it adds up. To ensure the calendar and seasons stay on the right timeline, the leap day was created. The Egyptians were the first to officially calculate how many days it takes to orbit the sun, revealing the need for a leap year. Europeans at the time used a calendar that followed a lunar model, which needed an entire month added to retain consistency. The leap year wasn’t introduced into Europe until the reign of Julius Caesar. With the help of astronomer Sosigenes, Caesar created the The Start of the Leap Year

Julian Calendar, which included 12 months and 365 days, with a single day added every fourth year.

“The odds of being born on Feb. 29 are about 1 in 1,500...”

A Leap Day Birthday

The odds of being born on Feb. 29 are about 1 in 1,500, which leaves approximately 187,000 people in the U.S. and 4 million people around the world celebrating their birthdays on Feb. 28 or March 1. People born on a Leap Day are faced with dilemmas such as which date they should receive their driver’s license. Although it varies from state to state, most consider March 1 the appropriate day for leap-year 16-year-olds — who are celebrating their fourth “official” birthday — to receive their license. With all the changes the calendar has undergone, it still isn’t quite perfect. Experts say that in about 10,000 years, it will need to be changed yet again.

However, the Julian Calendar wasn’t perfect, because 0.2421 of a day can’t be rounded to a multiple of five, so it caused the calendar to have an extra 11 minutes every four years. Pope Gregory XIII fixed the problem in 1582 by creating the Gregorian Calendar. Now, a leap year occurs every four years except for the years that are evenly divisible by 100 and not 400. For instance, 1800 and 1900 were not leap years because they were divisible by 100.

You’re NOT Covered Don’t Be Caught Off Guard by Misleading Coverage

negligence, our clients are shocked when their insurance company refuses to cover the bills.

more often than not, this coverage can’t cover the costs. This doesn’t even take into account the thousands of uninsured drivers on the road. If you’re hit by a driver who doesn’t have insurance, there’s almost no way for you to get compensation for your accident. It’s important to have insurance that protects you and your family from the negligence of others. Look into adding uninsured/ underinsured coverage, medical payments coverage, and more liability coverage to your insurance plan. We encourage you to call your insurance adjuster today and increase your coverage as much as you can reasonably afford. A few extra bucks for insurance per month could pay off in a big way if you’re ever in an accident.

“But I have full coverage!” they object. The truth is, full-coverage auto insurance doesn’t mean you have the most coverage possible. It means that in addition to the minimum amount of liability insurance required in Arizona and collision insurance, you have comprehensive coverage. Comprehensive coverage is great if you park next to a building that’s being painted and someone spills paint on your car, but it does very little to help pay for medical bills after a car accident. Arizona requires drivers to carry a minimum of $10,000 for collision coverage and $30,000 in bodily liability coverage to pay for an accident they cause. But medical bills add up fast and

Your life can change in an instant. One second, you’re sitting at a red light on your way to work, and the next second, a driver who was looking down at their phone slams into your bumper. Your car is totaled and you wake up in the hospital. But at least you woke up. And you were smart and bought full-coverage auto insurance! Your insurance company will take care of everything, right?

This is something we hear at the office all the time. After being injured by another driver’s

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