Posts Tagged ‘car insurance companies’

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No-Fault Payouts from Car Insurance Companies

Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

According to the Rochester Homepage in New York, lawmakers in the state are working to crack down on fraudulent no-fault car insurance claims.  This is good news for car insurance companies, especially those dealing with fraud related to no-fault car insurance claims.  After a car accident, no-fault insurance allows drivers to be paid out even though the blame for the car accident is not placed on either driver.  Unfortunately, New York state lawmakers say that there are a lot of fraudulent claims being paid out and that New Yorkers are paying millions of dollars a year for these fraudulent no-fault claims.

Some criminals actually create car accidents so that they can file a no-fault insurance claim with their car insurer.  Insurance companies like Infinity auto insurance are obviously not happy about that and will be pleased to see lawmakers help cut down on false claims.  Lawmakers have already made it a felony to cause a car accident intentionally, the first step in cutting out this fraud.  Even though there aren’t that many people filing fraudulent claims, it really does effect everyone because it causes car insurance rates to increase.  Lawmakers hope to find a way to cut down on this expensive fraud very soon.

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Car Insurance Companies & New Car Seat Guidelines

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011

Car seat guidelines have been updated for the first time since 2002 and many parents are less than thrilled with the new strict guidelines.  According to Keith McCord of the Deseret News, “Parents (are) confused, upset over new car seat guidelines.”  Car insurance companies have a vested interest in these new guidelines because if they really do keep kids safer in crashes, that could lower the medical bills being paid out after car accidents.  The guidelines are a joint effort between the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  They are based more on height and weight now and less on age.

It is now recommended that children’s car seats remain rear-facing until at least the age of 2, an increase from the age of 1.  They pair this age 2 guideline with a weight of 35 pounds.  Many parents argue that their smaller children did not weigh that much until well over age 3 and say that their legs were way too long to be in a rear-facing car seat.  Insurers like Infinity auto insurance could then have to worry about broken legs in an accident, according to some parents.  But a manager at the Primary Children’s Medical Center says that there is no record of a child breaking their legs because they were rear-facing.  She also points out that a study in 2007 showed that children are five times safer when they are rear-facing than when they are forward-facing.

The other guideline ruffling some feathers is the recommendation that children remain in booster seats until they are at least 80 pounds, 4 foot 9 inches, and between 8 and 12 years old.  It is said that that is when they will best fit into regular seatbelts.  While many parents are up in arms about these new guidelines, they are meant with their children’s safety in mind and they are not law.  Each child grows differently and could be lighter or heavier than others their size.  It is best to go to an inspection station if you have any question about the safety of your children.

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Points Can Affect State Farm Auto Quote

Thursday, February 17th, 2011

Drivers in New York are banned from using hand-held cell phones while driving, and this week they will be getting an extra penalty if caught doing so.  Since the statewide ban of using cell phones while driving in New York was enacted, the penalty has been a fine of up to $100.  The Online Auto Insurance News article “Strengthening of NY Distracted Driving Law Has Car Insurance Implications” by John Pirro states that drivers will now receive two points on their drivers license in addition to the fine.

When drivers get a State Farm auto quote or price another car insurance company, having extra points on their license will likely make their premiums increase.  Insurance companies price their policies based on the risk that drivers carry and they use driving records to determine an individual’s risk.  Extra points, whether from talking on your cell phone, speeding, or a DUI, mean extra risk to your car insurance company.

You may think it is harsh that car insurance companies would increase premiums based on two points from a cell phone violation, but New York’s DMV found that 20% of car accidents were caused by drivers being distracted.  While not all of them were on their cell phones, it is likely that some of them were.  Since New York was the first state to implement this ban in 2001, more than 300,000 tickets have been issued yearly for talking or texting while driving.  Since insurers look at dozens of factors when determining rates, whether a violation will up your premiums or not really depends on more than the added points.

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Car Insurance Companies Worry On Holidays

Tuesday, January 4th, 2011

Holidays are a prime time for stealing cars, according to Insurance News Net’s article “Vehicle Thieves Rarely Take a Holiday.”  Their information comes from an annual report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau.  New Year’s Day is the holiday when the most cars are stolen, followed by Halloween and the Fourth of July in the second and third spots.  Memorial Day, President’s Day, Labor Day, New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day, and Christmas Eve were in the center of the list.

While we celebrate and enjoy friends and family, car insurance companies worry about thieves out to ruin our day and up the cost of insurance  for everyone by stealing cars.  Christmas Day and Thanksgiving day were the holidays with the lowest numbers of stolen cars, so I guess thieves celebrate sometimes as well.  2009 was not the first year that New Year’s Day saw the highest amount of thefts of any holiday.  It seems to be a popular day for car thieves every year.

Luckily for insurers like Dairyland auto insurance, car thefts have declined for the past six years and data suggests that 2010 has followed suit and will be the seventh straight year for a decline.  There were 22,991 cars stolen on the 11 holidays in 2009 versus 24,676 stolen on those same holidays in 2008.  Even so, it is important to play it safe with your vehicle, especially on holidays.  Thieves not only steal cars, but may steal the belongings inside.  Always lock your car, try to park in well-lit areas, and keep any valuable items out of sight to protect yourself from theft.

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Car Insurance Companies Give Discounts

Wednesday, December 29th, 2010

In recent years car insurance companies have realized that “one size fits all” really doesn’t apply to car insurance plans.  The New York Post article “Pay-as-you-drive insurance revs up” by Jeremy Olshan describes a new way to get some traffic off the clogged New York streets.  We recently wrote about insurance companies trying out the pay-as-you-drive system while some places in the country have been using this system for years.  The Bloomberg administration in New York is hoping that a system like this where you save money the less you drive will help keep some drivers off the road and unclog the streets.

While insurance companies traditionally made up for the more frequent accidents by high mileage drivers with premiums from low mileage drivers, this new way of charging customers would change all that.  Driving could be reduced by as much as 8%, emissions by as much as 2%, and oil consumption could go down as much as 4% with these incentives.  A State Farm insurance quote could lower drivers’ rates by up to $270 per car just by installing a device in your car that monitors the number of miles you drive and other driving habits.

Progressive’s Snapshot plan was approved in New York just recently.  In other states, drivers have saved as much as 30% off of their premiums by having their mileage and driving time monitored for six months.  Progressive also looks at acceleration and hard braking and takes those factors into account.  GMAC offers insurance plans using monitoring from their OnStar systems.  The pay-as-you-go plans are not yet available in New York, but have been successful around the country.  Drivers must drive less than 15,000 miles a year to qualify.  Those driving fewer than 5,000 miles a year have received over half off their premiums.  While some are concerned about privacy related to tracking drivers, the ability to save money and cut down on traffic seems to override that.

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Required Car Insurance in Ohio

Wednesday, December 1st, 2010

Drivers in the state of Ohio pay less for their car insurance than drivers in most other states, but they better have the correct coverage or they will pay a penalty.  According to “Complying with Ohio Insurance Law” from Online Auto Insurance, all Ohio drivers must follow the Financial Responsibility (FR) law of the state.  Drivers also cannot allow someone to drive their car if it is not properly insured or if the other driver cannot prove Financial Responsibility.

An insurance company like Encompass Auto Insurance can help Ohioans obtain the minimum coverage they need to be legal.  The liability limits they need to cover are $12,500 for one person’s bodily injury, $25,000 in bodily injury per accident, and $7,500 in liability coverage for property damage.  All car insurance companies will issue an identification card with your proof of coverage that should stay in your car or with you whenever you are driving.  You’ll have to show the police that card in the event of a traffic stop or car accident.

If you really don’t want to purchase insurance coverage, you can satisfy the Financial Responsibility law by purchasing a $30,000 government bond from the Ohio Treasurer or a few other sources and filing a certificate with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) stating your financial coverage.  Without carrying the proper insurance coverage, your license could be suspended, your car could be impounded, and you could pay hefty fees to get both of those back.

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Rental Car Insurance Companies

Wednesday, November 10th, 2010

Recently a troubleshooter from MSNBC wrote of his quest to get a refund for a traveler in Mexico taken advantage of by one of the top rental car companies.  Christopher Elliott’s article, “I thought car rental insurance was optional,” details the American tourist’s battle when he was charged more than triple his online quote from Hotwire.  Car insurance companies often cover insurance on rental cars, so unless your plan does not it doesn’t seem like you would need additional rental insurance.

After a Hotwire estimate of $113 for a weekly rental car in Mexico, the tourist headed down there only to have the car rental price increased, mandatory insurance tacked on, and a service charge larger than both the other amounts.  He was also given some more miscellaneous fees above the estimate for a total of $397.  While he tried to fight the charges at the rental company in Mexico, it was to no avail.

The author, a travel writer, says that regardless of what happened in Mexico the tourist should have been charged the amount estimated by Hotwire.  Any discrepancy between the cheap car insurance rate and that charged by the rental company should have been cleared up between the two companies.  It’s possible that one of the Mexican workers tried to pull a fast one because a rental car company representative in the United States said that car insurance was not mandatory.

Some tips for avoiding such a situation when you are traveling follow.  Research and get coverage and estimates in writing before leaving for your trip, both from your car insurance company and any quotes you receive online or from the rental company itself.  If you think you are being forced to purchase insurance that is optional, back up from the counter and make a phone call to the company’s customer service number to see if the situation can be rectified.  If that doesn’t work or you’ve already paid for the coverage, send emails detailing your complaints to get a paper trail started.  By the way, the tourist was credited the amount above his estimate after this story.

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Compare Car Insurance Facts

Tuesday, October 19th, 2010

There are five facts about car insurance that are not known to many drivers, according to U.S. News & World Report’s “5 Things You Don’t Know About Car Insurance.”  Author Chad Fisher discusses both unexpected things that are and are not covered when you compare car insurance.  The first fact is that the personal items in your car are not covered, even if your car is stolen or they are damaged in your vehicle.  You need to add personal belongings like GPS machines and cell phones onto your home insurance policy in case anything happens to them, even in your car.

Another piece of information of which many people are not aware is the possibility of obtaining a diminished value claim payment from an insurance company.  While it is unlikely that you would be reimbursed from your own insurance company if they covered your vehicle in an accident, the diminished value may be paid out to you from the at fault person’s insurance company if your car will now lower in value because of being in an accident.  It is a good idea to check with car insurance companies and see if they offer any coverage for your pet in the case of a car accident.  Some policies do cover veterinary bills up to $1,000 if your animal was in an accident with you.

Some consumers are not aware that they are being charged extra to pay monthly for their car insurance.  It is possible that Encompass auto insurance and others might offer you a discount for paying your policy in a lump sum either once or twice a year.  You have to check with your individual company to see what their policy is regarding lump sum payments.  The fifth fact that you may not be aware of is that your insurance company might pay for your taxes and registration fees in the case that you are in an accident and your car is deemed a total loss.  It’s important to read the fine print in your insurance policies since you may be covered for costly expenses that you didn’t even realize.

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Progressive Car Insurance Hiring in Cleveland

Wednesday, September 29th, 2010

Great news for Clevelanders looking for jobs; Progressive car insurance is hiring 260 new workers before next February.  This information comes from Cleveland’s 19 Action News.  Progressive is located in Cleveland and Mentor, Ohio and is known around town for being a great place to work.  Both Top Workplaces 2010 and NorthCoast 99 named Progressive car insurance one of the best place to work in Northeast Ohio.  Progressive is looking for workers to fill sales, service and claims positions.

Progressive is looking for outgoing and smart people who have flexible scheduling options.  The phone representative positions will sell cheap car insurance policies, answer questions from customers, and help them file claims after accidents or other damage to their vehicles.  Applicants must have at least two years of college and two years of experience in customer service.  Progressive seeks good problem solvers who have high energy and pride themselves in offering great service to customers.

In return, employees get competitive pay and a number of other benefits.  Progressive offers medical, dental, life, and vision insurance as well as the option for flexible schedules in certain positions.  They also have tuition assistance, an on-site gym and health services facility, and casual dress.  Unlike some other car insurance companies, Progressive offers employee bonuses when the company succeeds and many resources for parents including maternity leave and a subsidy for child care services.  Contact Progressive car insurance if this sounds like a great career move for you and apply before they are finished hiring at the end of January.

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Dairyland Auto Insurance for the Blind

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

The technology allowing blind people to drive is actually closer than you might realize, according to MSN‘s “Car Insurance for Blind Drivers.”  Kat Zeman of Insure.com wrote in the article that a Ford Escape outfitted with “nonvisual interface technology” has been developed by the National Federation of the Blind and Virginia Tech.  The prototype will be released in January of next year, but the possibility of mainstream models on the road is still years away.  How will Dairyland Auto Insurance and other companies come up with a way to insure blind drivers on the road?  It’s something that they will have to think about soon, if they haven’t already.

Most car insurance companies do not have any policies or guidelines for insuring visually or hearing impaired drivers on the road.  Car insurers in California don’t currently charge more for hearing impaired drivers.  Companies like Allstate require you to have a valid driver’s license in order to obtain insurance.  Since that requires you to pass a vision test, they don’t ask for anything further.  If the vision guidelines change in the future, so might the policies of car insurance companies.  It looks like they aren’t really sure what they’ll do in the future.  It all depends on the development of this vehicle for blind drivers and the direction the government takes.

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