Friday, July 22, 2005

Ontarians Pay More for Car Insurance

Auto insurance rates in Ontario are 45 per cent higher than in British Columbia, according to a study released Tuesday by the Consumers' Association of Canada.

The study indicates the average rate in Ontario was $2,383, compared with $1,324 in B.C.

However, the Insurance Bureau of Canada claims the average premium in Ontario is now $1,279 and that premiums in the province are down 15 per cent since November 2003.

News Source: National Post

Lojack to Lower Car Insurance Costs

The Bahama Journal has an article up discussing the benefits of the Lojack system and how it could potentially save consumers on annual car insurance premiums.

The Lojack system is an anti-theft device designed to notify police when a vehicle is stolen and can track the movement of the vehicle. Consumers first need to call the police to activate the tracking on the vehicle.

International reports indicate that over 150,000 vehicles have been recovered worldwide since the product was introduced, with over 75,000 recovered in the United States alone.

Monday, July 18, 2005

Welcome to Free Car Insurance Information

I would like to extend a welcome to the new visitors to Free Car Insurance Information, one of the few car insurance websites designed to be interactive between consumers.

There are a few things to note about the site that have been added/changed. First, a search function that has been provided by Google has been added to the right side. As Google indexes the site, more and more pages will be added to allow for faster searching for your topic.

Another addition is the frequently accessed pages on the right. These entries were the most accessed pages after reviewing site logs. They aren't in any particular order. More entries will be added in the future.

The final addition is the comments function. All visitors can click on the comments link and post their own comment to an article. This promotes discussion between users, as well as allows for questions to be asked/answered.

Sunday, July 17, 2005

Cheap Car Insurance Quotes

So you want a cheap auto insurance quote? Thankfully, auto insurance quotes are FREE! If you’re being told you must pay for a simple quote, you’re looking in the wrong places.

Now, if you want cheap auto insurance coverage, that’s another story entirely. Cheap car insurance comes with a huge risk (though the reward is more money in your pocket, providing that you are a safe driver).

Mandatory State Auto Insurance Laws

Most states have mandatory insurance laws you must abide by. You can check to see what your state requires by going to your state DMV website and looking under their general information page. For example, the California DMV website lists the following liability insurance requirements:

How much liability insurance am I required to have?

California requires that drivers and vehicle owners carry the following minimum monetary limits:

• $15,000 for injury or death of 1 person per accident
• $30,000 for injury or death of 2 or more persons per accident
• $5,000 for property damage per accident

Evidence of financial responsibility must be carried at all times in the vehicle. Most Californians maintain financial responsibility through insurance companies, which provide the policy holder with an identification card as evidence of coverage. The card must state the insurance company's name and address, the period of coverage and policy number.

Persons operating a vehicle in this state who are unlicensed or have an invalid California or out-of-state driver license are subject to the same financial responsibility laws as valid California licensed drivers.

So what does this all mean? Well, in industry terms, you need a minimum of 15/30/5 coverage in California (this varies between states). This is the minimum amount of coverage you need in order to legally drive in the state of California. This also means that these amounts are what your insurance company will pay if you ever exercise your policy. Anything MORE than these amounts and you will be forking over the remainder.

Are these amounts adequate? For the most part, yes. However, you must realize that these amounts just scrape on by. $15,000 dollars may cover hospital bills and procedures for one person, however the death of a person may cost much more on top of this amount. If you are found liable for the accident, you can be sure your other assets will be at stake. $5,000 dollars of property damage isn’t much if you run into a parked 2005 BMW 325i.

So how do I get the best rates?

So you know the risks, but want to know who to go to to get the best rates? The best way is to ask your friends and colleagues who their insurance company is and if they’re happy with their service and the amount they pay (if they’re willing to divulge this information). Another method is to shop around. The internet allows for an easy way to shop around for insurance compared to phone calling like people used to do years ago. Direct insurance writers such as 21st Century, Progressive, State Farm, Geico, all provide car insurance quotes online for free.

As long as you realize the risk of having lower insurance coverage, cheap car insurance can be had easily. State Farm recently lowered their annual premiums across the board. The easiest way to get cheap car insurance with your current insurance provider is to be over 25 years old, have multiple policies with them (home, auto, life, etc), have no tickets on your record, take defensive driving courses, have multiple cars on one policy, and drive a four door coupe that isn’t supercharged or has a turbo and isn’t a high theft vehicle.