Archive for August, 2009
By far, the most anticipated time in a teenager’s life is going to be obtaining their license. While you, as the parent is probably worried sick about your kid being on the road, there are many different things that you can do in order to ensure that your child is safe behind the wheel.
One thing that you need to remember to do is lead by example. If you break the traffic laws, your child most likely will – so make sure that you keep that in mind.
Most teenagers that get into car crashes and such are only doing it because they saw their parents do it, so keep that in mind. You want to make sure that you do not break any of the traffic laws and that you are extremely careful behind the wheel. Do that, and your teenager should be extremely safe behind the wheel!
August 30th, 2009
UM and UIM coverage encompasses another question you need to ask when you are buying car insurance. UM stands for “uninsured motorist” and UIM stands for “underinsured motorist.”
Specifically, when you are looking for a new policy, you have got to ask if it will cover these drivers. UM and UIM coverages are so important. Some states require it, some states do not, but it is still a good idea to have it.
Remember, an increasing number of drivers are either uninsured or do not have enough insurance. This will make sure that your car — and any repairs — are always covered if you get into an accident with an under- or uninsured motorist. Many people are not able to afford collision insurance themselves, so you may need to take matters into your own hands.
August 13th, 2009
As many of you have certainly already noticed, thus far in 2009, auto insurance premiums have gone a lot higher. This is primarily due to the continuing economic problems we are having. Unfortunately, they are not yet as high as they will likely get.
The average national cost of car insurance is about $1,796. As gas prices continue to rise as well, most believe that it will be more and more expensive to insure vehicles, especially if one does so monthly.
There are a number of other contributing factors as well. For instance, more people are driving and there are more vehicles out there than there ever have been, in spite of the high cost of gas. Thus, consumer demands for coverage are going up too. That can be a good thing, though. It leads a lot of insurers to offer competitive rates.
The rise of insurance fraud and claims for personal injury are making premiums increase as well.
August 12th, 2009
The fifth and final question that each and every car insurance must ask involves parts for your car. Specifically, you need to know if you insurance company will be willing to pay for parts from the original manufacturer. Some do; others promise only aftermarket parts, which tend to cost less and come from a different, generally foreign, manufacturer.
The quality of the parts in your car is important. Naturally you want high quality parts which will work well and for longer periods of time. Typically, for our own cars, we only buy aftermarket parts if there is no other possible alternative.
If you get into an accident, you may be faced with needing replacements for what are expensive parts at best anyway. It is best to know beforehand that your car insurer will cover OEM parts.
August 10th, 2009
What happens if your car gets totaled? How much will your insurance cover to take care of the loss? This is an issue that you must address when you first purchase your policy. You may be unpleasantly surprised if you do not. You need to know whether your insurance company will pay the actual cash value or the agreed upon value. You may not know that “actual cash value” refers to your car’s depreciated value at the time that it was totaled.
With an agreed upon value, the value gets agreed upon when you renew your car insurance policy each year.
Generally, this is the best option, although it may cost about one hundred dollars extra. That is way better than insuring your car for $30,000 in February only to find out that, come August, the actual cash value is down to only $21,000.
August 4th, 2009
Car insurance discounts are very important questions to be asking, however that is not going to be the only question. The next question that you should be asking your car insurance company is about your comprehensive and collision coverage – do you have to have them and are they going to be worth it?
For those of you that do not know what the difference is it is simple, collision insurance is going to cover repairs to your car if you get in an accident – no matter who is at fault. Comprehensive car insurance is going to cover your car if it is vandalized, broken into, flooded out or even tree damage.
All of these things could happen but they also could truly increase your premium – a lot. You could be paying $400.00 a month just on car insurance, so is it truly worth it?
August 1st, 2009
By far, the most anticipated time in a teenager’s life is going to be obtaining their license. While you, as the parent is probably worried sick about your kid being on the road, there are many different things that you can do in order to ensure that your child is safe behind the wheel.
