Monday, December 28, 2009

Car insurance 'not an expense to drop' in recession

The Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB) – which provides compensation for victims involved in accidents with drivers who have no insurance or failed to stop – is urging drivers to keep covered, as 75 per cent of British drivers look to cut costs.

The UK has an estimated 1.7 million uninsured drivers – who put £30 on each car insurance policy for law-abiding drivers.

The Police are catching some 500 uninsured drivers a day through access to the Motor Insurance Database (MID) and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology.

Last year, 185,000 cars were seized and 40 per cent of those were crushed. Over 230,000 people were prosecuted.

Simon Douglas, director of AA Insurance, said: "Customers who cancel their cover or don't renew run a serious risk of being stopped by the police.

"If you have no insurance, your car will be confiscated, is likely to be crushed and you will be prosecuted. It's just not worth the risk."

The AA highlighted the case of one driver who signed up for insurance, paid a deposit and then cancelled his direct debit once his documents were delivered.

Despite having an insurance certificate, he was still stopped and his car was confiscated.

Eventually the court fined him £300 and his license was endorsed with six points. Once caught, future insurance is harder and more expensive.

Anyone caught driving uninsured can now face a £200 on-the-spot fine and six points on their licence. Furthermore if the car is impounded, there is a £150 collection charge and £20 per day charged for storage.

Ashton West, chief executive of MIB, said: "In these times of economic uncertainty, it is no surprise that people are looking to cut back on spending wherever possible.

“However, this is no excuse to commit a criminal offence.”

Younger drivers are most likely to skip car insurance – as premiums for less experienced motorists are higher as they are far more likely to be involved in accidents.

There are already nearly 600,000 21 to 29-year-olds driving without insurance - representing 14 per cent of the total driving population but 34 per cent of all uninsured drivers.

Steve Sweeney, head of motor insurance for moneysupermarket.com, explained: “Insurance providers view younger drivers as high risk and often inflate premiums to reflect this.

“Despite this, young drivers should not use this as an excuse to get behind the wheel uninsured.”

However, Mr Sweeney is not calling for tougher penalties, but innovations to lower the costs for younger drivers so they are not tempted to skip insurance.

“We need a solution, not more fines. Some car insurance providers had piloted a ‘pay-as-you-drive' insurance scheme which saw lower premiums for Britain's younger motorists,” he said'

“It also made them think twice about driving their cars unnecessarily. I would suggest it is time for the insurance industry to revisit these innovative models to help drive down the cost of insurance.”


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Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Keeping Car Insurance For 16 Year Olds Affordable

September 24, 2009 ) Los Angeles, CA – As exciting as it is for a teenager when the day comes that they get their driver’s license, the same amount of joy may not be shared by parents. This is because they are well aware of how expensive it can be to insure a brand new driver. Unfortunately, those of the age of sixteen are charged a considerably higher rate than more mature. This often makes the idea of insuring a teen a day to dread, but with some knowledge on how to go about effectively finding cheaper rates, teens can find policies that are affordable.

The primary reason that car insurance for 16 year olds is more expensive than older drivers is simply because of their relative lack of experience behind the wheel. This lack of experience tends to put them at a higher risk of having an accident than older drivers and is supported by many studies and statistics.


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Saturday, November 28, 2009

Best Car Insurance Rates

Getting the best car insurance rates is a lot easier than it used to be. You can find the best car insurance rates for your needs from comparison insurance sites that give you the ability to shop and compare types of auto insurance policies, auto insurance rates and auto insurance companies.Everyone needs auto insurance coverage to protect yourself and your family from injury. You also need auto insurance coverage to protect yourself financially from having to pay for any property damage if you have an accident. Most if not all states will not allow you to register your car until have insurance.

Deciding on out how much auto insurance coverage you need will be based on the minimum amount of car insurance coverage you can have in your state. How much insurance coverage you fell comfortable having and how much you can afford will also be considerations when deciding on coverage.

When you compare types of insurance coverage be sure you’re comparing apples to apples. The two main types of car insurance coverage are liability insurance and collision insurance. You can also have auto insurance coverage to pay for a rental car when your vehicle is being repaired.


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Sunday, November 15, 2009

Things to Look in Order to Lower the Car Insurance Rates

Car is a prized possession because it provides you with the flexibility to plan your journey, it is available to ferry you in case of some urgencies and it also gives you the desired social reckoning. Wisdom says that you must insure the car against any unforeseen events like some accidents, theft etc. And in fact, wisdom prevails but at what cost? Have you ever thought about the ways to reduce the inflated premiums? Have you ever looked for cheap UK car insurance?

Well, these are some questions which need you to stop, re-think and then proceed. The insurance cover and the related premium depend on the make and model of car. You might know this but do you know that these things also relate to your age and sex?
The premiums are lowered in case you are a female and above 21 years of age. This is because the insurance companies firmly believe that girls or women show more responsible and caring attitude to their valuable possessions.

The insurance rates can substantially come down in case you possess an older car or if you keep on improving your driving skills and avail the necessary certification. A skilled driver is less prone to cause any rash driving thus reducing the possibility of accidents and hence the lower premiums. These things apart, an exhaustive search for the right insurance policy with the genuine firm can also yield a cheap UK car insurance.

You can surf the internet wherein there are many insurance facilitating websites which can negotiate the insurance deal and bring the rates down to a great extent. Besides these, now days you have the convenience of availing cluttered information on the insurance quotes under a particular category from number of genuine insurance firms. This assorted information can be accessed at various comparison portals that are flourishing and making a strong web presence.


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Wednesday, October 28, 2009

College Car Insurance Basics: Tips for Saving Money and Staying Safe at School

CLEVELAND, Aug. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- As families start planning for college move-in day, many are considering whether to take a car to school. Some students enjoy having the freedom a car brings, allowing them to commute quickly and safely to class, activities and jobs.

If you plan to have your car on campus, it's wise to compare auto insurance rates before you move, especially since rates have decreased significantly since last fall. Whether you are buying a new policy for the first time, or looking to save your parents money, comparison shopping online is easy and can save hundreds of dollars.

"Teen and young adult drivers are the highest risk group for violations and accidents, so their rates will be expensive," said Sam Belden, VP at Insurance.com. "Insurance.com found that drivers ages 18-22 were paying an average rate of $150 a month for their own insurance. On average, young men pay about 10 percent more for auto insurance."

Taking your car to school? Consider these tips:

Purchase a parking permit

Check your school's policy on parking and buy a permit if necessary. The cost of the permit is well worth avoiding the hassle and expense of picking up your car at the impound lot. If you get a ticket, be sure to pay it on time - before it gets mailed home to Mom and Dad!

Choose a car that's less expensive to insure

If you are on your own for the first time, and in sticker shock from the cost of insurance, consider a used car that may not need comprehensive and collision coverage. Or pick a less expensive car to insure. A fuel-efficient Hyundai Sonata costs $1,770 to insure, while quotes for a new Scion averaged $2,850.

Drive safely

Concentrate on driving when you are on the road. Even one accident or ticket can increase your rates on auto insurance coverage by hundreds of dollars. And, don't lend your car to your roommate, because it's your insurance that pays!

Earn a Good Student discount

Students with a B grade average or higher usually qualify for an auto insurance discount of up to 15 percent. Look for low mileage discounts, too, if you drive less than 10,000 miles per year.

Manage credit cards carefully

Late payments will hurt your credit history and lead to higher auto insurance rates in states that permit insurers to consider it when setting rates.


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Thursday, October 15, 2009

Car Insurance - Free Online Auto Insurance Quotes In Seconds

Auto insurance quotes usually take a long time to get.  You have to call up car insurance company after company, answer a series of questions, then get the car insurance rates they give you and move on to the next company.  If you want cheap auto insurance rates then you don't have to spend all day calling several of the top automobile insurance providers.  A recent Atlanta Car Insurance company has released an innovative website that will allow anyone in any city or state in the United States to compare quotes quickly and easily.

All you have to do is put in your zip code and press go here.  Once you put in your zip code and hit go, you will be presented with the top low cost auto insurance companies in your area and the rates they can give you.

“The last time I was looking for new auto insurance, it took me several hours to call up each company and get quotes from them.  With this website, all I did was put in my zip code and hit the button.  This took out several hours of time and made the whole process much easier.  The nice thing about finding cheap car insurance companies is that I can compare auto insurance coverage quickly and easily.  I now realized that I could save about $46 a month just by switching my car insurance provider.” -Victor Parker

Aside from saving a lot of time while researching online auto insurance companies, you can save a lot of money too.  Even if your current car insurance company seems to be giving you a good rate, it doesn't hurt to compare low cost auto insurance quotes here because you never know if you are getting the best rate.

“I though my old car insurance company was giving me a good deal.  After coming across this website I was curious to see how much money I could save.  I am now saving $288 a year just by spending a few minutes on this auto insurance website.  Cool!”


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Monday, September 28, 2009

Car Insurance - Online Auto Insurance Quotes On One Website From Top Companies

Auto insurance quotes typically take a while to get.  In order to compare auto insurance rates you would ordinarily have to call up a car insurance company, answer a bunch of questions, and then do that with the next auto insurance company to get a quote. Not anymore.  A recent Baltimore Auto Insurance company released a website that will allow anyone in any city or state to get a auto insurance quote quickly and easily.

You can now get car insurance quotes simply by putting in your zip code here and pressing go.

After you put in your zip code and press go, you will instantly be presented with auto insurance companies in your area and the quotes they can give you.  You can then compare affordable car insurance rates all on one website.

“The last time I bought a new car it took me about an hour average for each of the companies I was trying to get a quote from.  I had to answer a lot of questions just to get a quick car insurance quote.  Then went on to the next company and did the same thing in order for me to find an auto insurance quote that fit my budget.  With this website, it took out several hours of my research time because all I had to to was type in my zip code and hit the go button. Thanks for saving me a lot of time!”

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Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Car Insurance Providers Lower Rates For Back To School

As teenagers are getting ready to go back to school and parents are reviewing their car insurance policies, the providers of car insurance plans are in a price war to lower their premiums to attract more business. Price wars are causing auto insurance companies to lower rates this month. Trey Augusta reports.

You could be saving money right now by paying a lower price for your car insurance. In fact it is very likely that the company you are currently using has lowered its rates without telling you, or there is another company out there on the market now with cheaper prices. An easy quick way of finding out whether this is true is to do a free search online that can help you compare quotes from all the car insurance companies on the market at present.

Currently it is so likely you are paying too much for your auto insurance. Today's state of the economy has driven car insurance companies to lower their prices in an attempt to get as much business as possible by undercutting the other companies out there. This puts you in a great position.

Online is the best way to search for the cheapest car insurance quote. You don't have to deal with annoying sale people and it saves you time, energy and is almost guaranteed to find you the cheapest price. It's as simple as pressing few buttons.

Many Americans don't know that car insurance quotes are revised daily because the car insurance sales people don't want you to know this. The internet is far more effective at getting you reliable quotes. It could save you hundreds of dollars per year.

If it has been more than a month since you have searched for quotes online or since your car insurance rate has changed do a quick search online and see if you could be saving money, it is highly likely you could be. Every American who has car insurance needs to check for free to see exactly how much their rate has changed.


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Friday, August 28, 2009

Car-sharing program launched in Utah

Drive a Toyota Prius one week, a Ford F-150 the next, then a Toyota Yaris without having to worry about car loans, leases or insurance.
U Car Share will make "vehicle access as convenient as owning a car," Mike Kemp, Utah's U-Haul Co. president, said Tuesday as he stood in front of a Prius and Ford Escape hybrid parked at the Utah Transit Authority central station.
The vehicles are part of a months-long process to bring the car-sharing program to Utah. There's a $25 initial fee to enroll in U Car Share, which gives people an electronic card and lets them reserve a car online. The e-card is swiped over a transmitter on the driver's side windshield to unlock the door of a car parked at a designated location. The keys are in a glove box and the hourly rate starts at $4.95, with 59 cents charged per mile.
When the member is through using the vehicle for errands or some other outing, he or she simply drops it back off at the same parking spot and leaves the keys in the car before swiping the e-card to lock it back up.
Twelve vehicles have been parked at UTA TRAX and FrontRunner stations from Ogden to Sandy, and the program is set to expand to 28 cars available at the University of Utah and different spots around Salt Lake City.
The program "is a win for just about everyone in this community -- whether you use U Car Share or not," said Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker, who spoke at the launching event. Though U Car Share is a program
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run by U-Haul, UTA, Salt Lake City and the U. are providing parking spots for the vehicles.
The shared-use program will help provide more sustainable options that weave into mass transit in Utah, said Kemp, and helps people minimize their car-owning expenses. Kemp said people can either get rid of extra cars or not need a personal car at all.
The average cost of owning a car can be more than $600 a month when figuring in insurance, payments, maintenance and gas, Kemp estimated. A monthly car-sharing plan for people who drive a lot could cost around $350.
With condominiums and mixed-use developments cropping up Utah's capital, Councilman J.T. Martin said U Car Share can help support a more urban environment.
Kemp also added the program encourages people to use public transportation more and cars less, thereby helping improve air quality and reduce fuel consumption.
With mass transit growing in Utah, said UTA General Manager John Inglish, car sharing is just another part of a balanced transportation system.
"This moves Salt Lake City into the arena of world-class transportation," he said.''



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