Car insurance is a highly competitive field, and as a car owner, you can take advantage of this by shopping around to see which company will give you the best deal. Write down the types of insurance you are interested in purchasing, including those that are mandatory, and get quotes from three or four insurance providers. Some will offer packages that may save you money, while others will offer packages that will have you paying for types of car insurance that you may not need.

Besides premium rates, see how much coverage you are getting and find out about limits, restrictions and any additional fees. Car owners typically focus on saving money, but it may be worth a few extra dollars to be able to email or fax in an accident report and to have someone pick up the phone when you need to file a claim or have a question you want answered.

You?ll want to consider the various types of car insurance listed below:

Bodily injury liability insurance: This is mandatory in most states. Should you get into an accident, the driver and passenger(s) in the other car can sue you for their medical bills. In today?s litigious society, this is the type of insurance you most want to have, especially if you have significant assets.

Property damage liability insurance: This is another liability insurance that you won?t want to skimp on since it will cover the cost of repairs for the other driver?s car. Should his or her vehicle be totaled, replacing a $40,000 car means that you need sufficient coverage.

Personal injury protection (PIP): This is mandatory in some states. PIP is a policy covering medical costs for your family, even if the other person is at fault. Your health insurance may cover this, so check that policy before paying for a lot of PIP coverage.

Collision insurance: This covers repairs or even replacing the car should there be an accident. As cars get older and depreciate in value, drivers are typically less inclined to have collision insurance.

Comprehensive insurance: Should your car be stolen or destroyed by a natural disaster, this is the coverage that will pay for your loss. Again, over time, you may lessen the amount of coverage you are carrying should you have an older car.

Other types of insurance include rental reimbursement, towing, glass replacement and uninsured or underinsured motorist insurance. Glass replacement can be costly, so it is one you may consider. Uninsured or underinsured motorist insurance is one that you should strongly consider, since there are many underinsured motorists out there, and you may not be able to collect from someone without sufficient coverage.

Because insurance is based on the ages of the drivers in your family, the car you drive and where you are living, policies will vary greatly. However, you can possibly help lower your premiums by taking good care of the vehicle, installing antitheft devices and maintaining a clean driving record.

Read More..

• 3 comments »

Studies in the UK clearly show that lady drivers or femal drivers are better drivers than men because they tend to get involved in less expensive car accidents due to their slower road speed. Therefore, lady drivers are a preferred choice by the UK car insurance industry.

According to experts it is not that women have fewer accidents but the accidents they have are less serious in nature. In a survey by it was found that more than 90% of cases of drunk driving accidents involve men. On other hand, women are cautious drivers. They usually don't have a fast driving habit unlike men. Men are usually aggressive when it comes to driving especially when they're late. On average, women drivers travel shorter distances. Also, married women, tend to drive more carefully.

Women are more likely to have accidents at lower speeds, which causes far less damage to their car. Hence their claims are for smaller amounts unlike men drivers which gives ladies a distinct advntage when applying for womens car insurance quotes..

Many insurers specialising exclusively in lady drivers car insurance have come up to cash in on these existing facts and figures. They provide cheap offers to lady drivers. The arithmetic calculation works in a simple manner ensuring huge profit margins for insurance companies and the advantage of low premiums to lady drivers. It is estimated that all insurers generally give 10% discount to female drivers. However, the difference in premiums between males and lady drivers decrease with age.

Lady drivers in UK have many options to choose from and get the best car insurance deal at a reasonable rate. So, experts recommend lady drivers to shop around and ride home with the best car insurance deal.

Recently, the proposed measure of European Commission to do away the lesser premiums for lady car drivers has invited lot of discussion. Industry experts are of the opinion that the proposed measure would be rolled back in all likelihood and lady drivers would continue to enjoy the cheap car insurance benefits.

Read More..

• 2 comments »

Every state in America makes having some form of automobile insurance or proof of financial responsibility a legal requirement, and each state has its own minimum requirements when it comes to the amount of automobile insurance or proof of financial responsibility a driver must have. Most law abiding citizens comply with the legal requirement of having a minimum amount of automobile insurance or proof of financial responsibility; however, there are still drivers out there who don’t have automobile insurance, or who haven’t shown proof of financial responsibility in the event of an automobile accident.

Even though many states are cracking down by requiring drivers to show proof that they hold the state’s minimum automobile insurance or financial responsibility before they can register their vehicles, there are still drivers who are slipping by. Why would a driver choose not to insure himself and his automobile? Many drivers feel that by purchasing automobile insurance, or by forking out the minimum amount of money to cover the financial responsibility requirements of their state, they are spending money they’ll never see again. Plus, this money they feel “they’ll never see again” is usually money they feel they can’t afford. However, should these drivers find themselves in an automobile accident without at least the minimum automobile insurance or financial responsibility requirements of their state, the legal mess will most likely cost much more than the automobile insurance payments or financial responsibility would have cost.

If you’re thinking about “slipping by” without purchasing the minimum automobile insurance or showing the minimum financial responsibility required by your state, don’t. You may think you’re an excellent driver who will never cause an accident, but your state has made automobile insurance or financial responsibility a legal requirement for a reason and it’s not just to protect drivers who may be involved in an accident in which you are at fault – it’s also a legal requirement that will protect you.

Read More..

• 2 comments »

Rental car insurance can be confusing. You need to make sure you have enough insurance to cover you in case you have an accident, but you don´t want to pay for coverage you already have.

Don´t wait until you´re in a quandary at the rental counter. Before your next business trip, find out if you´re covered through your own automobile insurance policy or through your credit card company.

Auto Insurance
Call your agent to find out what your auto insurance policy covers when you rent a car. To be properly covered in your rental, your existing policy must include liability, comprehensive and collision coverage for rental vehicles. Liability insurance covers you if you injure another person in an accident, and comprehensive and collision insurance cover you if you damage the rental car.

Credit Cards
After you know what your auto policy covers, check with your credit card company. Some credit card companies offer collision and theft insurance when you use their card to pay for a rental, but this coverage is usually secondary to your personal auto policy. Significant restrictions may apply: For example, the card company may require that you decline the rental agency´s collision damage waiver — a provision of your rental agreement that limits your liability for damages to the car. Remember, a credit card will only cover damage to the car, not liability claims against you. That means your credit card won´t protect you if you injure others or destroy property. In addition, this coverage might exclude business use or be limited to a certain period of time and geographic area.


Rental Insurance
If you don´t have adequate coverage through your auto insurance policy or credit card, you should purchase coverage through the rental agency.

The most misunderstood part of rental insurance is the collision damage waiver. A collision damage waiver isn´t really insurance; instead, it´s a guarantee that the rental company will pay for certain damages. Rental agencies offer collision damage waivers or loss damage waivers for about $14 to $20 per day. If you decline the collision damage waiver, you accept responsibility for all damages.

The collision damage waiver also covers "loss of use" — the money a rental agency loses when the vehicle can´t be rented due to damages. In most states, an automobile insurance policy won´t cover this cost.

In addition, when you damage a rental car, some agencies will expect you to pay up front for repairs or replacement costs. This means the money comes from your pocket, and you must get reimbursed by your auto insurance company. The collision damage waiver protects you from these up-front costs.

In addition to the collision damage waiver, most rental agencies offer:

• Supplementary liability insurance, which acts as secondary coverage to your personal policy
• Primary liability insurance for drivers who don´t have auto insurance policies or don´t want to use them
• Personal accident insurance
• Personal effects protection that insures your belongings.

www.allbusiness.com

Read More..

• 3 comments »

Regularly check tyre pressures. Incorrect tyre pressures will cause incorrect car handling, uneven tyre wear and can increase braking distances. If your tyres are found to be under the legal limit, 3 penalty points per tyre can be enforced should you be caught.

Regularly check tyre wear. Make sure your tyre tread is wearing evenly on all of your tyres. If they are wearing unevenly i.e. cutting the inside or outside edges / cutting both edges or wearing out the middle of your tyre, your tracking is most probably in need of rectification and/or your tyre pressures are incorrect.

Think about your choice of tyres for your car. Cheapest is definitely not the best. Ask your tyre dealer for a tyre that will wear at a steady rate, yet maintain good grip in wet conditions. A tyre compound that is too hard will tend not to be good in the rain but last a long time, while a softer compound in a tyre will give a better grip all round yet wear out at a faster rate.

Do not use a mobile phone while driving or in traffic. The police are in their right to take the phone from you immediately and issue a fine and enforce 3 penalty points on your license.

Do not let your car run out of fuel. Running out of fuel is classed as an offence and could impose a fine. It also can block important fuel lines and filters which can cause problems with the running of your car in the future.

Keep your windscreen washers full and your wipers in good condition.

Penalty points on your license can increase your car insurance premiums so adhere to the guidelines above for safer motoring and a cheap car insurance guarantee.

Read More..

• 2 comments »