The Collision Coverage

Car repairs that become necessary on your automobile due to wear and tear over time, considered normal maintenance repairs, are not covered by your automobile insurance policy. You need to accept the option of collision coverage in order to have your insurance company cover repairs that may be needed to make your car drivable again after your vehicle is involved in an automobile accident. It’s important to invest in collision coverage because your car repairs will be covered in the event the accident was your fault. In the event the accident was the fault of another driver, then his insurance company is responsible for paying to repair your damages, but smart drivers don’t take a chance that the other driver’s insurance will come through for them and carry their own collision policy.

Collision Coverage and a Totaled Car

If you own a car with a Blue Book value of at least $4,000, it is usually less expensive to repair your car rather than replace it, so you should have collision insurance in place. Especially if you own a newer model car worth four or five times this base figure, your collision coverage limits should equal the amount that your car is currently worth. If you end up causing an accident, you will be covered by your insurance company to repair or even replace your vehicle in the event it’s been totaled.

Collision Coverage and Uninsured Drivers

Collision insurance also protects you in the event the other driver is uninsured or underinsured. It also helps to prevent having your car be in repair limbo in the event the other party refutes responsibility for causing the accident and lawsuits ensue. Having collision insurance is also essential if no other driver is involved in an accident but your car strikes a telephone pole or tree. Your repairs will still be taken care of by your insurance company under your collision policy.

Claiming Car Repair Costs

In order to claim car repair costs from your insurance company following an accident, it’s important to file your claim as soon as possible. These days most major insurance companies send their own appraiser to estimate the amount of damages that need to be repaired or will direct you to get repair estimates from two or more approved repair stations in your area. You must pay the amount of your deductible upfront out of your own pocket and then the insurance company covers the repair bills up to the limits set by your policy.

The Gap Insurance

As many as one out of eight cars involved in an accident are deemed total losses after investigation by an insurance appraiser. Every company has their own formula to determine if the car is not repairable. It’s important to invest in something called Gap Insurance if you have financed the car and don’t want to spend out of pocket for the difference between what the insurance company pays you if the car is totaled versus what you still owe for the vehicle.

Additional Policy Options

Investigate whether your automobile insurance policy allows you to choose your own repair facility or if you must have repairs made at a shop or dealership approved by your insurance company. Some insurance providers also offer policy options for an additional premium charge that cover specific repairs such as windshields, auto glass and small dents and minor repair issues such as dings on your car doors.

Obtaining roadside assistance coverage as part of your annual automobile insurance policy may be the least expensive way to assure you have round the clock coverage that will provide repair and towing services should your vehicle become stranded, either in your driveway or when you are out on the roads. Although motoring clubs and other private organizations such as the Automobile Club of America (AAA) offer memberships that feature roadside assistance as an attractive main benefit, they can cost anywhere between $35 and $100 annually depending upon the benefits offered. Compare those costs with insurance rates as low as $14 annually when you lock in roadside assistance as part of your overall auto insurance coverage package.

Benefits of Roadside Assistance on Auto Insurance Policy

Roadside assistance is considered an optional coverage on insurance policies, but for the amount of peace of mind it covers and the excellent benefits it offers, it is one of the best values in extended coverage options. A support vehicle will be dispatched to the driver whose vehicle experiences a mechanical or electrical failure of any sort while traveling on the road to help in such instances as a flat tire that needs changing, recharging of a dead battery, retrieving keys that have been locked inside the vehicle or bringing additional fuel for a car that’s run out of gas.

Although roadside assistance does not guarantee to fix mechanical problems that develop on the road, it can save you from out of pocket expenses by providing towing to the nearest repair facility approved by the driver’s insurance policy. This service alone can save the driver as much as $150 per occurrence. Adding roadside assistance coverage to your current automobile policy also makes it convenient to get quick help when your vehicle is disabled either in your own driveway or while traveling because you simply have to call a toll-free number provided by the insurance company to request that a service vehicle be dispatched to your location. And most insurance companies cover the driver rather than the specific vehicle, so the driver can use their roadside assistance coverage even if they are traveling with friends or family members in another car.

Roadside Assistance on Auto Insurance Downside

The only drawback to insurance policy-provided roadside assistance is that drivers who use the service more than a few times a year are at risk of having their rates go up or their policies cancelled for overusing this benefit. It’s smart to check what limitations have been set by your specific roadside assistance policy, such as number of miles per tow and the number of instances you can request the service annually. Roadside assistance was designed to truly be an emergency help service rather than a back-up for people who neglect to fill their gas tanks or carelessly misplace their car keys. If you are already a motor club member or have roadside assistance as part of your purchase package for a new vehicle, it’s not necessary to spend the extra money to include it as part of your overall automobile insurance coverage. But if currently have no roadside assistance coverage at all, you can have peace of mind while driving for less than $2 a month by adding it to your insurance premium.

Kemper P & C Group Auto Insurance Background

Kemper P & C Group is the subsidiary of gigantic Chicago-based Kemper Corporation, formerly Unitrin, and is the division which specializes in automobile insurance, homeowners insurance and personal property protection. Kemper is ranked the 20th largest auto insurer in the country, with direct written policies of almost 1,200,000, representing a 1.68 market share. A hallmark of Kemper insurance are broad coverage policies designed to cover gaps left uncovered by other policies.

Kemper P & C Group Sales and Service

Kemper sells its automobile insurance through a network of independent agents and handles claims on a round the clock basis via a toll-free telephone line manned by Kemper employees for personalized service. Customers can tailor auto policies to their specific needs using Kemper’s Personally Yours option. Kemper Total is a protection plan to cover significant vehicle damage that may include payment of actual cash value or full replacement and a doubling of standard rental reimbursement. An Auto Loan/Lease Gap coverage covers the difference between the actual cash value of a totaled vehicle and the amount still owed on a loan or lease agreement. Parked Auto Protection waives the collision deductible amount when a legally parked vehicle is subjected to a crash.

Kemper’s Package Plus

A special “Package Plus” option is popular for customers who want to streamline their insurance coverages into one policy paid by one premium that covers auto, homeowners, collectibles, watercraft and identity theft, creating the lowest premium available since all policies are bundled together.

Ways to Save on Kemper Auto Insurance

Kemper offers attractive savings for college students who insure their vehicle through their parents’ policy as well as discounts for students who take driver education courses. Multiple cars on the same policy, and evidence of safety and anti-theft devices on the insured vehicle, whether factory installed or installed as an after-market device, is another way Kemper allows customers to lower their premiums. Seniors who have passed Defensive Driving classes are also offered policy discounts.

Kemper’s Average Customer Satisfaction Rating

Out of 33 insurance vendors ranked by the J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction Index, Kemper ranks 18th with a score of 771 out of 1,000 points, with most users giving it an average rating. Most of the policies sold by Kemper agents are bundled with a variety of features and customers must accept all features in the package in order to realize any substantial savings in premium rates. Kemper currently offers auto insurance coverage in 26 U.S. states, including Arizona, California, Connecticut, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington State and Wisconsin.

View more articles about top car insurance companies.

Many drivers who have invested in a hybrid car, which operates using a combination of electric battery power as well as traditional gasoline, swear by the hybrid’s performance and great gas mileage. Although hybrid cars typically save their owners money when it comes to feeding the gas tank, that savings compensates for the fact that auto insurance for hybrid cars is typically more expensive than traditional cars operated solely on gasoline powered engines.

Evaluation Standards

There are two main reasons why insurance companies tend to charge more for auto insurance for hybrid cars and one of them is the vehicle’s size. Smaller, more compact cars that tend to sustain more damage in a collision are typically more expensive to insure because it costs the insurance provider more money per claim. Smaller cars are often more difficult in certain weather conditions for other larger vehicles to see and this puts them at higher risk of having an accident.

The second major reason why insurers charge more on hybrid premium rates is the original sticker price of the car, which can be several thousand dollars more than traditional compact or economy cars. While it’s a very good thing that hybrids contain all of the latest technology that enables them to lessen the driver’s fuel costs, this same technological equipment is much more expensive to repair or replace when it becomes damaged due to a collision. Insurance companies take this added expense into account when they are determining auto insurance premiums on this type of vehicle.

Tips for Lowering Premiums

Because hybrid vehicles typically come with a premium package of safety features that are already installed in the car, including airbags, anti-lock brakes and seat belts that fasten automatically so the driver and passengers never forget to buckle up, hybrid owners can take advantage of safety equipment discounts offered by many national car insurance companies. Anti-theft devices can also help to lower a hybrid car insurance premium. Wheel locks as well as ignition and fuel cut-off systems are other features that can be installed after purchase and may qualify for lower insurance rates. Just be sure to mention them to your insurance agent when requesting an auto insurance quote. Some companies also offer discounts on their rates of up to 10% specifically for hybrid car owners as an incentive for more drivers to choose vehicles feauring the latest safety technology as well as engines that dramatically reduce the amount of carbon emissions being ejected into the atmosphere. Yet other discounts offered by certain insurance companies are provided to drivers who carpool to work using hybrid vehicles. Paying your insurance premium on an annual rather than monthly basis, a good driving record, and insuring your hybrid car with the same company as you do your other vehicles or your home are additional ways to reap some money-saving discounts when applying for auto insurance for a hybrid car.

View more auto insurance rates for other vehicle types.

Photo Credit: Cool breeze pics via Compfight cc

Many accidents that occur on the roadways today aren’t simply a matter of bad luck, bad timing or bad weather conditions. There are actually drivers who intend to cause accidents in order to file exaggerated insurance claims for collision damage and medical expenses that are just as bogus as the accidents they made happen thru staging them. Here are some of the most popular car insurance scams that are helping to drive up everyone’s premiums in addition to costing the automobile insurance industry billions of dollars every year in lost time and compensation:

The Staged Rear-Ending

The “Swoop and Squat” maneuver is one of the most popular scams being practiced today, either by an individual driver or two drivers working in tandem. One driver speeds ahead of the intended victim’s vehicle and swoops into place in front, then quickly slams on his brakes while another vehicle boxes in the victim on the side, leaving him no alternative but to read-end the car in front. The con artist then makes a collision claim for alleged damages to his vehicle in addition to complaining about injuries much more severe than could be sustained in such a low-impact crash. Drivers should be wary of following vehicles ahead too closely and should always be paying attention to the need to stop suddenly.

The Phony Samaritan

This scam occurs after the accident happens and a supposedly concerned individual approaches the victimized driver posing as a professional insurance consultant strictly for the purpose of gaining information from the driver in order to file a fraudulent claim. Drivers should never give their insurance information to anyone other than the other driver involved as required by law and then immediately contact their insurance claims office to report the incident.

Fake Injuries

Cases of whiplash have often been the subject of comedy television shows but this scam occurs all too often in real life accidents when the other driver who may have staged the accident claims to have suffered neck or back pain that requires hospitalization or therapy just to be able to file a medical injury claim. Even worse, these scam artists are often in league with phony doctors or other health professionals who sign off on these phony injury reports, making them seem legitimate. Drivers should always file a police report at the scene of any accident so that other drivers or passengers cannot later claim injuries that were never acknowledged the day of the accident.

Phantom Passengers

A scam known as the “phantom victim” occurs when individuals who were not even passengers in the other vehicle involved in an accident begin to file personal injury claims with your insurance carrier. Drivers involved in any type of accident should remember to count the number of passengers in the other vehicle and take photos if possible. Report this information to your insurance company so they can note any discrepencies that occur once phantom victims begin filing their fraudulent claims.

The Drive Down

That friendly driver who waves and motions you to move into traffic from a merging lane just may be a scam artist who will hit your vehicle and then claim to have done nothing to encourage you to enter his lane. This also happens at intersections having a double left turn lane. The con artist crosses over into the other lane and sideswipes the victim’s vehicle and then claims it was the other driver who drifted over into his lane.

Texas state law requires drivers to have a minimum amount of liability insurance to cover injuries and damages caused by the driver. Many drivers choose to have coverage that is more extensive; there is no maximum coverage amount.

Minimum Passenger Car Insurance Coverage Needed In Houston

The minimum amount of liability insurance coverage required for Houston drivers is currently $30,000 worth of bodily injury coverage per person, $60,000 per accident and $25,000 worth of property damage coverage per accident. This minimum required coverage is called 30/60/25 coverage.

Photo Credit: bionicteaching via Compfight cc

Houston Commuters

Houston has slightly over two million residents according to the 2010 U.S. Census and 701,549 of these residents commute to work alone each day. Approximately 120,000 more residents carpooled with other commuters, making automobiles the primary form of transportation in the city. In Harris County, where Houston accounts for the majority of the population, the average commuter who drives to work has a 25 minute one way commute.

Houston Accidents

According to the Texas Department of Transportation, there were 38,538 vehicle accidents on Houston’s 16,000 miles of streets in 2011 with only 23,390 of these accidents resulting in no injuries.

Uninsured Houston Drivers

According to the Texas Department of Insurance, as of December 2012, Harris County had 3,079,287 total vehicle registrations. In 466,721 cases, no insurance coverage was present. This means that approximately 15.16 percent of the drivers on Houston’s roadways do not have the mandatory insurance coverage.

What Happens To Uninsured Drivers in Houston?

Law enforcement personnel can quickly check if a Houston driver has the mandatory liability insurance coverage to operate his or her vehicle. If a driver is found driving without insurance, the fine for a first offense is $175 to $350, and the fines get progressively higher for second and third offenses. In addition, drivers who are caught driving without insurance for the second or third time may have their driver’s license suspended or their vehicle impounded.

The minimum liability insurance coverage in Houston is only the bare minimum required to drive legally. Houston residents who financed their vehicles may have to purchase additional insurance to meet the terms of their agreement with the finance company.

Uninsured Drivers In Texas

Anyone driving in the state of Texas may not realize that for every five car and truck drivers they pass on the road, one of those drivers has no auto liability insurance. The high occurrence of uninsured drivers means that Texas drivers have an increased risk of financial devastation in the event of an accident. Smart drivers who want to be law-abiding citizens when it comes to automobile insurance are investing in their safety on the roads by paying almost $1 billion each year to ensure they are covered by optional insurance policies to protect against motorists who are either uninsured or under-insured.

Texas Insurance Minimum Liability Coverage

The state of Texas’s financial responsibility law requires that any individual who drives a motor vehicle in the state must pay for the financial damage of any accidents they cause. Drivers are required by law to have what is called 30/60/25 liability coverage, which means that their insurance meets the state’s required minimum of $30,000 for every person injured in an accident, up to a total amount of $60,000 and coverage of up to $25,000 for any property damage caused.

Having liability coverage, however, is not enough to protect responsible drivers against facing bills for medical coverage and the costs of repairing or replacing a vehicle that has been damaged or totalled in an accident caused by an uninsured driver. The best defense is to invest in coverage in addition to the liability policy required by state law.

Additional Texas Auto Insurance Coverage Options

Collision coverage covers the cost of repairing or replacing a car damaged in an accident, up to the car’s actual market value without damages minus the deductible on your policy which is the amount you pay out of pocket upfront before any insurance monies are paid. Comprehensive coverage covers the cost of repairing or replacing a motor vehicle damaged by some event other than a collision and includes theft and vandalism. Medical payments coverage covers medical and funeral expenses resulting from accidents and includes pedestrians or bicyclists. PIP Coverage (Personal Injury Protection) provides up to 80% of an individual’s lost income as a result of accident. UM/UMI Coverage pays your expenses when your car is hit by an uninsured driver, someone underinsured or a hit and run motorist. Additional policies can also cover the costs of a rental car while your car is being repaired as well as charges for towing and labor following an accident.

TexasSure Vehicle ID Program

The TexasSure Vehicle Identification program that created a database to identify uninsured motorists is helping to lower the high percentage of uninsured drivers. But until everyone on Texas roads and highways can offer proof of insurance, smart drivers meet their financial responsibilities by having policies with more than the minimum requirements.

We all want to try and save money wherever we can, especially with the way the economy is right now. If you are a student you are probably scraping for cash all the time. Luckily, there are ways for students to get a reduced rate and lower their car insurance. Lowering your rates can help you save money for school, and help take the pressure off you. The car insurance industry will help you out, but they do not make it very easy.

Continue Reading »

The reality is that many Americans today are dual income earners with a “day job” and often a small business that is run out of their home or second office. Most people in that situation use their family car for both personal and business use, and may not have contacted their car insurance provider to inquire about additional car insurance. If this describes you,it may be important to take a look at your car insurance policy to be sure you have the proper coverage. Continue Reading »

Finding the best car insurance should be important to any modern day driver. Many people leap at the first opportunity they see to get car insurance, instead of shopping around. Luckily, you can find affordable car insurance quotes from reputable companies by using our website.

Continue Reading »