Posted July 14th, 2011
by James Morris
A questionable auto insurance claim is one in which the information doesn’t seem to make sense. These are flagged by insurance companies who will further investigate the claim. Additionally, state fraud agencies will launch investigations into alleged fraud. California leads the nation with questionable claims. In second place comes Florida, having passed Texas in 2010. States like Florida are especially troubled by insurance fraud because of their no-fault laws. Other states with no-fault laws in place are Michigan and New York. Because of these systems, those states also top the list for cost of insurance.
Tags: Auto Insurance, Insurance, Questionable Auto, Questionable Auto Insurance Posted in Car Insurance Online
Posted July 14th, 2011
by James Morris
As far as insurance is concerned, having your license on you when you get into an accident isn’t a big deal. Most states require that you have a license on you when driving and will ticket you for not having it. You can avoid most of the fines by providing proof of license at court. However, it is always best to have your license with you regardless. If you don’t have your license because it was suspended, that is another story. You will be facing much more serious charges and you shouldn’t have been on the road in the first place.
Tags: Happen Insurance, Insurance Posted in Car Insurance Online
Posted July 7th, 2011
by Zara Mulley
Oregon is on track to become the second state to allow “peer-to-peer” car sharing when legislation that removes some insurance-related roadblocks takes effect Jan. 1.
The new law bars insurers from dropping policyholders who use sharing services that allow vehicle owners to rent out their cars to strangers when they’re not behind the wheel.
Laws in most states allow insurance providers to cancel the policies of customers who use or rent out vehicles for commercial purposes.
Proponents say car sharing gives renters an inexpensive way to get around and helps owners offset some of the high costs of vehicle maintenance.
Americans pay about $8,500 a year to own and operate a midsized sedan, according to a survey released in April by AAA.
Under the Oregon legislation, the service companies that broker deals between owners and renters must provide at least three times the amount of liability coverage required for private motorists under state law. And o
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Tags: Insurance, Insurance Implications Posted in Car Insurance Online
Posted June 29th, 2011
by Jackson Yarnold
Travel insurance helps protect a vacation against many unexpected situations that can ruin a trip. The wildfires in the southwestern United States has many travelers asking how travel insurance can help. Depending on which policy and when the policy was purchased, there can be several coverage benefits that apply.
First it is important to note that a policy must be purchased before an event is considered foreseeable. This means it would be too late to purchase a policy today to cover the fires already burning in Arizona, since the fires first started on May 29th.
For those who already have a policy, look in the certificate for travel delay, trip cancellation and interruption or cancel for any reason coverage.
Travel delay reimburses expenses during a time of delay. These expenses can include food, taxis and hotels. Most policies provide coverage if a common carrier delay lasts for a set amount of time, anywhere from 3 to 24 hours. So the extra costs incurred because smoke delayed a flight can be reimbursed by travel delay coverage.
Trip cancellation and trip interruption covers the unused expenses of a trip that are not refunded if the trip is scrapped for a covered reason. Review a policy’s covered reasons to see if fire is covered. Many plans cover if the traveler’s home or the accommodation at the destination is damaged by a fire or natural disaster. So if the fires ruin the traveler’s home or lodging during the trip is uninhabitable, the trip can be cancelled or end early, and the travelers reimbursed.
The catch all coverage is cancel for any reason. This allows the trip to be cancelled entirely without having to provide an explanation, even if it is concern about the wildfires. There are some restrictions with this benefit. First, it is only available if the policy is purchased within a short time from the trip deposit date, anywhere from 9 to 30 days. Second, the full trip cost has to be insured in order to qualify for this coverage. This means the traveler doesn’t have the option to only insure a flight, but not a tour, all prepaid and non-refundable expenses have to be insured. Next, the trip has to be cancelled at least two days before departure. Once within two days of the trip start date, the coverage no longer applies. Last, a claim will not reimburse 100% of the trip cost, most policies reimburse 75% of the trip cost.
Tags: Insurance, Travel Insurance Posted in Insurance Advice
Posted June 27th, 2011
by James Morris
Lapsed car insurance policies can lead to up to a 12% increase in insurance rates, according to a new analysis.
Drivers who let their most recent auto insurance coverage lapse before purchasing a new policy paid an average of 5.7% more than the 1,405 paid for annual coverage by drivers who maintained continuous coverage, according to an examination of 184,000 car insurance policies sold through Insurance.com in 2009 and 2010.
Drivers with a history of allowing their policies lapse, which is not uncommon in a tough economy, tend to be more likely to be involved in crashes, according to car insurance company research.
Drivers insuring a single vehicle whose previous policy had lapsed paid 8.8% more in average annual premium costs than drivers who maintained continuous coverage for one vehicle, who paid an average of 1,222.
Insurers begin charging higher rates with policies that lapse by as little as one day, according to the Insurance.com data. Read more…
Tags: Auto Insurance, Insurance Posted in Car Insurance Online