Friday, July 17, 2009

Driver’s Education Saves You Money

Every parent dreads the day when his or her teenager begins to drive. It is a coming-of-age event that signals a greater degree of responsibility and freedom, but also a higher level of risk for the teen behind the wheel. Also inherent in the young driver’s experience is that of the cost of adding an inexperienced driver to an auto insurance policy. Parents and teens should know, however, that there are things that reduce cost for teen drivers to be insured.

First, enroll your teen in an accredited driver’s education program. Completing a driver’s ed program automatically qualifies most teen drivers for a slightly reduced insurance rate over those who simply go straight to the DMV for testing, regardless how well they may do on that testing. Second, encourage your teen to maintain a good grade point average in school, as most insurance companies also consider grades when assessing the risk of that teen behind the wheel of a car. Teens maintaining a GPA over 3.0 tend to receive discounted rates with most insurance companies. Last, assess your teen’s driving abilities yourself and set guidelines for their driving while they are developing their skill as a driver and gaining experience behind the wheel. Sometimes parents are the first to know when a particular driving situation, such as bad weather or long-distance driving, may be beyond their teen’s abilities.

Start with a good driver’s education class, build your teen’s driving skill on a solid foundation, and save money in the process.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Small Guide to Car Insurance

Selection of car insurance is necessary as Most of us will have to pay for motor insurance and, is a legal requirement if you are driving a vehicle on the roads. Yet many of us still do not know enough about the product and what the cover entails.

When shopping around, or indeed buying car insurance for the first time, it makes sense to know what kind of policy would best suit your circumstances. This particular issue centres around what you are driving and for what reason.

There are three different levels of car insurance cover. The basic product is standard Third Party insurance. This covers a few eventualities that may occur when you are out on the road. Situations that you can insure against with this product include injuries to other people. If you damage other people’s property with your vehicle, the insurance will cover a portion of their costs. However, any damage to your vehicle will not be covered.

Because of this, Third Party car insurance may be useful for motorists whose vehicles that are a little on the older side, where the cost of replacing them if damage occurs isn’t too much. But if you have a newer car, other policies may be more fitting.

You could consider taking out Third Party, Fire and Theft insurance. Just like the it says on the tin, this covers everything that Third Party insurance does, but also covers you in the event of a fire or theft of the vehicle.

Again, this could be a choice for those motorists whose cars do not cost a lot. It is not the most expensive product, so might be suited to younger drivers who find the cost of a more sophisticated insurance product prohibitive.

If you want the most comprehensive car insurance - ie one that covers just about everything - then you should consider a Fully Comprehensive policy. This is not the cheapest of options, but if you have a reasonably expensive vehicle, then this will give it the ultimate protection.

Keywords of auto insurance

It is very much improtant to have info on terminology of auto insurance If you don't understand the terms that are used by car insurance companies when you make an auto insurance comparison, you may wind up spending more than you need to or even worse, not getting the coverage that you really need. It's easy to get confused when shopping for cheap car insurance rates because the language used by auto insurers is very unique and it's easy to forget what each term means. So here is a general explanation of car insurance terms that you can use the next time you compare car insurance prices.

* Comprehensive Coverage - This covers you for any damage to your vehicle that occurs as a result of anything other than an accident with another vehicle. For instance, it could include fire, flood, theft, and so on.

* Bodily Injury And Liability - This coverage is very important as it provides for injury damage to others in the case of claims that are files against you if you are involved in a car wreck. It also provides for legal fees in defense as well. There are usually two figures that are used in this type of coverage, one for the maximum that will be paid per person per accident, and the other for the total amount for all persons injured in the same accident.

* Collision Coverage - This is what is paid to either repair or replace your vehicle if it is involved in an accident with another vehicle or a fixed object.

* Personal Injury Protection (NO Fault) - In states that support this type of coverage, it pays for most expenses incurred, medical and otherwise, for those that are in your vehicle and also any pedestrians that may be hurt by an accident that you are involved in whether or not it was your fault.

* Liability Coverage - This pays for any damage done by your vehicle to someone else's property including their car, house, lawn, etc. It's most often invoked when someone files a claim against you to repair their vehicle if the accident was your fault.

* Uninsured Motorist - This is coverage that pays for your injuries and property damage even if the other person involved in the accident did not have sufficient insurance coverage. This can be very important as many people are driving around without adequate insurance, or no insurance at all, so there is a need to take steps to protect yourself in that event.

There are other options that can be considered when getting an auto insurance policy including car rental, that pays a certain amount for you to have a rental car to use while your car is being repaired as a result of an accident. Also towing coverage can be put on a car insurance policy to cover having your car towed if it breaks down. Just check to be sure that you don't already have this kind of coverage through AAA or a similar type of auto association.

If you understand the insurance keywords better you can usually make a btter informed decision about the coverage you need when you compare car insurance prices.

Car insurance Selection

When choosing your car insurance, bear in mind that there are a number of providers out there. Sometimes it can seem that you are just looking at a sea of information and it is impossible to work out how to get the best deal. But following just a few of the following car insurance tips will enable you to get the most out of the experience, and, hopefully, walk away with a car insurance policy that you can call a bargain.

First of all, get a smaller car.

This will pay off in the long run, and not just in the cost of premiums. You will find that fuel costs less, and the overall running cost of the car will be reduced. Then the premiums will be lower. Your insurer will take into account the size of your car’s engine when insuring you. It is definitely worth considering as an option when you are thinking of ways to reduce the cost of premiums.

Make sure that you can report to your insurer when they are asking the initial questions that you keep it in a secure area. An off the road garage is ideal; this can often help keep your premiums low. If you can’t say that you are using your own garage, and if there is an opportunity to rent or use someone else’s garage, then do this. It can often have an impact on the overall cost of your policy.

Be a careful driver. This may seem a like a completely obvious piece of advice, but when you are driving around on the road in a safe manner, insurance companies will ensure that your premiums are lower. Speeding fines and points on the driving licence will attract higher premiums from an insurer as you will be deemed more likely to make a claim on your insurance.

If you are learning to drive consider taking the Pass Plus Test. For this little extra financial outlay at the start of your driving career, you can sometimes see a discount on your premiums. Insurers can sometimes offer a discount if you have passed your Pass Plus test.

When completing your insurance application, make sure that all of your questions on the policy documentation are answered accurately. Whatever you do don’t guess your annual mileage, for example. Insurers need to know how many miles you drive in a year so that they can offer an accurate premium.

Lastly, volunteer some of the excess. If you can do this, you will see a subsequent drop in the cost of premiums as you are taking on some of the risk from the insurer.

Whether it is third party (which covers only the person or car you cause damage to), third party fire and theft (which covers the other driver and the two eventualities), or fully comprehensive cover, use these car insurance tips, and make sure that you think about how you can present the best case to the insurer. It will pay off in the long run.