14th March 2007

Quick Tips to Lower Auto Insurance Rates…

Auto insurance rates are composed of dozens of different variables and while that may add to your confusion, it also allows many chances to find lower rates. By following the tips below you will be able to better tailor your policy to your needs while also saving as much on your premiums as possible.

Increase your deductibles: You can choose to increase your comprehensive and collision deductibles. Many policies are issued with a standard $250 or $500 deductible on these physical damage components. Calculate the savings you will have if you raise these deductibles to $1000. If raising your deductible saves you $125 every 6 months, it would take you two years for you to break even in the event of a claim. Determine if this is an acceptable risk to you.

Get older or get married: Most car insurance policies offer lower rates to older drivers. It’s simply a matter of time before your reach 18, 21, or 25 years old and become eligible for these discounts. You can also get married. Married customers can combine their 2 policies into one to save money and married couples are usually offered a lower rate due to their decreased risk of accidents.

Take defensive driving classes: AARP, AAA and other agencies offer defensive driving classes. Check with your insurance company and see if they offer an additional discount for completing a defensive driving class. Even if they do not, the knowledge you gain from attending the class can be an invaluable asset to your driving ability.

Make sure your distance to work is accurate: If you change your job, work from home, or retire, make sure you notify your insurance company. Your rate is calculated partly on the number of miles you drive to work each day and if you are improperly classified you may be paying more money than necessary.

Shop online for your insurance: Online insurance companies offer some of the most competitive rates available today. Shopping online is easy and allows you access to a large number of companies competing for your business. By spending 10 minutes online you may be able to save $100 - $500 a year or more on your car insurance. You can find out how much you can save online by clicking the link below and getting your free quote today.

Please note that this description/explanation is intended only as a guideline. Contact your licensed agent for more information.

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14th March 2007

Auto Insurance Rates - Good Drivers Deserve Better Rates

Insurance rates are based on experience ratings, so it stands to reason that insurance companies would be willing to give better rates to drivers who have good experience. Your past driving history is a good indication of your future driving habits, so insurance companies are anxious to have a client like you, who they will probably not have to pay out on the policy. This competition among insurance companies for the good drivers gives good drivers cheaper insurance rates.

what do the insurance companies consider a “good driver”? No recent accidents and few to no traffic violations. The longer period of time you have with no accidents or violations, the better risk you are for the insurance company. Besides the obvious benefits of being a good driver, such as staying safe and keeping your family safe when you are in your car, being a good driver earns you the lowest insurance premiums. Everyone has to have auto insurance, but a good driver does not have to pay as much for it as a bad driver does.

If you do have a good driving record, make sure you are getting the best possible rates from your insurance company. The best way to be sure of this is to shop around. As soon as you inquire about insurance rates, make sure you ask them if they are giving you the good driver rate. Then compare all of the good driver rates to pick the best one.

You know whether or not you are a good driver (you can get an abstract of your driving record to make sure) so you should make sure you are getting all of the advantages that go along with it. You should be paying the lowest premiums available for the cost of your auto insurance.

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14th March 2007

How Do I Lower My Auto Insurance Rates?

Since there are many factors that go into determining your auto insurance rates, there are many chances to lower your rates.

If you change jobs and your drive to work changes or you stop working or you work from home, you should contact your insurance company.

If you have a teen driver and they go to school over 100 miles away without a car then you should be able to get a discount.

If you get married and are in your teens or twenties call your insurance company and see about combining your policies.

Take defensive driving if your state allows it for a discount.

See if increasing your comprehsive and collision deductibles will save you a lot of money. You need to compare what you’re saving and how much more you will have to pay if you file a claim. For example, if you go from $500 to a $1000 deductible and it lowers your insurance $50 per 6 months then it saves you $100 a year.

It will take you 5 years to break even from what you are saving compared to how much more you have to pay.

Now, if it saves you $250 every six months then it would be more worth your while.

See if combining your auto and home insurance polices will qualify for a multi policy discount with your current company. This could be a substantial discount.

One of the biggest ways you could save $200-$500 or more a year is shopping around for insurance. The auto insurance industry is very competitive and this is great news for smart consumers like yourself. Shop for auto insurance quotes here and see how much you can save.

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14th March 2007

How Your Auto Insurance Rates Are Determined

Your auto insurance rates are determined by a number of factors:

-driving record

-usage, how you are using the vehicle, work, pleasure, business

-how many drivers you have and their ages

-how many vehicles you have

-what kind of coverage limits you want

-what area you live in

-your payment history

-what color car you drive

-your insurance credit score

-your claims history

-your occupation and how many years you have lived at your current residence

-how fast you can solve a Rubix cube

-your daily, weekly, annual mileage

There is a lot of information about you that is used to determine your rates. You are grouped or pooled together with similar drives of the same background that way you are not paying for drivers that are much worse than you.

Similar risks will pay similar rates.

Your usage affects your rates because if you are driving to and from work or school 5 days a week, 15 miles one way you have a higher chance of getting in a accident than someone who only drives 1 mile 1 way 3 days a week or someone who works from home and only drives to get groceries. So business, work, and school usage is higher than pleasure usage.

The area you live in affects your rates due to the fact that one area or town may have a higher incidence of claims than another area. One area may have higher lawsuit payouts or higher theft rates than another area. Even if you live in a affulent area your rates may be higher due to the higher value vehicles in your area cost more to fix than in an area with lower value vehicles.

Although you may have heard that if you drive a red car you will pay higher rates but this is not true. It is a myth. GEICO, USAA (For Military Only), and Allstate, to name a few, don’t even ask what color car you drive when you apply for a quote. And your VIN number doesn’t give this info either.

If you have one car and three drivers you will pay more because that car will get used alot more than if you had only 1 driver and 1 car.

If you have had a poor payment history or your policy has cancelled due to non payment you will have higher rates when you try to reapply for insurance.

The higher your insurance credit score the better. The insurance credit score is similar to your FICO credit score such that the higher your FICO score the lower your interest rate and the higher your insurance credit score the lower your insurance premium.

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14th March 2007

How Can You Lower Your New York Auto Insurance Rates?

New York Auto Insurance - Lower Rates Available

New York car insurance is compulsory for all drivers in New York . Such insurance should include Liability insurance, No-fault or Personal Injury Protection insurance, and Uninsured motorists insurance. New York car insurance also offers optional collision or comprehensive, Emergency Road Service, Customized Equipment, Rental car coverage.

What decides insurance rates?

New York car insurance rates are not same all over the state. Driving habits in combination with legal and settlement fees of all drivers in the state decide car insurance rates across the state. However, your individual rates depend further on your age, driving record, your make of car, your place of residence, etc. Again, different insurance companies keep different parameters for computing insurance rates.

How can I get the best rates?

The best solution to acquire affordable and most competitive New York car insurance rates is to scout around different insurance companies through insurance agents, brokers, professionals, and internet. You then receive best offer with good discounts.

What do I receive from my insurance?

In the event of any accident, New York car insurance offers you:

Liability insurance - You receive $25,000 for physical injuries per person per accident, $50,000 for all injuries per accident, and $10,000 for damages to other’s property due to accident. If accident results in death, compensation rates are $50,000 per person and $100,000 for all injuries per accident. This helps you meet cost of injuries and damages you cause to other’s property in accident.

Personal Injury Protection (PIP): This is a no-fault insurance covering cost of your personal injuries in accident like loss of wages, loss of services, medical expenses, death benefits, etc. This protection prevents you from suing for damages.

Uninsured Motorists Insurance: If you receive injuries due to accident with uninsured vehicle, or you experience physical injuries due to any hit-and-run case, you receive coverage under this option.

Additional Benefits

New York car insurance provides for optional coverage:

Collision -This helps you compensate cost of repair or replacement of your vehicle due to collision with other objects or cars.

Comprehensive -This provides coverage for loss due to other reasons like theft, natural disasters, mob fury, fire, damage by animal, etc.

Rental Car Coverage -This coverage is only with comprehensive and collision coverage. You receive compensation for rental vehicle due to damage or theft.

Emergency Road Service -This covers towing costs for your vehicle and is with collision coverage only.

Customized Equipment - Normal car insurance covers onlyoriginal car equipments. This coverage provides for loss of special customized equipment in your car like roll bars, fog lights, trailer hitches, camper shells, etc. This is available with collision and comprehensive coverage.

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