Archive for May, 2010

Amica Car Insurance

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

The top ten professions that crash their cars the most and get the most speeding tickets may surprise you, but they may not.  According to “Who Crashes the Most? Car Accidents by Occupation,” Kat Zeman reports that doctors are the number one culprits.  Insurance companies like Amica Car Insurance often take professions into account when quoting your rates.  They are used in conjunction with many other factors like your driving record, past claims, credit history, age, gender, location, and the kind of car you drive though.  Doctors might account for a large number of crashes and speeding tickets because they are tired after working long hours or are rushed to get to hospitals when they’re on call.

Lawyers account for the second largest amount of car accidents.  Architects are in the third largest amount of accidents and have quite a high number of speeding tickets.  Real estate brokers come in fourth place for accidents, possibly because they spend a lot of time on their cell phones.  Enlisted military personnel are fifth and social workers are sixth.  With the amount of time social workers spend on the road, they might already pay more for car insurance from companies like Donegal Insurance.  Manual laborers and analysts come in seventh and eighth place in car crashes.  Engineers and consultants round out the top ten spots.  Even with the higher accident and speeding ticket rates of these ten professions, students are still by far the worst offenders.

Allied Auto Insurance

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

Senior citizens have the most fatal and incapacitating car accidents as well as the most crashes per mile they drive, according to MSN Money’s “For seniors, wrecks are more severe.”  While older drivers are quick to point out that their competence behind the wheel should be the important factor in how long they should drive rather than their age, statistics show that older drivers are involved in the worst crashes.  Researchers are hoping to find a way to keep older drivers safer on the road to reduce the number and severity of car accidents.  Since they don’t drive nearly as much as younger drivers, they aren’t causing the most accidents.  But when you look at the accidents per mile they drive, that is the shocking statistic.

Allied auto insurance and other car insurers are interested in this research about senior drivers because a higher and more severe accident rate means money to car insurance companies.  Almost half of the seniors interviewed said that they drive almost every day.  They are driving fewer miles overall and less than half of the seniors drive at night or on the highways.  They reported having trouble judging the speed of oncoming traffic, which explains a high instance of left-turn crashes in senior drivers.  Some recommended steps to help older drivers are to install more left-turn arrows at busy intersections, increase the size and font of road signs, and look into the driver’s license renewal process.  It might benefit many drivers to include a mandatory education course every so often.

AAA Auto Insurance Not Happy About Consumers’ Lies

Tuesday, May 11th, 2010

According to “The 5 biggest lies told to car insurance companies,” freelance writer Barbara Marquard says that your little white lies actually mean a lot more than you think.  Many consumers lie to their car insurer to get cheap car insurance.  What insurers call “premium leakage”, or lost revenue based on inaccurate information from consumers, adds up to nearly 10% of total premium dollars.  The top misrepresentation to car insurance companies is under-estimating the amount of miles that you drive.  While some people may just not know, many change jobs and increase commutes without telling their insurers.  Not listing all of the drivers in the household is another common falsification.  Whether it’s a newly licensed teenager or a high-risk adult driver, many drivers are left off of the insurance policies.

Lying about where your car is parked, whether in a garage or not, is the third largest misrepresentation.  The fourth is claiming discounts that don’t apply to you or your family any longer.  AAA Auto Insurance may offer discounts for members of their roadside assistance program or honor roll students, but if your situation changes, you have to let your insurer know.  Distorting how the vehicle is used is the last common misrepresentation.  Some consumers don’t let insurers know that they are using their vehicle for business purposes.  Insurance companies can find out your missing information through accidents a family member is in, a quality control company they hire, and even your odometer reading at a testing center.  With the risk of your policy being canceled, it is in your best interest to be truthful to your car insurance company.

Progressive Car Insurance Has 1st Android App

Thursday, May 6th, 2010

According to “Progressive Launches Industry’s First Android App for Car Insurance,” a Progressive car insurance press release, they have the first Android app relating to car insurance.  It uses the Google Android operating system to allow smart phone users to access a number of Progressive services.  ComScore, Inc., a digital measuring company, reports Android as the smart phone platform with the most rapid growth in the market currently.  Since launching the app, Progressive has seen a large increase in Android customers visiting their mobile based web site.  It’s really designed to help customers simplify each aspect of their car insurance.

This free application is similar to Progressive’s iPhone app and is available in the Android marketplace.  Car insurance companies work hard to compete for young business and staying on top of the latest technology is a great way to do that.  With the Android app users can obtain quotes and a policy, make payments and changes to their account, and find directions to an agent or their nearest service center.  They can also do research on recalls or crash tests, calculate car loan payments, compare insurance on different cars, make and track their claims, and watch Progressive’s television commercials.  There isn’t much related to car insurance that can’t be done with Progressive’s mobile app.