Practical Car Insurance

by: Christine Zafra

Due to the faltering economy, many people resort to doing bad things. From a simple shoplifting to ease the hungry mouths of the thief’s kids to car theft, these things vary. There are 4 simple ways outlined by Crime Bureau and you must follow these religiously if you would want to see your car again.

1. Have some common sense. Lock your car and take your keys—as easy as that. Don’t leave it unattended.
2. Use warning devices. Do you hear that irritating noise coming from outside? That’s the alarm I’m talking about. I guess the irritating noise in fact has a purpose as to why car securities made the alarm irritating.
3. Immobilize your car. Yes, you can actually do this with some of the newest cars right now using their smart keys. For old cars, you can have your car’s fuel cut off or what they call kill switches if ever you’re away. That simple.
4. Place tracking devices inside your car. This may sound a bit paranoid to you, but no, it’s actually the most effective among the 4. If you see your car moving, yet you’re not inside it, then that smells trouble. Make sure you put the device somewhere unseen!

Photo taken from http://www.automotiveblogger.net

by: Christine Zafra

Kids inside the car can sometimes be a pain in the neck. They play with your ear while driving, throw things at you and the worst is, you can’t shut them up. Now talk about ultimate distraction.

But of course, you can do something about this. No, I’m not talking about leaving your kids behind but maybe you can distract them. You can buy a mini TV inside the car for them to watch their favorite cartoons. Or perhaps, you can acquire a simple DVD player if your kids have that special something in mind to watch. If you have lots of kids and they tend to fight over the remote control or the push buttons of the TV, then splurge a little and buy a two screened one. With this, kids have choices.

Photo taken from http://bp0.blogger.com

Funny as it may sound, but there really are some car insurance myths that have been passed on like urban legends and have been taken as fact. It is time to set the record straight to help you get the best car insurance protection for your investment.

In no particular order, here are some common car insurance myths:
1.Red cars mean higher premium payments.
2.If you get one speeding ticket, your premiums will go up.
3.There is no regulation of the car insurance industry.
4.I do not need add-op options for my policy.
5.The cheaper my car, the lower my premiums.
6.It is not my responsibility if someone is using my car and he causes an accident.
7.The older my car gets, the lower my premium.
8.A smoker needs to pay higher premium.
9.My premium should be the same as my neighbor�s.
10.My premiums will drop when I reach the age of 25.
11.Comprehensive coverage means it covers all situations I am involved in.
12.Rental Reimbursement coverage will protect me when I crash my rental car.
13.Getting all my insurance from the same company guarantees me a lower premium.

by: Christine Zafra

Do you wish you could buy that red convertible or maybe that blue Pontiac you’ve seen on the internet ad? Then go ahead, it won’t affect your car premium anyway. Yes, you heard it right. It won’t.

Many people believe that upon purchasing a premium, the insurance company will actually know all the specs of your car—including color. No that is not true! Others even think that premiums vary depending on the color of one’s car! Not true again. These companies do not have any idea what color your car is, not unless they ask you upfront before you sign up the forms.

Photo taken from http://www.astrolife.com

In a report by Jayne O’Donnell of USA Today in Yahoo! Buzz Digg Newsvine Reddit FacebookWhat’s this?, it says that there are some latest safety gears which are considered by many automakers as industrial breakthroughs and can save more lives than ever actually have limited safety value. Example is the “crash avoidance” device which is considered by many automakers and federal safety officials as the best contender to lower the annual U.S. death toll connected to car crash accidents. Compared to seatbelts and air bags, the “crash avoidance” device is designed not just to minimize injuries caused by crash but prevent them. However, the IIHS says some of these devices may not work accordingly because drivers tend to disregard their purposes.

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.