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Move Over or get a FINE!

info — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 07:21:45 +0000

It seems as if drivers have lost the true meaning of driving courtesy. Many lawmakers are starting to crack down on drivers who are not following the laws and they are wanting police officers nationwide to start enforcing the laws.

While driving it is very easy to be safe and follow laws. Some drivers don’t even pull over during a funeral. This shows a lot of disrespect and angers a lot of people. In general, the last car in a funeral will have the lights turned on or the cars will be in single file. Allow these drivers respect and wishes to pay their loved ones respect.

Some of the laws in which will be more enforced and should be as follows.

Emergency Vehicles; Move over when an emergency vehicle is coming. An emergency vehicle can be a fire truck, ambulance, police car and other vehicles with proper flashing lights and sirens. Be prepared to pay a FINE if ignoring this law. The drivers need to get where they are going in a hurry. Peoples lives can be in danger and every second counts.
Turn Signals; There has been articles on this blog about using a trun signal or blinker. Before passing a vehicle, moving into another lane, turning at a light or stop sign or going in any other direction, signal to other drivers which way. This helps avoid accidents and promotes safety and saves time. Not using a blinker can also result in a ticket.
Stop Signs; A driver must come to a complete stop at a stop sign or a red light. Also, a driver should look both ways and be very cautious of other vehicles. In most states if not all, the driver who stops at a 4 way stop first, goes first. If two or more drivers pull up together, the driver on the right should go first. Always be cautious.
Drive in the left lane; In most states, driving on the hwy. should be done in the left lane. The right lane should be for passing only. In Texas, this has become a strictly enforced law in certain areas. Drivers are getting tickets for driving in the right lane. If everyone was able to do this, the hwys. would be much smoother.

What is Important?

info — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 05:07:31 +0000

Everybody has there own understanding is to what may be their most important factors for auto insurance. What do you want from an auto insurance company, policy or an agent? Only you know if saving money, better coverage or customer service is right for you. Before you actually decide for yourself on your auto insurance priorities, think about how your choices may impact your vehicles, family and bank account.

Learning the rules and regulations of auto insurance and coverage options can become a valuable asset to your entire family. The rules and regulations are different from state to state and should be treated as such. The information from this site may not help you out if you are purchasing auto insurance in Alaska. This blog is designed to be a general guide to help consumers purchase auto insurance online and to save money. Not everyone will agree or abide by the opinions and thoughts of this website. This is why it is so important for Americans to educate themselves.

Auto insurance is much more than coverage for your car. Coverage for your car is actually one of the smallest reasons to purchase auto insurance. Auto insurance is more about protecting you from damage to other vehicles and people. The reasons for most state’s requiring auto insurance is to prevent motorist from damaging a vehicle and not repairing it. Think about what goes in to auto insurance for a second.

When choosing auto insurance a person must decide the levels of coverage needed. An auto insurance policy will not exceed the limits of the selected coverages amounts. If there is a difference in amounts, the driver is responsible for the excess damages. A driver can be putting their self in financial risk by purchasing state minimums of coverages. This is just some food for thought before signing the dotted line on your new policy.

Insurance Agents - Where Are You?

info — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 05:18:41 +0000

Insurance agents who build loyalty with strong customer relationships is becoming a lost art by traditional standards. I can remember when an insurance agent actually came to your home to discuss policy information. This was an industry standard of sorts for most of the 20Th century. Agents would come to your house to write a policy, answer questions and collect money. This practice allowed agents to build strong relationships and loyalty that couldn’t be broken. Agents new the names of the customer and their entire family. The agent was only a phone call away at any time to answer and help their customers out. These agents seemed to be very successful in helping their business write policies on home, auto and life insurance. What has happened to insurance agents?

With all this information being said, I don’t miss agents or salespeople coming to my house. However, the profession of an agent is changing and having a big impact on the insurance industry. This seems to be happening in many other professions as well. Think about the health industry for a second.

How many of you feel comfortable talking with your Dr.? These days a lot of Doctors don’t know their customers names or any personal information on them. Doctors are becoming much harder to talk with now.

A Dr. sees you, checks you out and prescribes medication or refers you to someone else. Most Doctors I have talked with lately don’t seem to have much time to answer very important questions. I can’t tell them about what is going on, how to fix it or possible side effects of drugs they prescribe. In fact many questions seem to get ignored or not addressed. This is very frustrating and it is the same way with many insurance agents.

I spend countless hours talking with insurance agents in some of the industry’s leading forums and blogs. I have seen and heard the trend of insurance agents. Most agents I have talked with or read about don’t even see their customers. They are teaching and sharing information on how they have their receptionist and assistants write the entire policy. These agents say they are too busy and hire good employees to provide insurance quotes, answer questions, have documents signed and etc…

This is not how the insurance industry was designed. State laws require anyone or company wanting to provide insurance to customers get a valid insurance license. However, many of these assistants and office personnel don’t even have a license. Many of them don’t have any insurance experience at all. A lot of these agents told me that the only time they ever meet or talk with a customer if they have a major problem such as an accident.

This is outrageous and ignorant of any insurance agent who practices in this manner. There is no wander why you see so many agents come and go. Without any loyalty or relationships built with their customers, there is no reason for a customer to stay by their side. In fact, these same agents are always complaining about customer who just call and price shop or buy a policy and leave after 6 months. Who are they to gripe about customers leaving when they haven’t even tried to help or get to know them?

Only Insuring One Vehicle

info — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 05:20:54 +0000

Many Americans can’t afford auto insurance or so they say. The truth is, auto insurance is part of driving. Recently we have been flooded with people wanting to insure only a limited number of vehicles. One client had a car on a loan and owned his truck outright. He was married and drove both vehicles on a regular basis. This guy only wanted to insure one vehicle. Can it be done?

I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why this guy only wanted to insure his truck and not his car. After all, the lender on the car required him to carry insurance on it. He has been getting away with driving without insurance for some time now. He is very fortunate the lender hasn’t caught up with him and took the car away. He is now seeking insurance because he was ticketed for no inspection or insurance. He knew that he could no longer be without insurance if he wanted any chance to avoid a hefty fine.

This guy searched for insurance for more than a week by calling every agent and company around. He soon realized that auto insurance for his family was going to cost at least $120.00 a month. This price was not an available option to them.

He then decided to buy a liability insurance policy on his truck and keep his car uninsured. He realized that this coverage was less than $40 a month and was very affordable. I explained that this wasn’t right and if he wanted insurance it should be done according to the law.

An insurance company has a right to know what vehicles their customers have and our driving. This may be a different story if both vehicles wasn’t being used. Once again I tried to tell him why he should insure both vehicles and what can happen if he doesn’t. Worst of all the wife was the main driver of the other vehicle. If she gets stopped for any reason, a police officer may be able to tow her vehicle or take her to jail. Worst of all if they have an accident, they can be sued and risk losing a lot of money.

They could even put another driver in a very difficult situation. Think about the stress and financial strain the other driver might face by being hit by an uninsured motorist. He had a one track mind and didn’t care about anyone other than himself. He did however end up getting what he wished for. Auto insurance coverage on one vehicle. Now we will just wait and see if the judge dismisses his ticket in court or not.

Bottom line of this story. Ask an agent or find out the laws in your state before trying to insure some of your vehicles. Personally, I don’t think anyone should be able to do this. However, I would rather see this customer have at least some insurance than none. I just wished he would do it properly.

Policy Jumping - Switching Insurance Companies

info — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 09:03:50 +0000

Many auto insurance agents don’t like to sell customers a policy who switch insurance companies too often. These agents consider a customer as a high risk if they switch companies more than 2 times in a year. These agents will not charge more for these customers since they can’t. However, customers who switch auto insurance companies a lot often are in a higher risk tier.

Consumers really don’t have any reason for changing insurance policies more than twice a year. The most common reason to switch a policy is for price. There is nothing wrong for changing your insurance company to get a lower rate. However, you should do this wisely. A good rule of thumb is to keep your policy until it expires. This is the time to shop and compare other companies rates. There is really no good reason to shop for auto insurance in the middle of a policy.

Other reasons for changing insurance companies for many consumers is due to bad service, not getting information needed, trouble with an agent or company. These can be valid reasons for wanting a change in your auto insurance policy. However, if this continues to happen then it may not be the company causing the problems. Some people use these excuses because they don’t get what they want or ask for something that is not possible.

The sad fact for why many drivers who like to policy jump (policy jumping is a consumer who goes from policy to policy several times a year for invalid or valid reasons) don’t do it for good reasons. Many of these drivers have not paid off their old policy or find reasons for not paying their bill on time. They get a policy and look for reasons to cancel or switch carriers. They often leave the insurance company with no warning or notice. They may get a month or two for free and switch once the insurance company cancels their policy.

Policy jumping hurts consumers more than they think. A typical policy jumper has bad credit or doesn’t care about their credit. They know that by not paying their insurance bill, the insurance company will report it on their credit report. Often times these individuals try to protest or dispute the debt. Policy jumping can also result in higher premiums for these individuals.

Bad credit and the lack of keeping continuous coverage will cost jumpers money. Insurance companies check credit reports and will most likely charge higher rates for these items. They will also have a good idea of how many insurance policies a consumer has had based on credit reports. This report can provide enough information for a company not to provide you with coverage in certain cases. If they do insure a policy jumper it will result in a higher rate.

Don’t take this information wrong. Switching companies is not a bad thing. This is very true if you can save money, get better coverage or service. Changing polices to avoid paying off your policy or because a driver can’t afford it isn’t right. The overall result forces good drivers to get stuck with part of these extra cost.

Too Cheap for Comfort

info — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 06:53:48 +0000

Have you ever heard the saying if it sounds too good to be true than it probably is? This saying has held true for about a century now. This applies to auto insurance as much as anything else. How can this apply to auto insurance? How does a driver find out if they’ve found a deal to good to be true?

Have you seen an ad like auto insurance for $20? Read the highlighted previous post and find out why it is almost impossible to get coverage at this price. Even if you find a very cheap rate, you could still get shafted in the long run. These fly-by-night companies could be here one day and the next day they’re gone. How much trouble will a driver have in getting a refund? How will a driver come up with money for a down payment to obtain a new policy?

The moral of the story about if something is just too good to be true is, sometimes paying more can be less. Does this make sense? If a consumer who pays $10-$40 more a month for a policy that has sound coverage from a highly rated company can end up saving big money in an accident. A higher rated company has a lot more resources and employees. Some of the higher rated companies have agents on the clock 24 hrs. a day. This enables them to get vehicles estimated, repaired and on the road much faster. Remeber time is money.

A driver should also keep in mind that having a trusted auto insurance company can ease any and most all worries. This helps reduce stress in the event of an accident or any need to call an insurance company.

However, the one great thing about the insurance industry is the regulation the government is involved with. The government forces companies who want to offer auto insurance to meet or exceed minimum state requirements. Therefore, buying insurance from a small company can still be done and may save consumers money. As a driver it is up to you to educate, research and learn the different coverage options. Agents aren’t forced to sell you certain coverages. These unknown coverage options could very well be something you may need based on your driving habits.

How to Handle Being Hit by an Uninsured Motorist

info — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 05:50:00 +0000

Many drivers attempt to drive and break the law by driving without auto insurance coverage. These uninsured motorist are putting their own financial well being and thousands of other Americans into their own hands. Uninsured motorist don’t consider anyone else other than themselves. It is very surprising at how many motorist drive with out insurance, check out some of the numbers on uninsured drivers. What is the best way to deal with an uninsured motorist?

The best way to handle or prevent an uninsured motorist from destroying you financially is with auto insurance. A driver can purchase uninsured motorist protection with their auto insurance policy. Even though the rates are rising for this coverage it is still very affordable and is designed to protect vehicles from these motorist. Call an agent right away if you have declined this coverage to discover how cheap it is. If buying the coverage is too much, consider getting some auto insurance quotes.

Shopping for a new auto insurance quote may save money vs. your current policy. Insurance companies factor many things to determine auto insurance rates. This is why it may be a lot cheaper to buy this coverage from a different company. Auto insurance can be very difficult to figure out since most auto insurance companies use their own formula to calculate rates.

A lot of drivers know the financial devastation of being struck by an uninsured motorist. People who have been hit by a driver without insurance know how hard it is to collect any money. Most of these drivers have little or no money or property to sue them for. If they can’t or don’t pay for the repair bill, you will be stuck with the damaged vehicle. With uninsured motorist protection your vehicle would be repaired in this situation.

The numbers show that 1 out of every 4 or 5 drivers don’t carry insurance. This results in about a 20-25% of all accidents may be caused by a driver without insurance. Take this coverage very serious. If you don’t have the money to buy the coverage, think about how bad off you will be if this does happen to you.

Accident in the Parking Lot

info — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 05:10:33 +0000

Today my mom and I was hit at a popular fast food restaurant while eating. This was one of the last things on our mind to happen since she parked at the far side of the lot. She always tries to park away from cars and sometimes takes up 2 parking spots. To be honest I don’t like it when people do this. These people are not considerate of others. However, it is my mom and I love her dearly.

It scared us to death when a guy walked in the restaurant and screamed “who owns an Orange Ford Mustang”. My mom paniced and ran to him and immediately asked what was wrong. He told her he hit her and my mom flew out the door to check the damage, I followed suit right behind her. The man who hit us was trying to sneak out the back of the parking lot going the wrong way. At first I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how he struck her car in a parking lot in broad daylight.

The man who struck us was older and was very polite and kind. He didn’t have any noticeable damage to his truck at all. I am sure glad he didn’t just take off, he probably would have got away with it. My mom’s car on the other hand wasn’t so lucky. He smack the fender causing quite a bit of damage to the fender, wheel and frame. Being an expert in the auto insurance field helped us handle the situation quickly and appropriately.

At first I called the police to make them aware of the situation. I knew they wouldn’t come out to a public place, but it didn’t hurt to ask and maybe have a record of the call. Then I asked the man for his insurance policy and information. I took his car in to the restaurant and had them make a copy for us. As I was running into make the copy I called the insurance company to ensure the policy was valid. Everything checked out ok and the insurance company went ahead and took all the details. The set up an appointment to look at my mom’s car on the same day.

This accident was one of the smoothest I have ever seen. We left the park knowing the guy had valid insurance, an appointment to get an estimate and a copy of his insurance, drivers license, a photo of the damage, and his telephone number. You can’t really expect to get more than this from during an accident. This may help people understand the importance of having a checklist or preparation for an accident. You never know when or where you might have one.

An Auto Accident Injury

info — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 03:46:59 +0000

Many drivers and passengers alike get hurt on a daily basis in car accidents. Some of these injuries can be very minor, serious or even fatal. The best practice in any situation is to abide by the safety laws. Some of these safety tips can save your life such as a seat belt or air bags. However, some accidents can’t be avoided and when accidents happen injuries can as well.

The problem with some injuries are the time in which they appear. A lot of injuries aren’t noticed right away. You may come out of an accident feeling great and turn around they next day or week feeling pain. You can still get treatment and pursue money damages for the injury even if it is not reported right away. If you notice pain at any time during or after an accident see a Dr. right away. You can hire a lawyer to help you recover damages caused by any accident or injury.

There is also more serious injuries that are noticed at the time of impact. You should phone 911 if you see or have an injury. Try to seek medical help right away and avoid making any sudden moves if possible to prevent further damages. If you are injured in any accident it may be best to seek help from an attorney.

An insurance company might try to offer a low settlement or try an settle to quickly. With the help of a lawyer you can make sure the insurance company pays for all the damages in an accident. The lawyer can advise you every step of the way into a settlement with the insurance company. The lawyer may also seek an additional damages or losses you have from the result of the accident. Some of these most common losses are missed work, prescriptions, Dr. visits, gas and much more. The lawyer can let you know if you are entitled to any of these damages.

Boat Insurance - Do you need it?

info — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 07:50:29 +0000

A lot of Americans who own a boat don’t even know that boaters insurance exist. It has been estimated that more than half of boat owners don’t even have boat insurance. Boat insurance is insurance that protects against losses involving boats. The water has very similar laws as land or HWY’s do. Here are some great reasons to carry boat insurance and how to find a great rate.

What does boat insurance cover? Most boat insurance plans protect the boat against damages occurred both on and off water. If a boater has an accident the insurance can protect both boats with select coverages. The boat can also be protected against theft, vandalism, mother nature, accidents and etc. Boat insurance can also protect against injury and structuraldamages in certain policies.

What is the best way to get a great deal on boat insurance? Boat owners can be amazed out how cheap it is to protect your boat. Here are some great ways to get a good deal on boat insurance.

Mention to the agent about any prior boats you have owned.
Combine policies with your home or auto insurance if possible.
Comparison shop!
Include all safety features and equipment.

Boat insurance can help protect you financially in case of an accident. The water can be very dangerous and unpredictable and caution should be exercised at all time. Boat insurance is very cost effective and can be a great bang for your buck.