The concept of driving safely seems to elude many people. In fact, a great many drivers seem to go out of their way to put others in danger. This has serious consequences. The most serious ramification is of course that people die. It is not only other drivers who suffer, either. Those drivers’ passengers are at risk too, some of whom are undoubtedly children. It is even possible to save money on Pennsylvania car insurance by driving safely, largely through having a full no-claims discount. In this article, have a look at some simple reminders that should aid your safety on the road.

Mind The Gap

Leaving a significant gap between you and the car in front is vital if you want to be a safe driver. The main reason is reaction time. No one has superhero reflexes. Every human being needs a certain amount of time between seeing something and responding to it. Furthermore, things happen very quickly in an accident, and you will be operating entirely on instinct, with no time to think things through. Leaving enough space gives you the best possible chance. A two-second gap is recommended in good weather, and with your full no-claims discount as a result, you can expect your Pennsylvania car insurance quote to be far more agreeable.

How Much Is That Space Really Worth?

Some people go nuts when another driver wants the space in front of them. Do try not to be one of those people. There is only so much space on the road, so someone somewhere has to share some of it. Usually, fighting over a space is worthless, as you will hardly be disadvantaged by arriving at your destination a car-length later than you had planned! Erie insurance agents certainly look more kindly on those drivers who are less likely to get angry and make a mistake behind the wheel.

Keep Your Vehicle Safe

While the vast majority of tips on driving safely should be directed at the drivers themselves, there is still something to be said for keeping vehicles in good condition. Even the simplest maintenance like keeping the tires correctly inflated can make a world of difference to the handling and braking performance of a car or truck. There is no sense in looking for cheap Pennsylvania car insurance without first making sure that your vehicle is in top working order.

Conclusion

In summary, leave plenty of room for other drivers, try not to get territorial about spaces and keep your car in good condition. These are just three simple tips for keeping our roads safe. If everyone followed them, the world would definitely be a better place. You can find more information on this sort of thing through the Williams Agency, if you are interested. Pennsylvania free auto insurance quotes are all the more satisfying when you know you will not be charged extra because you lack a no-claims discount. Keeping safe is therefore one of the best ways to save money, as if you needed another reason!

Comprehensive Insurance Coverage for Pennsylvania Car Insurance

Comprehensive insurance coverage pays for damage to your car that does not come from an automobile accident. This will protect your car against the automotive version of Murphy’s Law, “whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.” This includes acts of nature and other calamities such as:

ü Hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes.

ü Fire.

ü Theft and vandalism.

ü Falling objects.

ü Collisions with animals, such as hitting a deer.

ü Breakage of glass, this includes replacement of your windshield.

ü Hail, water, or flood.

The actual events that are covered can vary from carrier to carrier, so you need to check with you insurance agent to find out the specific coverage for your policy.

Why do I need it?

Like collision insurance, comprehensive insurance coverage is optional, not mandatory. The exception may be if your car is new, still financed, or leased. In those cases, the lender or leasing company may require that you carry comprehensive insurance coverage. Even if it is not mandatory in most cases, the need for it is obvious. Without comprehensive insurance coverage, any and all damage done to you vehicle, from a ding in the windshield to complete loss from a falling tree, is completely your financial burden. This could end up being thousands of dollars out of your pocket. Having comprehensive coverage relieves you of that worry and unplanned expense.

Like collision insurance, comprehensive coverage includes a deductible. The higher your deductible is, the lower your premium will be. The premium is the amount that you pay for the coverage. Your deductible can range from $0 to $5000 or more. A higher deductible will cost you less in premiums, making it a very appealing option. However, in the event of an accident, that high deductible can put a substantial dent in your pocketbook. The deductible must always be paid first, before the comprehensive insurance coverage will kick in to pay the balance.

Drivers that live in rural areas where deer, cows, and other animals may cross the road should be especially vigilant about carrying comprehensive insurance coverage. The Insurance Information Institute has stated that deer are responsible for 1.6 million automobile accidents per year. These accidents cause 200 fatalities and approximately $3.6 billion in vehicle damage.

Comprehensive insurance coverage will not cover damage done to an automobile due to improper maintenance of the vehicle. Policy rates will also vary depending on the age and experience of the driver.

As with collision coverage, the type of comprehensive insurance coverage you purchase should take into account how high a deductible you can afford, and the age of your vehicle. In the event your car is a total loss, your comprehensive policy will pay you the current “Blue Book” value of the car, not what it will cost you to replace it. If your car is worth less than $4000, it may be cheaper to purchase a new car, than to pay the cost of the comprehensive insurance premiums and your deductible, in the event of an accident.

Pennsylvania Car Insurance Basics (part 3)                Collision Insurance Coverage

To continue our discussion, another type of Pennsylvania car insurance that you should purchase is collision coverage. When you cause an accident, your liability insurance pays for who or what you hit. Collision insurance coverage is what pays to repair the damage done to your vehicle.

While liability insurance is required in most states, comprehensive insurance coverage is optional. You don’t have to buy this coverage, but without it, you will have to pay the entire cost to repair your vehicle. If your vehicle is a total loss due to an accident, then the cost would include a new car plus the expense of paying off the loan on the totaled car, if it was financed. Most finance companies require that you carry collision coverage when you finance the purchase a new car.

Collision insurance comes with what’s called a deductible. The deductible is the amount of money that you need to spend out of pocket, before your collision coverage takes effect. When you are in an accident, you will need to file a claim and have the car examined by a mechanic. You’ll get an estimate for repairs; subtract the amount of your deductible, and the remainder of the cost will be paid by your insurance company. For instance, if the repair estimate is $1700 and you have a $500 deductible, then once you pay the first $500, the insurance company will pay the remaining $1200 to have your car repaired.

    Generally, the higher your deductible is, the lower your premium will be. The premium is the monthly amount that you pay for collision insurance coverage. While opting-out of collision insurance may look like a good savings on paper, the short-term savings are not worth the risk in today’s market. Cars are a major financial investment and accident repairs can be prohibitively expensive. When deciding on what type of collision coverage you will purchase, you should take into account how high a deductible you can afford, and the age of your vehicle. In the event your car is a total loss, collision insurance will pay you the current “Blue Book” value of the car, not what it will cost you to replace it. The older the car, the lower the Blue Book value will be. Any car that has a Blue Book value over $4000 should have collision coverage. Once the Blue Book value of the car drops below $4000, it may be cheaper to purchase a new car, rather than pay the cost of the collision insurance premiums and repairs in the event of an accident.

Pennsylvania Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage Explained

Although state law requires that all licensed drivers carrying Pa car insurance have liability coverage in order to legally drive a car, the reality is that many drivers don’t comply with these laws. A considerable number, nearly 15%, of drivers on the road do not have liability insurance. For obvious reasons, these drivers are known as uninsured motorists (UM). Other drivers comply with the law, but will only carry the minimum liability coverage that is required by the state. This minimum coverage is often not enough to cover the medical bills or property damage costs that are incurred in an accident.

Insurance companies refer to these drivers as underinsured motorists (UIM).

In order to protect their clients in case of an accident, insurance companies offer uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. This insurance will cover the expenses incurred by victims, when the at-fault driver either does not have insurance or doesn’t have enough liability insurance to cover the costs involved. It will also cover medical and property expenses from a hit-and-run accident.

 For instance, if the medical costs of the victim come to $25,000 and the driver’s liability only pays up to $15,000, then the victim’s UM/UIM coverage will pay the remaining $10,000 in medical bills. Most insurance companies offer separate policies for UM/UIM bodily injury liability and property damage liability insurance.

Who is covered?

Your uninsured/underinsured motorist bodily injury coverage includes you (the policyholder), other drivers covered by the policy, and any passengers in the vehicle at the time of the accident.

What is covered?

Like liability insurance, UM/UIM bodily injury coverage is purchased with limits. If the at-fault driver is an uninsured motorist, then your policy will pay up to the per person/per accident limits purchased. If the at-fault driver is an underinsured motorist, then his policy will pay to its limit, and your policy will then pay the balance, up to the limit purchased. Like liability coverage, UM/UIM bodily injury insurance covers bodily injuries, lost wages, pain, and suffering.

If you purchase an UM/UIM property damage insurance policy, then the coverage will pay a certain amount toward the repair of your vehicle and some policies may include personal property. These amounts can be set by the state, and will vary by state and policy provisions. It is not available in all states. UM/UIM property damage does not replace collision insurance. The limits are not enough to cover all repair/replacement costs, and it only applies if you are in an accident that was caused by an uninsured or underinsured motorist.

Maybe it’s time to check your Pennsylvania auto insurance policy and see if your coverage is adequate to cover you against an uninsured driver.

Pennsylvania Auto Insurance Simplified (part 2)

This week we will continue our previous discussion about liability insurance.

As we previously mentioned, liability insurance covers “the other guy.” The first type of liability insurance is bodily injury. In the event that you are responsible for an accident, this is insurance coverage that pays the medical costs of injuries sustained by others. It can also include wages lost during recovery from an accident, as well as “pain and suffering” incurred because of the accident. 

The second type of automobile liability insurance that we will discuss is

Property damage liability insurance:

What is it and what does it cover?

Property damage liability insurance coverage includes the repair or replacement of property that was damaged or destroyed in an accident that is your responsibility. The property can include other vehicles, trees, mailboxes, fences, or buildings – any property that was damaged because of the accident. It would not only include parts and labor for a vehicle damaged in an accident, but also damage to items in the vehicle such as laptop computers, DVD players, cell phones, etc.

Why do you need it?

As with bodily injury liability, if you cause an accident, you are financially responsible. This means that you are personally responsible for any and all damage that has been done to property belonging to other people involved in the accident. When you purchase property damage liability insurance coverage, then your insurance company will pay the property damage costs, up to the amount of your coverage. Just like bodily injury liability insurance, property damage liability insurance is mandatory in most states.

What types of coverage are available?

Property damage coverage can range from $5,000 to $300,000, depending on the type of policy that you purchase. You may be able to choose between a split-limit policy and a combined single-limit policy. A single-limit policy has one maximum amount for bodily injury and property damage combined. The split-limit policy is the most common type, where bodily and property limits are “split,” with the third number in the split being the property damage limit. Take, for instance, a 100/300/50 split. That would translate to $100,000 bodily injury coverage per person, $300,000 bodily injury coverage per accident, and $50,000 property damage per accident.

How much coverage do I need?

The purpose of liability coverage is to protect your personal assets. In a serious accident, the state-required minimum coverage won’t come close to covering all of the potential costs. You may end up paying for a major portion of the costs out of your own pocket. In some cases, drivers have been forced to liquidate their property, their savings and even commit future earnings in order to cover their liability in accidents. A generally accepted rule of thumb is to carry $50,000 of property damage liability insurance coverage for every vehicle you own. The more valuable your assets, the higher your Pennsylvania auto coverage should be.