Auto Insurance Articles

Getting involved in a collision or accident with your car can be a very bad experience, but filing your insurance claim should not be too difficult if you follow a few simple steps.

As a first step, when you first get an insurance policy you should make sure that you read the entire policy and be certain that you understand what is and is not covered for your vehicle.  If you are unsure about anything, contact your insurance agent and have them answer your questions.

If you do get involved in a collision, first make sure that everyone is alright.  If anyone needs any medical attention, you should call 911.  You should also have yourself checked by a physician.  Even minor injuries can sometimes evolve into long lasting ones.

Get the other driver’s personal information such as name, driver’s license number, phone number, address, and insurance information and give them your information.  It is a good idea to have a disposable camera in your car so that if this happens to you you will be able to take photographs of all of the vehicles involved in an accident or collision.  Write down any details from the accident or collision as soon as you can while it is still fresh in your mind.

Also get personal information from any witnesses to the accident, such as their names, phone numbers and addresses.  You should file a police report and have the police prepare an accident report.  Your insurance company will ask you for the number to the accident report.

You should contact your insurance  company about the accident or  collision as soon as you can, even if it is not your fault.  An adjuster from your insurance company will come out to make a determination as to who is at fault.  Then either your insurance company or the other driver’s insurance company will pay for the repairs to your vehicle.  How this works depends on the form of insurance you have, the form the other driver has, and also who is ruled to be at fault in the accident or collision.

If you are found to be at fault, it is your collision insurance that will pay to have your vehicle repaired or replaced.  Your liability insurance is what will pay for the other driver’s vehicle to be replaced or repaired.  If the collision or accident is not your fault, you won’t have to do anything.  The other driver’s  insurance company should handle things.  If you are found at fault, you will need to pay the deductible on your collision insurance in order to have your car replaced or repaired.

There are several things going on when it comes to filing an insurance claim.  If you were injured in the accident or collision and were not at fault in the accident, you may be eligible for a settlement due to your injuries.  You need to remain calm and steady throughout the entire process.  If you think either your own or the other driver’s insurance company is not being fair on your claim you should ask for an arbitrator, who is a third party, to come in to help settle the claim.  Or you can ask your own insurance company to deal with the other driver’s insurance company in terms of the information and transactions that need to be handled.

If you drive a car it is critical that you fully understand car insurance basics.  Driving a car is a very important part of many people’s daily lives.  Of course no one wants to think about the possibility of getting into a car accident, but it is true that auto collisions happen on a regular basis.  Making certain that you have the proper insurance is an integral part of being a responsible citizen and driver.

If you need to finance your car when you buy it, your lender will require you to have comprehensive and collision insurance.  This form of insurance coverage provides you with protection that will help to offset repairs for your car if it becomes involved in an auto accident or other event that is covered under your policy.

If you own your car outright, you are not required to carry this form of insurance coverage.  However, you need to realize that even minor fender benders can lead to costly damages to your vehicle.  If your car becomes damaged in an accident where you are found at fault and you do not have any collision coverage, you will be responsible for paying all of the repair expenses by yourself.

If the state you live in has mandatory insurance laws, you will be legally required to have liability insurance.  This form of insurance is not concerned with repairing your auto.  Instead it is for the purpose of protecting the interests of other people’s property that becomes damaged in an accident where you are the one at fault.

When it comes to choosing car insurance, the best thing to do is to select a policy that will provide you with collision, liability and comprehensive coverage.  With these coverage types all taken care of you will protect yourself against any legal claims individuals may make who suffer a loss in an accident where you are at fault.  You can rely on the fact that your insurance company will cover the majority of expenses for repairing your car if it becomes damaged in a situation that is covered by your policy.

Before you make your final decision on your car insurance policy, be sure that you read and thoroughly understand all of the fine print.  What one insurance company calls full coverage might be entirely different from another company’s policy using the same terminology.

Make sure to pay attention to deductible amounts that go with each kind of claim.  That way you will know just exactly what your out of pocket expenses will be if you ever need to file a claim.  It is also very important that you fully understand what the liability limits are so that you know precisely the amount of protection that you have.  Pay very close attention to all of the exclusions that are described in your policy’s fine print as well.  As an example, if you happen to live somewhere where hurricanes occur, then you will not want to choose an auto insurance policy that carries an exclusion in its comprehensive coverage for wind damage.

Selecting a policy that will meet all your needs is extremely important.  You also need to be sure that you select a reliable insurance company to handle all of your auto insurance needs.  You will want to make sure that the insurance company has all of the required state licenses and also confirm that the company has good standing with the insurance commission in your state.

You probably already have auto insurance if you own a classic car.  However, do you have insurance with an insurance company that specializes in insuring only classic cars?  Or do you just have insurance with a regular insurance company?  If it is the latter, you may be paying more than is necessary for the wrong kind of insurance all together.

Classic car insurance is quite unique when it comes to auto insurance.  It actually provides insurance coverage on cars that usually are not driven very frequently.  That fact and also the special nature of this kind of insurance, often allows insurers of classic cars to charge a lot less for insurance.  This can save classic car owners a significant amount of money as well as giving them peace of mind in knowing that the specific concerns and risks that come with owning a classic car are covered.

Depending on the insurance company that your purchase insurance from, you policy could include a range of special as well as standard features.  Probably the most important feature is agreed value coverage.  This type of coverage means your classic car will be insured for its full value in cases of a loss.   Your car’s value is agreed upon ahead of time by the insurer and you.  This is a very important element of classic car insurance due to the fact that regular car insurance will take depreciation into account which ends up reducing the amount paid out on an auto claim.  If you have regular insurance on your classic car this is the primary reason why you need to think about changing your insurance.

There are other special features that classic car insurance can include:

• Premium rates that are based on usage of the car (the insurer will usually offer different premium rates and policies in different categories that are based on annual mileage figures)
• Collision, liability and comprehensive coverage, which are very similar to regular auto insurance
• No deductible
• One liability charge even if you happen to own more than one classic car
• Instant coverage for new purchases up to a maximum dollar amount (the coverage goes into effect before the car is even evaluated by your insurance company)

Many insurers of classic cars do have some special requirements that must be met.  They can include the following:

• Any car that is insured must be kept in a locked and safe garage whenever the car is not in use
• Classic cars can not be driven for every day errands and tasks like driving children to school, for business purposes or to replace your regular car.
• Some insurers have their own exclusions.  As an example, there could be a stipulation that the insurance on the car doesn’t apply to racing cars, driving at timed events or at high speeds, or a car that is used for driver education.
• If the car is in the process of being restored, there could be special conditions that must be met as to where the car is to be stored during the restoration process.  Agreed value coverage might also not apply to cars that are undergoing restoration.

As many parents can tell you, having a teenager driving a car for the very first time can definitely be just as nerve wracking for the parents as it is for the teen driver.  There is a very good reason for this as statistics show that a 16 year old driving is about 10 times more likely to get into a driving accident than drivers who are between the ages of 30 to 59.  The leading cause for death for teens ages 15 to 20 is auto accidents.

For this reason, teen drivers, or also  known as new drivers to auto insurers, will usually pay the most expensive premiums for auto insurance.  Parents can generally expect the premiums on their car insurance to increase by somewhere between 50% to 200% after they have added their teenager to their auto policy.  However it may be possible to negotiate with your insurance company for a lower rate after your teen has a safe driving record for one or two years.

While it is true that auto insurance for teenagers is expensive, there are things you can do to help less the financial hit.  It usually does cost less to add your teen driver onto your auto insurance policy than it is to buy a new policy.  Any discounts that you have will also apply to your teen.  If you have multiple vehicles, your insurance company might assign your teen driver to the car that is most costly to insure automatically unless you specifically request something different.

Many insurance companies will offer discounts to teenagers who complete a course in safe driving.  You can usually save somewhere between 5 to 15% on your insurance rates if your teenage completes a course.  Some insurers also give discounts if you use their booklets and instructional videos about safe driving.  Teens that get good grades in school may also be eligible for a discount  of 10 to 20% with a B grade average or above.

The kind of car your teenager drives can affect the rate on your insurance and also influence how your teen drives.  A teenager who is driving a sports car is more prone to driving fast; if a teen is driving a minivan or family car equipped with safety features the chances of them driving sensibly is more  likely.  If possible, avoid allowing your teenage to drive a truck or SUV, as they type of vehicles are more prone to rollover accidents.  If you are buying a car for your child, consider a used car which will be a lot less expensive for you to insure.

One final thing, despite the fact that your child will likely object, you should go for a drive with your teen driver.  Ride as the passenger to get a sense of how good a driver they are and any driving errors they might be making.  If you see any examples of aggressive or bad driving, lack of signaling, speeding or dangerous lane changes, be sure to point them out.  Also any time you have a teen riding with you while you are driving, make sure you set a good example for them.