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When making decisions about automobile insurance, we need to understand the different auto insurance policies and what they cover. We can’t just shop for insurance on the basis of your monthly premium alone. It is critical that we know the answer to questions like:

What Is Comprehensive Car Insurance?
What Is An Auto Insurance Deductible?
What Is Full Coverage Auto Insurance?
What Is Auto Liability Insurance?

Comprehensive automobile insurance is the part of your automobile insurance policy that pays when your car is hit by a falling object, damaged by fire, stolen or vandalized. The cost of a broken window is also covered under the comprehensive section of a personal auto insurance policy. Comprehensive coverage is also called “other than collision” coverage.

The lack of this coverage does not affect what your insurance company will pay to others you might get into an accident with. Therefore it is optional unless your car is leased or has a loan against it. If your auto is leased or financed, the lesser or lender will probably mandate that you maintain comprehensive coverage on your auto.

A car insurance deductible applies to the comprehensive part of your policy and the collision section of your policy. Both of these aspects of your automobile insurance policy are optional. The deductible amounts for each can be different. Your deductible reduces the amount your insurance company will pay to repair or replace your automobile. If you have $3,000 worth of body work done on your car due to a covered accident and have a $500 deductible, your insurance company will pay you $2500.
The higher your deductible is, the lower your premium is likely to be.

Full coverage automobile insurance is a car insurance policy that includes not only the mandatory liability section, but also the optional comprehensive and collision coverage. This coverage are considered physical damage coverage. Chances are you will need to have full coverage if you do not own your auto outright. Your lender or leasing company will likely make you sign a contract that forces you to have full coverage.

One way to pay less for your automobile insurance policy is to increase your deductible on your comprehensive and or collision coverage. This means that you will be more at risk, however on an older automobile, the risk might be manageable and eliminating the physical damage coverage may be a good idea.

Liability insurance for your automobile is the part of your policy that can pay the other driver if you are considered to be at fault for a car crash. This coverage or proof of financial responsibility is mandated in every state of the US. Your deductible never applies to this coverage.

You have to have liability insurance, but the mandatory limits may be inadequate to give you enough coverage if you have an automobile crash that causes a lot of damage. Be sure that you not only understand how liability insurance works but that you also get the right amount.

Understanding how your car insurance policy works is critical if you are going to make the right choices.

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Yes, yes, I know, every penny counts, especially nowadays! But the few dollars you may try to save on your car insurance bill may cost you dearly in the long run.

Let’s start with the basics. In the State of Texas you are REQUIRED to have at least liability coverage on your vehicle. Liability insurance is that portion of your insurance which pays for the property and personal injury damages of someone you hit if a collision is your fault. In Texas the minimum amount of liability insurance that you are required to carry to cover for bodily injuries you may cause is $20,000.00 per person and $40,000.00 per incident. You are also required to carry $15,000.00 worth of insurance to cover any property damage you may cause.

So let me ask you this, have you seen a typical hospital bill lately? Have you seen some of the fancy cars people drive in this city? If those minimum limits sound a bit low, its because they are. In a time when any stay in a hospital is likely to cost tens of thousands of dollars and a new Toyota (not a Lexus mind you, but a Toyota) can cost upward of $25,000.00, you should seriously think about asking your insurance agent for more than these minimum limits. I think you will find the cost of increasing your coverage to $100,000.00 per person and $300,000.00 per incident surprisingly small. Your coverage for property damage will increase as well. Of course, as an alternative, you could just make sure you always drive behind vehicles that are at least ten years old!

Another type of coverage is called Personal Injury Protection, or PIP. This coverage will pay for your medical expenses and up to 80% of your lost wages in the event you are in an accident. Usually, the minimum amount of PIP coverage is $2,500.00, but again, it does not cost much to increase these policy limits. Again, given skyrocketing medical expenses and the importance of keeping up your flow of income, I suggest PIP coverage in at least the amount of $5,000.00.

In my opinion, the most important type of “optional” coverage anyone can purchase is Uninsured Motorists (“UIM”) coverage. This coverage will “step into the shoes” of someone who causes an accident if they are at fault and do not have any insurance. In my practice, you would be amazed at the number of times I see people involved in accidents who do not have insurance. Not only is this illegal, but it is irresponsible as well. UIM insurance has another benefit as well. It also acts to protect you in the event you are struck by someone who is underinsured. For example, let’s say you are struck in a collision and sustain serious personal injuries. Furthermore, let’s say the person who caused the collision only has minimum policy limits. In this scenario, your UIM coverage will “fill in the blanks” and will act to increase the liability limits of the “underinsured” driver beyond $20,000.00.

Of course, you may also wish to purchase comprehensive and collision insurance as well. This insurance will pay for the repair of your vehicle if you cause an accident, or if your car is stolen, etc. If you are financing your vehicle, your bank will require this coverage. You may have an option of the size of your deductible. How much risk you can afford to take in this regard is a question of personal preference.

There are also other types of optional coverage that your insurance company may offer. These may include car rental insurance, glass breakage, or death indemnity. While some of this coverage is quite inexpensive, others may not be worth the expense. I would certainly make sure you had the “basics” (liability, PIP and UIM) in place before you started thinking about these “bells and whistles.”

So remember folks, even if you are trying to watch your budget, be careful about cutting back too far on your insurance bill. Insurance is one of those things that you hope you never need, but you are darn happy you have it when you need it!

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Operating a company vehicle means a completely different approach to insurance. For van drivers, a van insurance policy that protects themselves, their vehicle and their business means searching for specialist insurers who understand the specific needs of van drivers.

The definition of van insurance.
Like any other road-going vehicle, you need insurance to be able to operate your van on the highways of the UK. The first thing to remember is that van insurance is specifically designed to insure vehicles that are designed to carry goods and less than four passengers. Some van insurance companies also specify the van’s weight capacity (sometimes no more than 3.5 tones GVW) or may exclude what are known as ‘lifestyle’ vehicles that can also double up as utility or leisure vehicles. So the first thing to look for is a van insurance provider who will cover your vehicle.

Van insurance also may have more restrictions on who can drive the vehicle, such as only the insured driver or drivers who are over the age of 21. So if you have a young driver on your fleet, it may be worth looking for an insurance provider who will cater for drivers under 21. Also remember that van insurance has some fairly strict definitions as to what the van can be used for. If you also use your van for private use such as commuting to and from your place of work or for personal use outside working hours, you will need to make sure that your van insurance policy also allows you to use the vehicle for social, domestic and pleasure use. If it doesn’t have this addition and you have an accident outside your normal working routine, your insurance may not cover you for damage to either your own vehicle or to a third party.

What about my tools?
One of the biggest worries for drivers looking for van insurance is whether their tools will also be covered in the event of the theft of the vehicle, for example. Many van insurance providers do not cover the contents of a vehicle, particularly if your trade is classified as ‘manual’, so you may need to consider separate insurance to protect your tools. Some insurers are now including contents insurance on vans, so it’s worth checking around to find a deal that has this as an optional extra. Be prepared to pay more, though, for your overall van insurance if you do include this.

Because of the high mileage that van drivers do in the course of their business, there is more chance statistically of being involved in some kind of road traffic incident. This is why van insurance is usually comprehensive, and costs a little more than an average car insurance policy. There are also often restrictions as to what type of business you can use the van for. Commonly, industries such as entertainment are excluded from van insurance policies, so it pays to check the small print, otherwise you could find that your occupation negates your insurance policy and you are, in fact, driving while uninsured. This is a criminal offence and could result in a hefty fine or even the van being impounded by the Police.

Finally, as with the vast majority of motor insurance policies, the better your vehicle security arrangements, the lower your premium. For van drivers, garaging a vehicle may be impractical or even impossible. To reduce your van insurance premiums, it may be a good idea to fit your company vehicles with a tracking device. Insurers consider this to be an excellent deterrent to thieves, and consequently reward drivers who have their vehicles ‘low-jacked’ or fitted with tracking devices. It also enables you to know exactly where your van is at all times, and can help the Police to recover your vehicle much more quickly in the event of it being stolen.

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