Monday 18 June 2012

Car Insurance Policies

Car insurance policies are meant for insuring risk on an automobile. Car insurance provides financial security for any kind of damage to self, or others, or the car, caused by a motor vehicle.

Car insurance provides protection against the cost of purchasing a new car if the old one is destroyed in a fire or stolen cost of repairing the car when damaged in an accident cost of medical expenses and lost wages related to ownership, use and maintenance of an automobile cost of medical expenses that are not covered by PIP and the cost of a claim against the driver of owner of the car when it causes damage to a third party (legal liability claims).

In many countries, auto insurance is mandatory for anyone driving on public roads. Liability coverage is also mandatory. However, liability insurance is not applicable when the policyholder drives any other vehicle except his/her own.

In some countries, premiums for car insurance are priced according to several risk factors, like the characteristics of the car, the usage of the car , the coverage selected , credit rating, driving history, age and sex of the driver. Car insurance plans can also have a flat rate, irrespective of the usage of the car. Other methods used to fix the rates are reasonable estimation, odometer-based systems, GPS-based systems, OBDII-based systems and more.

The main aspects to be considered while buying car insurance are: coverage, policy limits per person, policy limits per accident, and liabilities like bodily injury liability, property damage liability etc. While choosing a company, look for: any complaints filed with the state insurance commissioner, payment practices of the company and other aspects like denial of medical payments, denying the customer right to arbitration in UIM claims and use of credit scoring to set premiums.

There are hundreds of insurance companies that are offering attractive deals on all kinds of car insurance. You can contact an insurance agent for getting the right car insurance policy. The internet is also a very good source for obtaining quotes, comparing various policies and deciding on the best one.

If you are like most people, you probably grimace when you are writing out your check every month or every quarter to make a payment on your car insurance policy. On one hand you hate to do it but on the other hand, you realize that a car insurance policy is something you absolutely need to have, even if it is not required by your state's laws, where it is required in most states.

While it may seem counter-productive to some to pay for a car insurance policy that only springs into action when something bad happens, that insurance policy is also buying you peace of mind and protection. In an accident, the aspects of personal liability, personal damage, and property damage can quickly add up to a healthy six figure number, and sometimes even more.

But it is interesting to note that while most people understand that they need to have a car insurance policy, very few people understand how car insurance works. Instead of obtaining the information they need, they continue to write out those monthly or quarterly checks like clockwork. As a result of this mentality, many consumers are paying more for their car insurance than they need to.

One of the most important coverages you can have with your car insurance policy is bodily injury liability. This type of coverage will pay for injuries to yourself or another person as a result of an accident. The fact that you consider yourself a very safe driver has almost no bearing on this aspect of it. Even if you are not at fault in an accident, many states have no fault policies in place, where an accident is nobody's fault, and either party can be sued. And if an accident IS your fault, well, that is why they call it an "accident". You did not cause it purposely, it was an accident, but you caused it nonetheless.

You also have comprehensive coverage, which pays for other things like fire or theft. If your car is not paid off, you will also want to have collision coverage, and in fact your car loan lender may require this coverage until your car is paid off. There are various other types of coverages you can elect to get with your car insurance policy, such as rental car reimbursement if your car is in the shop for an extended period of time, or towing coverage.

Then you have a deductible amount on each of those coverages. The lower your deductible amount, the higher your car insurance policy premiums will be, simply because chances are better that that insurance company will need to pay money out. For example, the premium different between having a $500 deductible and a $100 deductible on collision coverage could be as much as two or three times different.

You should periodically shop around for your best rates on a car insurance policy. Rates and coverages change all the time, and just because the insurance company you signed up with 10 years ago had a good deal at that time does not mean that they are still your most cost effective option.



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