Auto Insurance Questions and Tips

You would never be able to get the best auto insurance policy if you are not well acquainted with the insurance. One of the ways to achieve this is by asking the right questions. Some of these questions include

How High is Your Risk?

One of the most commonly used words in insurance is risk. Everything is dependent on your risk assessments. The insurance company would check in details some factors to determine your risk. It is with this your perceived risk that your premium rate will be determined.

Tip: To get the best from your insurer, you have to minimize your risk. There are several ways to lower your risk and ultimately lower your premium.

Are You Eligible for Discounts?

Every insurer offers one form of discount or the other. The only way to be certain that yours does is by simply asking. Taking advantage of discounts would not only help you save up on cash, you could also use it to add more coverage to your policy.

Tips: Know exactly what coverage you want. This way you would know how to use discounts to your advantage.

Car Accidents: Health Checks

Being involved in a car accident is a terrifying ordeal for anyone to go through. At that point, lots of questions start running through your mind. While it would be understandable to take a look at it from an insurance point of view, it is best we start from a health standpoint. If or when you get involved in an accident, here are few health tips to follow.

Check Yourself

The first person you have to check for injuries is yourself. Start by moving your arms and legs. If no pains or injuries, try moving your entire body. If you have an injury, no matter the extent, place a call to emergency services. Don’t try to move as you may end up complicating your injuries.

Check on Other Passengers.

If and only if you have no injuries or you are not too hurt, go and check on other passengers in your car. If there are any injuries, call emergency services immediately.

Get to a Safe Place

Staying put inside your car doesn’t count as the safest of places to be in. chances are that you may be in shock. Try and get out of the car, if you don’t have serious injuries, and stay on the sidewalks or side of the road. Remember to turn on your hazard lights to notify other road users that your vehicle is immobile.

Wait for Help

Do not take matters into your hands, especially if you are not trained for it. As long as you contacted the emergency services, help will come in a matter of minutes.

Auto Insurance: What Happens After an Accident?

No matter how safe a driver you may be, accidents are bound to occur at any time. for this reason, it is best to familiarize yourself with the ins and outs of your insurance.

Call for Medical Assistance

This is an accident and there are chances that someone is hurt, no matter the degree of injury. The first logical thing to do is to call for medical assistance of there is need for it.

Exchange Insurance Information

The first information you should share should be your policy number and insurer’s phone number. Ask the other driver to provide same as you would need such information when filing your claim. Then move on to ask for names, phone numbers, addresses, etc. While doing this, take a detailed note of how things are on the scene. If you have to take pictures or record a video, then do it. To ensure you do not forget anything, make a list of everything.

Contact Your Insurer

This phase is very crucial as it gets your insurance company involved. Sincethey will be bearing the risk, it is advisable to get them involved as quickly as possible. This is the first step to a series of steps to getting your car repaired. Just make sure you provide them with all the necessary information they would need. 

Auto Insurance: Dealing with Driving Distractions

More often than not, auto crash or collisions can be fatal or severe. Yet, many of us still get carried away when we are behind the wheels. One would expect that with all the awareness of the dangers of allowing distractions while driving, we would have fewer accidents on the road. Here are some common distractions many drivers have to deal with while driving.

Cellphones

In today's world, this is the most common distraction for drivers. There are laws against it but this is one law we mostly enjoy breaking. Texting or talking on the phone when driving distracts us from looking ahead. Many people think they are gifted with the power of multitasking and usually discover too late that they aren't.

Makeup Sessions

This is mostly common for the ladies. No one asked you to leave home late or wake up early or engaged yourself in activities that made you think your car is your alternative beauty salon. All makeup or hair adjustment takes your eyes off the road, no matter how quick you think you may be. Accidents usually occur quickly too, just so you know!

Eating

This is yet another distraction we are all guilty of. If you haven't eaten in your car while you drive, then you probably haven't been driving for long or you don't drive regularly. Eating also creates distractions for you when you drive.

Adjusting Car Gadgets

There's no need limiting it to just the radio as there are many things that can need adjustments in the car these days. GPS and smoking materials are just but a few of those. You have to agree that it reduces your concentration when you attend to these things.

Factors Considered for Fixing Auto Insurance Premiums

While general auto insurance coverage standards may be the same for most places, usually premiums differ from insurer to the other. When it comes to determining your premium rate, these are some of the things insurers look out for.

Driving Record

Your driving sins can come back to haunt you when looking to buy an auto insurance policy. Your driving record would tell the level of risk you are to the insurer. If the records are not too impressive - meaning you've been involved in multiple accidents - expect a higher premium.

Where You Park at Night

This may seem a bit weird but it does play an important role in fixing your premium. If the parking area is not too safe, you should expect a higher premium. This is because the risk of it getting burgled is quite high.

Type of Car

This too plays a role in determining premiums. The more expensive a car is, the higher the premium. This is because it would cost more to repair or replace an expensive car than it would in repairing a less expensive one.

Age

It is generally believed that older people drive more carefully than their younger counterparts. Although this isn't the first of things to consider, it can play a role when driving records are taken into account.

Understanding the Gaps in Auto Insurance

How many vehicles are included in your auto insurance policy? How many drivers are covered by it? For most auto insurance, you, your spouse, and children are covered but there are certain exceptions to this. If you have a child in college, such child should still be covered by the policy. If the child stays off-campus, the policy usually doesn't cover such. Like any other insurance policy, auto insurance is subject to change at any time, depending on changes in your daily lives.

So let's assume you once had an auto insurance policy for your family. In the event of a divorce, such policy would immediately have gaps. No matter how small the change, when something changes in you or your family's routine, it could affect the overall coverage of the auto insurance policy. Other common gaps to look out for include damaged car batteries, tires, shocks, etc. Even in a case of using a rental while your car is being repaired comes with a cap.

Most people only get to know of these gaps after filing for a claim. Then when insurance companies try to explain, they spend money hiring a public adjuster. Ensure you do an annual review of your auto insurance with your insurance broker.