Car Insurance

Reading auto insurance policies can be like trying to decipher advanced calculus. It’s really not that difficult if you understand a few basic terms.

Collision, Comprehensive, Bodily Injury Liability and Property Injury Liability are the main terms you need to fully understand.

You’ll appreciate Collision Coverage in the event you need repairs or replacements if your vehicle collides with another vehicle or property. The higher the deductible you elect, the lower your premiums will cost you. If you’re at fault for something, well of course it would still be an accident, as I doubt you’d plan to run into that guard rail, but how much would you be able to afford to pay out of pocket for repairs? $250?

$500? $1,000? Just like medical insurance, you’d have to pay that deductible amount first and then the insurance company would pay for the remaining charges for the repair.

Another term to become intimately familiar with is Comprehensive Coverage. This is the coverage that pays for damage caused from falling objects, fire, certain natural disasters, theft and vandalism. Deductibles work the same way as with Collision; the more out of pocket costs to you, the less your insurance premium.

In addition to knowing how much Collision and Comprehensive coverage you have, you’ll want to know about your liability coverage. Let’s say you rear-end another driver. Or your foot slips off the brake onto the gas pedal and you plow down a mailbox. Your liability coverage will kick in and pay for the damages that you caused with your insured vehicle. You liability coverage will, or could, include bodily injury (people) and property damage.

You don’t want to go without Bodily Injury Coverage.

If you were at fault in an accident and others involved needed to go to the hospital and/or lost wages from missing work, those costs would come out of your pocket if you are not insured with Bodily Injury Coverage. It doesn’t take a genius to know how quickly those amounts can add up. This type of coverage can also help you in the event the other party takes legal action against you. Many states require you to carry Bodily Injury Coverage.

The American economy is sucking a lot of money out of consumers’ pockets due to high gas prices and the general increase in every other consumer good from food to clothing that is associated with high oil prices. However, there is good news on the horizon, and that is that auto insurance rates are being reduced. Despite this reduction, there are several things you should keep in mind when shopping for car insurance to ensure you receive the best rate and coverage for you and your vehicle.

Tip #1 Shop Around

There are so many different auto insurers out there you might think it difficult to find the best insurance at the lowest prices. However, don’t despair because all you have to do is shop around. The easiest way to do this is to go online and search all your favorite car insurers in order to receive a fast and free online quote. Then, you can simply compare the services and prices of the insurers and make the best choice for you. Spending a little time on research might save you hundreds of dollars on car insurance.

Tip #2 Look for the Discounts

You may not have known this, but many auto insurers provide discounts to drivers for good driving behavior and other reasons as well. So, ask about the discounts available through various insurance providers and consider how many you would qualify for. More than likely if you qualify for one or two then your rates could easily drop several hundred dollars per year.

Tip #3 Maintain Your Credit

Unbeknownst to you, your credit score affects your car insurance rate. As a result, you should be sure to maintain your credit score as high as possible in order to not only receive the benefits of good credit, but also to pay lower car insurance premiums. It is really worthwhile, and something you will benefit from economically.

Auto insurance fraud is dramatically on the increase. Non-profit sites like the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud report that auto insurance fraud costs in the region of $12.3 billion or more each year. What’s more it is a very lucrative business for the criminals.

But how is this type of fraud generally perpetrated and how can you tell if it has happened to you?

Auto insurance fraud often comes in several guises the more common ones being these:

STAGED ACCIDENTS

An accident is staged in which the drivers of two or more vehicles intentionally collide with you. Normally a driver will pull up in front of you by temporarily slamming on their brakes and their accomplice will run into the back of you.

They then make it look like it was your fault.

FAKE HELPERS

Scam Helpers will wave an innocent driver into traffic, but then an accomplice will deliberately crash into the driver. Again the innocent driver appears to be at fault.

AUTO REPAIR SHOPS

Auto insurance fraud is increasingly being committed by auto repair shops. They scam insurance companies in several ways.

They may bill for work not actually performed on the car, they may over quote on the work, charging more for it than they should, claim for property stolen from your vehicle that actually did not exist in the first place or deliberately cause further damage to your car for which they bill the insurance company.

The premium you’re charged can vary dramatically depending on the coverage you request; the kind of car you drive and your driving record. You may not realize it, but there may be discounts that you are eligible for but which you are not taking advantage of. You just need to know which questions to ask.

Here are some recommendations from Farmers Insurance Group to help try and lower your insurance costs.

1. Ask for higher deductibles — Deductibles represent the amount of money you pay before you make a claim. By requesting higher deductibles on collision and comprehensive coverage, you can lower your costs substantially. For example, Farmers has one of the broadest ranges of deductibles for consumers who want even more choices and savings.

The Farmers Insurance Company has a handy deductible calculator on its Web site: www.farmers.com, you can use to help determine the right deductible for your situation. You answer a few questions on the amount of cash and credit you have and the value of your vehicle, and the calculator can estimate the deductible that may be right for you.

2. Consider buying all your insurance from one company – Keeping your insurance at one company may make you eligible for multiple policy discounts. So if you have your car and home insurance with one company, you will get a discount.

3. Ask about automatic seat belt or air bag discounts — You may be able to take advantage of discounts on some coverage if you have automatic seat belts and/or air bags.

4. Take advantage of low mileage discounts — Some companies offer discounts to motorists who drive fewer than a predetermined number of miles a year.

Auto insurance can make a big hole in your pocket. Insurance premiums vary hugely between companies, agencies or agents, brokers, and of course the make of the car you own and your credit rating. To pay lower insurance you must:

1. Always maintain a good driving record.

2. Never accept the first estimate you receive. Be wise and check comparisons of different insurance providers at your state insurance department website or phone them. Their addresses and contact numbers can be accessed from http://www.consumeraction.gov/insurance.shtml the consumer action website. Be sure to get competitive quotes from different insurance providers. Contact providers that are strongly recommended by people you know well. Keep your peace of mind by checking the financial stability of the companies with rating companies like A.M. Best (http://www.ambest.com/) as well as in forums and blogs.

3. Complete a market survey well before you select a car make and make a comparative table of insurance and other hidden costs. Find out which features increase insurance premiums and which ones reduce premiums. For example if parts of a certain make are hard to find or expensive such cars will have huge insurance premiums, similarly installation of anti-theft devices or an extra brake system lowers insurance premiums. Many questions are answered by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety at http://www.iihs.org/.

4. Choose to have higher deductibles this will reduce the burden by at least 15-25%. But look at your finances first and determine whether you can set aside US$ 200-US$1000 periodically to create an emergency vehicle fund.

5. Consider availing the insurance from the same company that has you covered for home, accident, or life. Many companies offer concessions to clients who have more than one kind of policy. Known as a multi-policy discount this could benefit you.

6. Most policies are based on your personal credit record. Having an unshakeable credit history can lower costs. Pay bills on time, don’t avail too many loans, and be sure that credit balances are as low as possible.

7. Avoid duplicating medical coverage. Find out whether eliminating medical cover in auto insurance will reduce your premiums or the personal injury protection costs. In some places the reduction is as much as 40%. So, if you have adequate health insurance you could weigh the pros and cons of eliminating this in auto insurance.

8. Find out if insurance premiums are dependant on where you stay. Sometimes staying in a rural community or suburbs as against the city center could save you a bundle.