Should You Have Higher Deductibles On Your Coverage?

What is a deductible? A deductible is the amount you pay before your insurance carrier pays any claim. Insurance companies offer deductibles on certain coverage in insurance policies as a method of sharing risk with the people they insure. Insurers believe that if you, the insured, share some of the risk you will likely be more careful and try to minimize the possibility of a claim. Since you, the insured, pay your share before the company is liable for their share, smaller potential claims are often avoided.
What is the right deductible to carry? It depends not only on the particular coverage but further on your willingness and ability to pay the specified amount in the event of a claim. In other words, select a deductible based on your tolerance for risk. Your agent should be able to help you choose a deductible that is right for you. Often, the decision is an easy one as insurers may only offer a few choices in deductible for a specific coverage.
Typically, which type of coverage offers a deductible? The most common type of coverage with a deductible is physical damage (also known as comprehensive and collision). This is coverage for your vehicle itself. For damage caused whether or not at fault. In many cases if you have borrowed money to purchase your vehicle through a bank or credit union, the lien holder will require that you carry this coverage. This coverage is usually required in the event any damage occurs while you are still paying for the vehicle. Typical physical damage deductibles are $250, $500, and $1000. Higher deductibles will reduce the cost of your insurance by lowering your premiums. When evaluating higher deductibles, it is a good idea to consider carefully your circumstances. Ask your insurance provider for quotes for various deductibles, and analyze them carefully before making a decision. The higher the deductible is on a specific coverage, the lower the premium for that coverage. This is a great way to save on the total cost of your policy. For example, increasing your deductible from $250 to $500 could reduce the physical damage portion of your policy from 15% to 30% depending on your insurance carrier.
Another type of coverage typically offered with a deductible is Personal Injury Protection or PIP. This coverage is also sometimes referred to as No Fault. “No Fault” insurance is a general term that is used to describe any auto insurance system that not only requires drivers to carry insurance for their own protection, and places limitations on their ability to sue other drivers for damages. In an accident, under no fault laws, your auto insurance company will pay for your damages (up to your policy limits), regardless of whom was at fault for the accident. Any other drivers involved will be covered by their auto insurance policies. Not every state requires this type of coverage. No Fault is required if you live in: Florida, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Utah or D.C.
No Fault is usually offered with or without the option of a deductible. You can choose to purchase this coverage with a deductible if you want to absorb some of the risk as with other coverage such as physical damage. As with physical damage, the higher the deductible, the lower the premium on the No Fault portion of your policy. Your agent may recommend taking a deductible on your No Fault if you have health coverage elsewhere since you can only make one claim on any one injury. Some health insurance policies exclude automobile accident so it may be wise to check with your healthcare provider to make sure you are covered if you decide to go with a deductible. Common deductibles options on No Fault are $0, $250, $500, and $1000.

7 Easy Ways To Slash Your Auto Insurance Costs

The law requires you buy auto insurance. So if you must get cover, how can you reduce costs ? Here’s 7 easy ways to get the best possible auto insurance deal.
* Multiple Quotes
Get multiple quotes – use the internet and call a few brokers. It’s easy to gather some good comparison quotes.
Remember to get different types of quotes e.g one from a direct-sell insurance company; another from an offline broker who keeps a database of quotes; and a couple from the internet.
Cheapest might not mean best. Will they pay out if you make a claim ? How financially secure ? How reputable ? Check around with family and friends, and look for online reviews.
* Different type of car
Insurance costs vary depending on car type. Obviously, that $100k sports model costs more to insure than your average runabout. If you’re planning to buy a new car, check insurance costs before you buy. I once set my heart on a beautiful, high performance, highly tuned Pontiac.
Luckily I checked the auto insurance before I bought it, because I couldn’t get insurance. Every broker, every insurance company flat turned me down because I lived in a high car-crime area. So I had to forget the car of my dreams until I moved up-town.
* Age and Value of Car
Maybe you’re buying a used car ? Maybe your car saw better days a few years ago, and now values much lower ? So why pay for high-priced auto insurance ? In particular, do you still need fully comprehensive coverage ?
A good rule of thumb multiplies insurance premium by 10, and compares that figure with your car value. So if you’re quoted $1000 premium and your car is worth less than $10,000 you may want to think if comprehensive represents good value. If you drop collision and/or comprehensive coverage, you should get big savings.
* Higher deductibles (excess charges)
Most auto insurance companies use deductibles to keep policy cost down. Deductibles, or excess charges, show what you pay before your auto insurance policy kicks in. Try requesting quotes with different levels of deductibles, and see how your quotes vary.
Most internet quote forms contain a box where you can specify preferred level of deductibles. Ask your broker his recommended level. For example, going from $250 to $500 deductible can slash your insurance costs by 20% or more. Go to $1000 and you save a lot of money. But you must pay the deductible if you need to make a claim !
* Multiple Insurances
I guess this might come under the ‘Get Multiple Quotes’ heading, but it’s still worth mentioning separately. You usually get an insurance break if you buy multiple policies with the same insurer.
This might mean multiple vehicles, or homeowner and auto insurance. Either way it’s worth asking about multi-policy discounts.
* Low Mileage
More and more people work at home. No more commuting. Fewer business trips. Low mileage on your car. Maybe you do travel to work, but car pool ?
Either way, look for low mileage discounts.
* Good Driving Record
A good driving record always reduces your auto insurance costs. Keep a clean drivers license. Don’t speed, don’t drive dangerously, and you’ll save money (apart from other benefits !)
* Bonus Tip
Okay, I said ‘7 Ways…’, but here’s some extra tips. Fit anti-theft devices to your car. Go on an advanced driver training course. Use daytime running lights. If you’re a college student away from home, consider adding to parents policy.
This short article covers the things you must consider when shopping for auto insurance. Follow these tips and you’ll slash your auto insurance costs.

Inside-Information Regarding Your Motor Vehicle Accident Insurance Claim

Here’s some “Inside-Info” you must know so you won’t be taken advantage of on your motor vehicle accident insurance claim and also: SO YOU CAN COLLECT EVERY DOLLAR THAT’S OWED TO YOU !
The following 8 are just “The Tip Of The Iceberg”:
#1. There are situations where you can collect for your “Lost Wages” even if you were paid by your employer and/or collected “Sick Leave” while unable to work.
#2. You can collect money and be reimbursed for any and all “Over The Counter” (non-prescription) medication you purchased during your recovery.
#3. Under normal circumstances unless a claim ends up in court (several years after impact has taken place and you are fully recovered) you do not have to agree to be examined by the insurance company’s doctor.
#4. There are many times that come to pass where you are entitled to collect the “Gross Amount” of your lost wages, not the so-called “Net After Taxes”.
#5. If you’re a housewife, you can often recover for “Lost Wages” (based on the “Value” of a maid or a domestic servant, who would execute the same work) which you could not perform due to the injury.
#6. You are entitled to extra compensation if you can prove you were forced to cancel a vacation and/or a special event.
#7. Under certain circumstances you may be able to make a claim (and collect for) a personal injury even if your state is “No-Fault” and you already have PIP (Personal Injury Protection) coverage.
#8. Your friends, and even relatives, have the right to execute statements which you can send to adjusters (and/or anybody you feel should get one) going into detail as to what happened to your body and what they’ve observed you’ve had to deal with (via your “Pain and Suffering”) during your period of recovery.
These statements can often provide you with an even greater dollar value – – when it comes to the calculation and then the ultimate settlement of your personal injury claim!
DISCLAIMER: The above article “INSIDE-INFORMATION REGARDING YOUR MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT CLAIM” is to help people understand the motor vehicle accident claim process. Neither Dan Baldyga,nor ARTICLE CITY any guarantee of any kind whatsoever, NOR to they purport to engage in rendering any professional or legal service, substitute for a lawyer, an insurance adjuster, or claims consultant, or the like. Where such professional help is desired IT IS THE INDIVIDUAL’S RESPONSIBILITY to obtain it.
Dan Baldyga’s third and latest book AUTO ACCIDENT PERSONAL INJURY INSURANCE CLAIM (How To Evaluate And Settle Your Loss) can be found on the internet at caraccidentclaims.com or autoaccidentclaims.com. This book reveals “How To” successfully handle your motor vehicle accident claim, so you won’t be taken advantage of.  It also goes into detail regarding BASE (The Baldyga Auto Accident Settlement Evaluation Formula). THE BASE FORMULA explains how to determine the value of the “Pain and Suffering” you endured – – because of your personal injury !