Practical Car Insurance

Who Files the Most Insurance Claims? Men or Women?

The Battle of the Sexes – Do Men Really File More Auto Insurance Claims Than Women?

Well, I hate to break it up to you… but According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s 2004 Early Edition Report, male drivers were involved in 27,000 more fatal accidents, 432,000 more injury crashes and 1,369,000 more property-damaged incidents than female drivers – which inevitably equated to 1,828,000 more insurance claims in a single a year.

Sorry guys, the ladies win.

And it’s not just male drivers between the ages of 18-24 that are making these insurance claims – it’s men of all ages.

“By nature, men are generally more aggressive and tend to engage in riskier driving practices, such as not wearing their seat belt, speeding and driving under the influence,” says Ohio insurance agent, Brad Vermillion. “Men also typically drive more miles than women do over the course of their lifetime, which increases their risk of being involved in an accident and the amount of auto insurance claims they could potentially file.

A good driver with no accidents or violations history will most likely have a competitive premium rate. However there are other factors that can help in lowering your premium rate even more. If you are below 21 years old, you can get a discount provided you have completed an accredited driver-training course. Also if you are a full-time college student, single, and do not have a car spending most of your college years away from home, you can also avail of a premium discount. Drivers who are 55 years of age and older, can also get a premium discounts particularly on comprehensive and collision premiums.

No one wants to get involved in an accident even if you are covered by a car insurance. However, since accidents can never really be foreseen, it may be inevitable that if and when it happens, you will need to make a claim on your coverage from your insurance provider. To make things easier for you and your provider, here are some tips on making a claim:
1.Never drive away from an accident, especially if a person or an animal is hurt or injured or property is damaged.
2.Get the names and pertinent information of all involved in the accident, the insurance company will need this to process your claim.
3.A sketch of the accident is also necessary, if possible, show exact boundaries where the accident took place and road or traffic signs in the area.
4.Have your Certificate of Motor Insurance ready so that you can show it to the police or the other parties involved.
5.Report the accident to the insurance company at once even if you do not intend to file a claim, it will help your appraisal and your insurance company.

In United Kingdom, it has been a usual joke that the most hazardous drivers in the road are not the males, but the females. Some do expect that girls may find this joke irritating, but the truth is the males are the ones who are paying much higher amount for their insurance.

Why is this so? Female drivers encounter a few road accidents compared to the males. The insurance companies feel the female population is more or careful with driving that’s why they are the ones who have the lower risk to be insured. It is also the main reason why they tend to give big discounts to our female drivers.

Female drivers are very much loved and treasured by insurance companies. They don’t just give out cheap introductory rates. They also exert extra effort to make them happy and satisfied. How? It is by simply giving them big discounts and good benefits in the span of the insurance period.

Even most insurance company give constant care to their female drivers, we must still be careful in choosing the right company. I know a number of companies that are luring their clients by giving them rates that are too good to be true and later on, they will find out that they pay just as much as what male drivers gives.

There are factors that can greatly influence the amount of your premium rate. One factor is your gender. Statistics show that men are involved in more accidents than women do. This can be accounted for to men being more aggressive. Insurance companies charge lesser premiums to women than men. Another factor is your age. The older you get, the lower you pay for premiums. Insurance companies consider young drivers at higher risk to accidents. Your marital status is another factor to your premium rate. It is believed that married drivers are more careful drivers than single drivers so they pay less. The type of vehicle and its purpose are also taken into consideration.

Those frequent car renters who usually enjoy the savings they get from the cost of a collision damage protection provided by their credit card companies should be attentive to any new rulings of their credit cards provider. There is a possibility that the protection they used to enjoy is fading. Major credit card companies like American Express, and credit cards issued by Chase Manhattan Bank such as Visa card and Mastercard are reducing their benefits. The American Express will no longer provide coverage in Italy and New Zealand and they have limited the number of companies in the US to which they will provide a C.D.W. alternative. On the other hand, standard Visa and Mastercard will totally eliminate coverage.

by: mheo soriano

Some people take advantage of those who know little or in the midst of a dilemma.
Be cautious in who you approach. In getting an insurance, be sure that the one you are talking to is really from an insurance company and not a fraud.

• People selling insurance over the telephone or in a door-to-door manner, may be scammers. Be sure about their identity before pushing on with the contract.
• If an unfamiliar person contacts you to offer “quick cash” or recommends a particular attorney or health care provider right after an accident,be suspicious. Immediately report the incident to your police department.
• Never give your insurance identification numbers to people you don’t know.
• If possible, always carry a disposable camera in your glove compartment. If you get caught up in an accident, take pictures of the damage and of the people involved. Ask them for names, telephone numbers and driver’s license information for all those involved. Contact information for any witnesses is also a good idea.

by mheo soriano

The LoJack Vehicle Recovery System

One of the best ways to protect you car is to install an antitheft device in it (if it doesn’t have any). Although the car insurance companies may have everything covered, losing your car for a few days with the insurance company verifying the case would prove to be a hassle.
The Lojack Vehicle recovery system is operated directly by law enforcement agencies. Whenever a stolen car is reported, the LoJack Car Anti-Theft Device is immediately activated, leading the police to the location of the stolen car.
The LoJack car anti-theft device is so small that it can be hidden in 20 different parts of your vehicle making it difficult to find even to professional thieves..

visit LoJack’s site for more info.

There are states that are considered fault states and there are some that are considered no-fault states. You actually have no choice about this matter because the situation will depend on where you live. The no-fault insurance sidesteps the usual procedure of legally finding the fault in an accident. In this type of insurance there is no need for the lawyers, the court, the judge, not even the jury to prove that the accident was the fault of the other person. In the process, the company saves on the legal fees. On the other hand, a fault insurance requires that you prove that you are financially responsible in paying whatever damage or injury the accident have caused.