2008 June 16 » askthemercedesmechanic.com

16th June 2008

High Risk Auto Insurance - The Best Price Available

Every state has an affordable high risk auto insurance policy that its drivers can buy. Purchasing this policy will allow you to legally drive in your state.This auto insurance is what is known as a basic, minimum liability policy. A basic liability policy affords you the least amount of insurance protection that your state feels it prudent for a driver to have. It is also the most affordable policy you can buy.Each state sets its own minimum amounts of liability insurance that its drivers must purchase. All liability policies have three numbers to them, in the form of 10/20/10. [These three numbers are being used for illustrative purposes only and do not necessarily correspond to the minimum liability policy required by your state; check with your state’s department of insurance or with an auto insurance agent in your state to find out how much liability protection you will be required to purchase].So what is meant by our 10/20/10 sample liability policy? The first “10″ means that your policy will pay a maximum of $10,000 toward the medical costs of any one individual involved in an accident with your vehicle. The “20″ refers to the fact that the policy will pay a maximum of $20,000 toward the medical bills of everyone involved in the accident, regardless of how many people that is or how badly any of them are hurt. The final “10″ refers to the fact that the policy will pay a maximum of $10,000 in property damages (typically the repair of the other person’s vehicle).One of the things that makes this type of affordable insurance “high risk” is the low amounts that the insurance pays. It is very easy for the medical costs of an accident to far exceed the maximum amount that the insurance will pay, and it is also common for property damage to exceed the maximum amount that a basic liability policy will pay.If the insurance fails to pay all of the bills, then who is responsible for paying the remainder? You are.If a minimum liability policy does not cover the actual costs of an accident it is quite possible that you could be required to empty your savings account or even be forced to sell your home to make good the difference. This is why a basic liability policy is considered a high risk type of insurance.In addition to that, a liability policy only pays for medical bills and property damage for the other person in an accident - a liability policy doesn’t pay one cent for your medical bills or for the medical bills of anyone in your vehicle nor does it pay even one cent toward the repair of your vehicle.It is possible to purchase liability insurance with payment caps higher than your state’s mandated minimums. Higher payouts mean that you will pay a higher monthly premium.In order to find the most affordable high risk auto insurance you will need to search online. There are literally dozens of sites online which will allow you to compare the price for a basic liability policy from a variety of different insurance companies. However, since each price comparison site only compares the price from a small handful of companies, in order for you to see all of the prices available to you, you will need to run your price comparisons on 3 different websites.But as soon as you have finished running the comparisons then the rest is easy - simply choose the best price you have found from among all the prices you got from the 3 sites you choose and that’s it. You’ve found the very best price available for high risk auto insurance in your state.

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16th June 2008

The New Trend For The Nation’s Drivers Is Green !

Gone are the days when motorists picked up new cars to impress the opposite sex or to make a fashion statement - instead, green is the new black for the nation’s drivers.Research from AA insurance reveals that environmentally-friendly car buying intentions have grown by 74 per cent since January 2006. By contrast, buying a car for sex appeal has dropped by 67 per cent during the same period.Small cars have also increased in popularity - with 33 per cent of drivers intending to buy a small car this year compared to 26 per cent in 2006. By contrast, MPVs and SUVs have suffered a consistent decline, with just two per cent of potential car buyers looking at these larger vehicles compared to five per cent in 2006.Environmental concerns are clearly having an affect on car buyers - as is concern for our wallets.In Alistair Darling’s first Budget he introduced several incentives for drivers to go green including tax breaks for cars with the lowest fuel emissions. Cars with emissions below 120g/km are also exempt from the City of

London congestion charge.Drivers who ‘go green’ can save money across the board - with better fuel economy and cheap car insurance.Several car insurance providers now offer their own incentives for drivers to pick up green cars. A number of insurers offer discounts to drivers of green cars, such as the Toyota Prius and the Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion.Even if you don’t buy a hybrid or electric car you can still save money by picking up a like-for-like vehicle with a smaller engine.

posted in General Information | 0 Comments

16th June 2008

In Addition To Being A Legal Stipulation, Auto Insurance Is Important To You And Your Assets

First things first - While penalties vary state to state, you can guarantee that driving without coverage will take some clank out of your bank. Uninsured drivers can face a myriad of punishments for merely being stopped and not being able to prove coverage. This fact alone should be enough to convince you to start researching reasonable insurance coverages for your vehicle.

Not persuasive enough? Consider your possible liability in the event of an accident…

Your vehicle collides with Mrs. Baker’s vehicle. Mrs. Baker is a fourth grade teacher at the local elementary school and is now facing $80,000 in medical bills, $65,000 in lost wages and is requesting $200,000 for pain and suffering. That’s a $345,000 claim that, unless you have adequate coverage for, you will be pulling out of your pocket. Certainly in this case, as the too familiar adage wisely states, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

So, you know you need auto insurance. While it’s not sinfully delicious or nearly as enjoyable as turtle cheesecake, lack of adequate coverage will definitely leave you with a bellyache in the event of an automobile accident. It is possible to find insurance you can afford.

Remember! Your car insurance rate is based on your insurance risk assessment. If an insurance company determines you are a high-risk driver, your monthly cost will be higher than that of the average driver. You CAN remedy this! Let’s take a look at a few things you can do to reduce your auto insurance risk which, in turn, could lessen your auto insurance cost…

1) Purchase home/renter’s insurance from the same carrier as your auto insurance. Some insurance companies offer multi-policy discounts.

2) Always obey traffic laws, specifically the speed limit. Insurance companies take note of your driving record. More speeding tickets = higher risk driver = increased auto insurance cost.

3) Study hard. Insurance companies often reward students with good grades with a student discount.

4) Purchase a vehicle that receives notability for low damageability and increased passenger safety.

5) When given the option, purchase additional safety features for your vehicle. (Air bags, antilock brakes, etc.)

6) Take a driver safety course. A defensive driving class could possibly reduce your insurance rate. If not, it would at least make you more aware of the importance of being a defensive driver.

Other things to keep in mind…

1) To the insurance company, plain and simple, you are a set of risks. Anything you can do to decrease your “risk factor” might affect your cost of coverage.

2) Always ask for discounts. Many insurance companies offer deals for safe drivers. If you’re considered less of a risk, they’ll likely reward you.

3) Always comparison shop. You can always find a bargain if you know where to look. Insurance is such a commodity. Comparison sites like HometownQuotes () can help you shop for affordable insurance.

You can always eat too much cheesecake. You may get tired of Harry, Hermione and Ron. And that tube of Dior mascara will eventually get clumpy. Your auto insurance, however, is one purchase that you should never regret or feel guilty about. It will only cushion you in the end. Are you covered?

*Please note that this article is not a professional consultation. This article is for general information only. Always seek specific information from a licensed insurance professional.*