An extremely simple thing to do is to call your insurance company and find out what all you can do to lower your insurance rate. Raising your deductable is something that will lower your rate. Keep in mind that if you do get into an accident, your out of pocket expenses will be higher!

The type of car you drive affects your insurance rates immensely. Depending on whether your car is older or newer, whether you have a coupe, sedan, SUV or a pick-up truck, and the features your vehicle has. For instance, if your vehicle has anti-lock brakes, some states require that insurance companies give you a lower rate!

The way that you drive your vehicle is also very important. If you have been accident free, your insurance company should lower your rates. If they don’t give them a call and find out why! Unbelievable, they will sometimes not lower your rates unless you give them a call. So pick up your phone and call them.

Finally, something that you can do is take defensive driving. Taking this driving course can lower your insurance rates. You can actually call your insurance company and they will be able to direct you to the right class. You can take defensive driving online as well as in a class. Once you have completed defensive driving, send a copy of it to your insurance companies and it will help lower your rate.

You should also try and get insurance quotes from several different insurance companies; doing so could save you several hundred dollars a year.

Uninsured Motorist Insurance

An uninsured motorist can be a person who in fact did have minimum insurance, but did not have payment limits high enough to cover the damage caused by the accident. An Uninsured Motorist is any driver who didn’t have any insurance at the time of the accident, a driver whose insurance company denies their claim or was not financially responsible to pay for, or whose insurance did not meet state minimum liability requirements.

It is relatively inexpensive to purchase uninsured motorist insurance, and it will definitely pay for itself if you do happen to get into an accident with an uninsured driver. Uninsured motorist insurance covers you, insured members of your household and your passengers for your medical bills, personal injuries, damages or even death that is caused by an at fault uninsured motorist.

Yes, if you get into an accident you can sure an uninsured driver you can file a small claims lawsuit. But the chances of you actually getting the money from the uninsured motorist, is a whole different subject. If you do happen to win your lawsuit, you will have lawyer fees, missed work, and you can’t force them to pay without filing even more paperwork. So just make it easy on yourself and get uninsured motorist insurance.

The first thing you need to do, is stay calm. Staying calm can be very hard, but you need to stay as calm as possible. You will be able to evaluate your situation a lot better if you are calm.

Second, make sure everyone that is in your vehicle is okay. The health of yourself and your passengers is more important than any damage to your car, even to insurance companies.  Turn on your hazard lights, so that other drivers will know to slow down. If you are in a minor accident and there are no injuries, move your car to a safe place. You do not want to be caught in traffic. You can receive a citation for blocking traffic if your accident is minor.

Always call the police, even if the accident is minor. A police report will come in handy when you file a claim with your insurance company. Once you have called the police, call your insurance company. If you have a camera, camera phone or a video camera, take pictures/video of the accident and damage to both vehicles. Never admit that an accident was your fault, even if it was, but be truthful. Do not accuse the other driver of being at fault. Remember to be polite, even if the other driver is not. If there are witnesses to the accident, get their contact information.

And finally, once the police have left the scene of the accident, you are free to go. Call your insurance back with as much information as you can and schedule an appointment to have an estimate given for the damage to your car.

The standard type of insurance is liability insurance. Liability insurance is the minimum coverage that a state allows you to have. Liability insurance usually only covers the other party involved in the accident and not yourself or your passengers. Liability insurance will cover any property that your vehicle damages in an accident, such as the other car(s), fences, or guardrails. Bodily injury liability insurance covers other people bodily injuries or even death that is caused by you. It does not cover your passengers or yourself. It covers things such as medical bills, pain and suffering, or loss of income. You want to have just enough insurance to cover if you happen to get sued. You will want it to be able to at least cover the judgment against you. You should definitely purchase this if you can afford it. Uninsured motorist insurance (UMI), is another type of insurance that you definitely want to consider. UMI will cover you if you happen to get into an accident with another driver who does not have minimum auto insurance. UMI will cover you, other insured drivers of your household and your passengers if you are in an accident with an uninsured driver and the other driver is at fault. There is also underinsured motorist insurance, which is for drivers whose insurance does not cover the amount of damages that they have caused you.

Comprehensive insurance or “other than collision” insurance will cover your vehicle in the event of a fire, theft, natural causes (hail, flood, etc.) or vandalism. If you have an older car, you may want to consider dropping this type of insurance, as the insurance company will only pay you for the amount of your vehicle. If your vehicle has sustained damage that is higher than the value of your vehicle, you will receive only the value of your vehicle.

Personal injury protection or PIP, covers medical, hospital and funeral costs of the insured, passengers and pedestrians struck by the driver, regardless to whom is at fault.

Always remember that having insurance is very important and it is the law! It will prove itself very useful when you are in an accident, so remember to have as much coverage as you can afford.

What is no fault insurance? No fault insurance is by no means “no fault”. What they do is if you are insured with no fault insurance and are in an accident where you are not at fault, they will cover all of your medical bills.

Can your insurance be in your parents name? Your auto insurance can be in your parents name as long as you are a listing driver on their insurance policy.

Do you need auto insurance if you just have a drivers permit? Yes, you do need auto insurance if you are driving an automobile. You are required by law to be financially responsible, which means you must have auto insurance.

Can your current insurance policy be transferred to a new vehicle? Most insurance companies will automatically transfer your existing insurance to your new vehicle. You will need to call your insurance company before you drive your new car off of the dealership car lot and add your new vehicle.

How does getting a DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) affect your insurance rates? Your insurance rates will go up. It varies from state to state by how much, but your rate will go up.

What does an insured driver do if they are hit by an uninsured driver? You will need to call your insurance company and give them all information regarding the accident. They will pay to fix your car after you have paid your deductible. They will then pursue legal action against the uninsured driver.

Will liability coverage cover you if you hit a deer? No, liability insurance will cover your vehicle if you hit a deer. Liability insurance will only pay for damage to others property not your own.

Can you insure a car that is not in your name? Yes, you can as long as you have authorization from the owner of the vehicle to do so.

Can you have a family member removed from your insurance policy? You can do this, but this person will no longer be covered.

Can you insure a vehicle with a salvaged title? You can definitely get liability insurance on your vehicle. Most insurance companies will only offer you liability insurance if you are insuring a vehicle with a salvaged title since they will not pay out as much in case of an accident.