What you should do if this happens to you!
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| Ways to save on your auto insurance |
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Shop around and compare prices. A list of companies can be found in your local yellow pages of your phone book.
Maintain a good driving record.
Take the highest deductible the insurance will allow for collision and comprehensive coverage. A higher deductible will lower your premium.
More ways to save!
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Understanding Your Auto Insurance Policy
If you are involved in an automobile accident it is important to understand the purpose of auto insurance. The importance of obtaining auto insurance is not always clear until you become the victim of an auto accident. The auto insurance policy will cover losses for injuries caused to you or for injury or damage caused to others when the driver is at fault.
There are two classifications of auto insurance coverage's, which are referred to as first party and third party coverage. First party coverage's compensate insureds for their losses. Third party coverage's compensate others due to the negligence of the insured.
First Party Coverarges:
Includes personal injury protection, medical payments and uninsured motorist coverage and under-insured motorist coverage.
Personal injury protection coverages include medical expense, lost wages and other expenses for you or the passengers in your car regardless of who is at fault for the accident.
Medical payments assist in paying for necessary medical treatment for accident-related injuries. Costs may include medical fees and other similar expenses. This option covers you, your passengers, and any family members who may be driving the insured car during the accident.
When at-fault drivers carry no liability insurance at all, uninsured motorist coverage would apply by providing injury payments to insureds. For example, if a vehicle is struck by a hit-and-run driver, the owner of the vehicle that was struck must file an uninsured motorist claim through his own insurance carrier. The same scenario would apply if the driver at fault had a policy that lapsed because he forgot to make his insurance premium payment. It is important that you carry considerable uninsured motorist coverage limits so that if you were ever struck by someone who did not have insurance, you would be fully compensated by your insurance coverage for your injury.
When the at fault driver does not have adequate insurance limits to compensate the insured for their bodily injury, then under-insured motorist coverage would apply. For example, if the at fault driver only carries $15,000 in bodily injury limits, and the injury is worth $30,000, the injured party must pursue an under-insured motorist claim through his insurance carrier to collect the remaining amount.
Third Party Coverarges:
Includes bodily injury liability and property damage liability coverage. Property damage insurance covers damages caused to other vehicles and property when the driver is found to be at fault for the accident.
Bodily injury liability extends coverage to those who are victims of an auto accident. Bodily injury insurance protection is the amount your insurance will pay if you or anyone driving your vehicle is legally responsible for the injury or death of another person in an auto accident.
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More Information:
Repairing Your Vehicle
Additional Insurance Coverages
Insurance Terms
Safety Issues
In 2005, there were nearly 6,420,000 auto accidents in the United States.
About 115 people die every day in vehicle crashes in the United States, estimating one death every 13 minutes.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, accounting for 36% of all deaths in this age group.
California leads the nation in traffic fatalities. More than 4,000 sustain serious injuries, such as quadriplegia, paraplegia, brain injuries, and spinal cord injuries.
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Insurance Resources
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