If you are looking for truck insurance, and want to save money, the first questions you must answer involve what type of truck insurance you need. There are several varieties, and each has its own rules for saving money on your premiums. First, if you own a pickup truck designed for family use, the same rules apply when looking for insurance savings as those which apply to cars. In essence, pickup trucks are simply cars with bigger frames. Since they are driven for mostly the same purpose as passenger cars, most insurers simply insure them in the same way as they do cars. You should shop around for the best rates, and be sure to take advantage of good driver [Read More]

There are a number of reasons why an independent insurance agency may be the right choice for your car insurance needs. Independent agents have flexibility and can meet a wide variety of car insurance requirements, sometimes better than their dedicated counterparts. Many people choose a “dedicated” agent, or one that works for only one company. There are certainly valid reasons to make this choice. A dedicated agent is not distracted by giving service to a great number of companies, and can focus solely on his or her company’s products. Likewise, there are reasons to choose a strictly online agency. Online insurers tend to have lower prices, although you have to do a great deal of your account management yourself. You [Read More]

Although you may not realize it, where you live has a great impact on your insurance rates. Certain zip codes are “red flagged” by insurance companies, and if you reside in that area, you could be in for steeper rates than your neighboring areas. This may seem strange, but it is all based on risk assessment. Certain areas simply have more accidents than others. Often, this is due to traffic volume; places with more traffic have more accidents. Sometimes, however, the differences are more subtle and difficult to understand. Risk is a calculation the company makes based on how many drivers whose description is close to yours have accidents annually. For example, a forty-five-year-old male with no previous accidents living [Read More]

If you have just been involved in an accident, you need an insurance company which will meet your needs and provide you with quick, reliable service, whether you were at fault or not. Several companies are well-known for good customer service and supporting customers who have been involved in car accidents. State Farm, the largest insurer in the country, has a good reputation when it comes to customer service. In fact, it is the highest-ranked large insurance company according to J. D. Power and Associates’ customer satisfaction survey for 2011. State Farm customers report wonderful response and assistance for the State Farm team whenever they have a claim. Another company that enjoys a great reputation for customer service is Amica. [Read More]

Depending on which experts you consult, you may get different ratings for auto insurance companies – for the upcoming year, you might want to know how the automobile insurance companies ranked this year, in order to predict which companies will score well next year. One of the best experts for predicting top automobile insurance companies is J. D. Power and Associates. J. D. Power is an independent rating firm which surveys customer satisfaction with automobile insurance companies. Here are the top ten automobile insurance companies as rated by J. D. Power and Associations for 2011. Each company has a score based on a 1,000-point rating scale: 1.) Amica Mutual. For the 12th year in a row, Amica is the top [Read More]

Car insurance is a legal requirement if you are going to operate a vehicle. When you purchase an auto insurance policy, you get protection for your vehicle, protection in the event another vehicle is damaged or you cause property damage and a host of other things. However, some things you can cover on your insurance policy you don’t actually need, or can be covered less expensively through another source. We have listed a few of these items below. 1. Automobile Collision If you have a car note, you are required to carry collision insurance to protect the lien holder’s asset. Once the car is paid off, you have the option of keeping collision coverage or dropping down to liability. This [Read More]

We all need car insurance, and car insurance typically comes with a deductible.  A car insurance deductible is the amount you pay before the car insurance pays anything on your claim.  Typically, the deductible is subtracted out of your claim amount, but if the claim doesn’t reach the deductible, the insurance company doesn’t pay. Deductible Amounts Car insurance deductibles can range from $0 to thousands of dollars so it’s important to choose an insurance plan with a deductible you can afford.  It may mean choosing a slightly higher deductible in exchange for a lower monthly premium, but it’s important to choose a deductible amount you can always afford.  If you can always afford $500, then get a $500 deductible.  If [Read More]

Although not everyone is a fan of texting on a cellphone, many appreciate its use as a quick, efficient mode of communication that gets messages across with a minimum amount of words and effort. Texting makes it easy for people to transmit short messages without getting tied up on a long phone call, which makes it especially appealing for busy people and teens that want to talk when they should be paying attention in class. Are People Still Texting and Driving? Studies and statistics show that, even with public awareness advertising and new legislation, drivers are still texting and using their mobile phones for other functions while driving their cars. Many people don’t even try to hide it anymore. One [Read More]

Individuals who own and operate semi trucks face risks and challenges that are not common among average drivers. As a result, there are some key differences between truck insurance and standard car insurance. Whether you already have a truck or are looking at trucks for sale, there are things that truckers should keep in mind when shopping for semi insurance. Understand the Differences Between Car and Truck Insurance Insuring a big rig is dramatically different from insuring the typical cars on the road. Long haul truckers can log millions of miles per year, and the trucks they drive cost considerably more than the typical car on the road. In addition, their large size means that accidents involving big rigs tend [Read More]

Insurance companies make money by insuring people who don’t have accidents.  By paying less in claims than they obtain in premiums, the company makes a profit.  The less money you cost an insurance company, the lower your premiums will be. People who are at high risk of accidents, however, pay high premiums to compensate for the likelihood of being in an accident and causing claims for the company. How does a company determine whether a driver is high risk?  Several factors are considered: ·         Driving record: Obviously, people with a history of accidents will be considered higher risk drivers than people who have never been in accidents.  Also, people who engage in risky driving behaviors like speeding or running traffic [Read More]