Do you sometimes wonder why some insurance rates are higher or lower than others? Auto insurance rates vary for various reasons. There are several factors that may affect your automobile insurance rate. Here is a brief list of some of the criteria that auto insurance rates are based on.

1. Your driving record. Automobile insurance companies base your rate very heavily on your driving record. If you have a good driving record, you’ll receive a superb driving discount, which will make your rate lower. People who drive safely are less likely to be involved in an automobile accident. However, if you have speeding tickets, accident records, or have filed an auto claim before, your rate is going to be higher.

2. Your vehicle. Auto insurance companies also take the make and model of your vehicle into consideration when determining your insurance rate. Some vehicles cost more to repair or replace than others, in which case the owners of such vehicles will receive higher insurance rates. This is why owners of convertibles, for instance, usually have a higher auto insurance rate. However, anti-theft devices and other security features can give you a discount on your rate.

3. Your annual mileage. Drivers who are on the road more are more likely to get in an auto accident simply because they are presented with more opportunities for accidents to happen. Therefore, the less you drive your car, the lower your auto insurance will be.

These three things are some of the most celebrated reasons why auto insurance rates vary. Your driving record, vehicle, and annual mileage are all relevant to how likely you will be to file a claim and how expensive your claim would be. Therefore, they are all used by auto insurance companies to determine your auto insurance rate.

STAY CALM

This, by far, is the most valuable section of information in this article. Immediately following an car accident everyone eager is a little shook up. There may or may not be injuries keen. Vehicles are damaged, and there are fingers pointing blame at who may be at fault.

Assess the situation with a level head. If there is anyone with injuries, of if you are hurt yourself, dial 911 and request assistance. Head and spinal injuries are uncertain. You should leave moving an injured person with either of these injuries to professionals trained in removing a person from their vehicle.

CALL 911

This should be done immediately if there are injuries involved. If no one is hurt, you still need to file a formal police report, regardless of the extent of damage involved. This protects you whether you were at fault or not.

The days of exchanging insurance information and shaking hands are long gone. You need an impartial representative to document the facts at the scene of the accident, take sight statements, and assess fault. If you are the at fault party, this protects you from false damages and injuries possibly surfacing later. I have seen a $200 dent turn into a $25,000 claim because the at fault party was trusting the other person fervent.

Do not stammer with the other party about the accident at this time. If someone is hurt, medical assistance is on the way. Tempers could flare, making a bad situation worse. Remember, stay calm, and wait for police assistance.

PREVENT FURTHER DAMAGE

Depending on where your accident occurred, you may be at risk to causing another accident or getting hit again. Immediately put on your hazard lights. This notifies other drivers around you to proceed with caution. If you are in an are where moving the vehicles would be in the best interests of everyone interested, then do so. Assess the situation with a level head. There are alot of factors to mediate.

If proving who is at fault can only be determined by the position of the vehicles, leave them until the police reach. I recommend every driver have an “accident kit” in their vehicle, complete with a camera, notebook and pen, and hazard cones or triangles. If you have a camera, and need to move your vehicle, take pictures of the accident scene before the vehicles are moved. This is your evidence.

If traffic permits, travel your vehicle to the far side of the road. Depending on the severity of the accident, this may allow the flow of traffic to resume and prevent another accident from occurring. Keep your hazard lights on until the police have arrived on the scene and taken their report. Slash them off only when you are leaving and everything is over. Your hazard lights reinforces to everyone around you they need to proceed with caution.

WITNESSES

Anyone that stops is a potential witness. Most people that witnessed an accident are going to conclude, ask if you are okay, and continue about their business. At the end of the day, you are left with a memory of faces, but no actual witnesses unless someone stops and waits with you for police to reach. When someone stops to ask about your welfare, ask if they saw what happened. Find out what they saw. If they did see the accident, earn their name and telephone number (with your handy notebook and pen). An eye gape is another unprejudiced person that can help protect you during the claims process.

DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT

Immediately following an accident emotions hasten high, You may be scared, injured, or even angry. Now is the best time to compile as much information as you can while it is fresh on your mind.

If you are equipped with a camera and your injuries do not prevent it, take pictures of everything. Your vehicle, their vehicle, surroundings, anything that may be critical to your claim.

Write down the accomplish and models of vehicles involved, license plates if possible, witness information, vehicle placement, and an honest description of what exactly happened. One key thing is the description of the driver, especially if there were more than one person in the other vehicle. Many times the person driving before an accident isn't the person reported on the police report. I have even seen drivers leave the scene of an accident before police arrive, only for a different “driver” to return and take the blame. All of this will be important during the claims process.

Document all damages and injuries to yourself, the other driver, and any passengers alive to. If there are any skid marks, damaged poles or anything else- write it down and prefer pictures if possible.

THE POLICE REPORT

Do not discuss the accident, cause, or assess who is at fault with the other party. Save that for the police report. The police officer will document who he believes is at fault based on several factors. He or she will consider witnesses at the scene, damages, location of the accident, traffic, and who's story seems the most believable.

If you are injured, or feel any misfortune attributed to the accident, inform the officer of this. A cramped pain now can be a larger harm later. Make sure the injuries to your passengers, if any, are documented as well.

Provide the officer with your insurance information and be sure that the other party's insurance information is documented as well. If you believe that someone should receive a traffic ticket or infraction based on the accident, inquire about it with the officer and find out if any citations or tickets will be issued. Be sure to request a copy of the police report. Some localities may be able to provide a copy to you on the spot. Others have a waiting period, normally a couple of days, and you have to go and request it from the police station or download it on-line.

The responding police officer is usually the first “judge” in the automobile accident claims process. His opinion is not only the first one, but is also the one that others will injurious their plan on. That is why you need to be prepared with facts and cold-hard evidence. Your pictures and witnesses point to what happened before the officer came on the scene and are harder to dispute than an notion of what happened.

CALL YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY
When the smoke clears and you have completed your police report, now is the time you contact your insurance company. Notify them of the accident, and all damages and injuries involved if any. Withhold in mind they are not only looking out for your best interest, but their best interest as well. Your documentation of the chain of events, witness information and pictures will ensure that their best interest is your best interest as well.

Provide the insurance company with a listing of any damages, including any personal property inside of the vehicle that may have been damaged in the accident. Any injuries sustained or pains should be reported to your insurance company immediately.

Depending on how bad the accident was and what coverages you have, your insurance company may be able to get your vehicle towed and a rental car for your use. Those two coverages are optional on your insurance policy. If you do not have coverage for towing or a rental car, it may be in your best interest to add it. Those exiguous additions only add a couple extra dollars a month to your policy and can save you a lot of headaches.

To give some examples of average insurance costs across the United States, let's consult a study done by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). While the study only shows data through 2008, statistically the percentages of increase and decrease in costs fluctuates at less than 3%. This means the data and figures won't be very far off from current pricing and statistics.

The average price of auto insurance nationwide is shown as being $789 per year. While $800 a year for insurance is an average nationwide, if we look closer at clear states and localities, we gaze that this can be very far away from the average of certain places. For example, Washington DC has an average insurance cost of $1,126 as it is listed as the most expensive state for auto insurance. The least expensive state listed is North Dakota, with an average yearly insurance cost of $503.

The 10 most expensive states to carry auto insurance in on average are DC, Louisiana, New Jersey, Florida, Unique York, Delaware, Rhode Island, Nevada, Connecticut and Maryland. The 10 least expensive states to have auto insurance in are North Dakota, Iowa, South Dakota, Nebraska, Idaho, Kansas, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Maine and Indiana.

Insurance costs in some states are higher, not just because of the area in which you are living, but also because people in that dwelling may be better able to afford more expensive newer vehicles, which they are insuring with comprehensive coverage for greater amounts. The opposite is legal for areas with poorer economies; consumers are driving older model vehicles and insuring for less. They are probably getting by with liability only. These are generalities that speak only to the circumstances in general of certain locales.

Auto insurance will also be more expensive in urban areas that have more traffic and more vandalism. This is why certain cities are great more expensive than the states average that they are located in. Detroit, Michigan is one such city. The state average is $907 and the average annual auto premium for Detroit is $5,948. While the Louisiana average is $1,105; the average for New Orleans is $3,802.

So, we can give an average overall for insurance policy costs across the country; but it is far from an average for any state, person or type of vehicle.

Sources:

Insurance Information Institute

Getting quotes for auto insurance is an easy process. With just a few clicks on the computer or toll-free telephone calls, anyone can gather a list that compares auto insurance by services and rates. For senior citizens, who often are on fixed incomes, this can be a very cost-effective employ, possibly saving them hundreds of dollars during an insured period.

Finding Comparable Rates

Buying auto insurance is like any other indispensable, long-term purchase. The key is to take time to research and shop for the best deal with righteous auto insurance companies.

The following is a sample of insurance companies and insurance brokers offering auto insurance quotes on the Internet. Many have specific marketing programs targeting senior citizens.

AARP: www.aarp.thehartford.com.
AARP is an advocacy organization for seniors that promotes the interests of people over 50 years old. They offer auto insurance to members through The Hartford.

Allstate: www.allstate.com.
Allstate is a well known insurance company. Quotes can be gathered at the above website or local agents can be found in the telephone book and are available to encourage in preparing a free quote.

Farmers Insurance Group: http://www.farmersinsurance.com.
Online or in person, a Farmers insurance agent can review auto insurance coverage, wait on identify potential gaps, and include any qualifying Farmers Auto insurance discounts.

Progressive Insurance: www.progressive.com.
Progressive will provide a quote for their company along with comparables of other auto insurance companies for easy comparisons.

Geico Insurance: www.geico.com.
This company can be accessed online or at one of their many offices. It is easy to get a quote; they offer flexible payment options and competitive rates.

Costco: www.costco.com.
Costco offers membership insurance through Ameriprise Auto & Home Insurance.

Autoinsure: www.autoinsure.org.
Autoinsure has a page with helpful insurance information for senior citizens. They can provide quotes from all the major auto insurance companies.

Esurance: www.esurance.com.
A rising star among insurance companies that steal pride in stating: “Esurance doesn’t just offer pleasurable insurance coverage, we also believe in educating consumers.” Their online quote process is easy to navigate.

US Insurance: www.usinsuranceonline.com
They will provide multiple auto insurance quotes tailored to specific needs within minutes of filling out their simple short make. It’s easy then to compare them side by side to find the best prices and coverage.

Car Insurance Rates: www.carinsurancerates.com
Their network of companies and brokers offer a variety of car insurances: Farmers, Allstate, AIG, Nationwide, AARP, Safeco Insurance, Liberty Mutual, MetLife and Mercury.

Every insurance rate: www.everyinsurancerate.com
EveryInsuranceCompany.com is a handy Internet directory to find local insurance companies, insurance quotes and discount insurance rates.

Quote Scout: www.quotescout.com.
This website will provide quotes from a long list of auto insurance companies – literally from “A” to “Z”.

Insurance.com: http://www.insurance.com.
Insurance.com works directly with 15 highly rated car insurance companies in 46 states: 21st Century, Electric Insurance, Esurance Auto Insurance, The Hartford, Infinity, Liberty Mutual, Meritplan Insurance, MetLife Auto Insurance, Newport Insurance, Permanent General Assurance Corporation (The General), Progressive, QBE Insurance, Safeco, Travelers Insurance, and Unitrin Direct.

Keeping Auto Insurance Rates Down

There are ways that senior citizens can buy responsibility to control their auto insurance rates. Here are a few suggestions.

According to seniorjournal.com, most of the major auto insurance agencies provide a 5% – 10% discount to drivers beginning at the ages of 50 or 55. However, as a group, drivers 75 and older have one of the highest rates of fatal daytime accidents. Because of this, it’s indispensable that senior drivers stay proactive and involved in keeping their driving skills sharp.

Many states offer an auto insurance discount for customary drivers if a person meets a given age criteria and has taken an approved mature driver safety course. Local colleges and senior centers are good resources to learn about the classes. AARP has local and on-line access to the course. Costco offers its members an online drivers’ safety training course through FirstNet: www.firstnetlearning.com.

Another way to support auto insurance rates down is to drive a low-profile car, one that as part of a group has a lower rate due to minimum repair costs, considered safer and less likely to be stolen. Check the Highway Loss Data Institute, www.iihs.org, for the latest related data.

Examine current auto insurance needs and requirements. Changing to higher deductibles or dropping collision or comprehensive coverage for older cars may make sense.

Always ask about discounts when purchasing or renewing auto insurance.

And finally, the best long-term advice: Always drive defensively, stay alert and follow the driving laws. Maintaining a safe driving record is the best way to keep auto insurance rates down.

Because of this, especially here in California, many government agencies and corporations are offering incentives to their employees and customers to reduce smog. They are doing this in order to decrease the amount of pollutants that we put off into the air.

The federal government offers up to $5,000 in tax rebates for individuals and businesses per vehicle when you lease or purchase a new zero-emission or plug-in vehicle. This credit will continue until the appropriated funds have been exhausted. Some zero-emission commercial vehicles can qualify for up to $20,000 in tax rebates. The qualifying vehicles have to have been purchased on or after March 10, 2010.

The city of Sacramento offers free parking to certified electric vehicles that have been approved by the city of Sacramento. There are designated parking garages in the downtown area where the parking is complimentary. There are also free plug-in stations around the city.

In San Jose, if you occupy a hybrid vehicle from a San Jose dealership, you are eligible for exemption from local parking fees.

The city of Santa Monica allows green vehicles to park for free for the amount of time designated on each individual parking meter.

There are also many companies that offer benefits for employees who have purchased green vehicles.

Hyperion is Santa Clara gives employees $5,000 for purchasing a hybrid vehicle. They have allotted $1,000,000 for this program.

Bank of America will reimburse over 185,000 employees $3,000 if they purchase hybrid vehicles.

Google will give $5,000 to corpulent time employees who steal a vehicle that gets at least 45 mpg or more. It gives $2,500 if the vehicle is leased.

Los Angeles County employees, retirees, family members, contractors, and sub-contractors receive a discount on vehicles purchased at designated dealerships. This program began Feb. 12, 2008 as their “Vehicle Purchasing Services Program”.

The America Jewish Committee employees in Los Angeles can receive a $1,500 or $2,500 bonus, depending on the model of the vehicle.

Hotels such as the Fairmont San Jose and The Argent in San Francisco will cut their parking rates in half for hybrid vehicles. “The Shrimp River Inn” in Mendocino actually offers one free night's stay with the seize of the second night.

The Farmers Insurance Group offers 10% off of an auto insurance policy for hybrid vehicles.

There are also businesses popping up everywhere such as Whole Foods and Ikea that offer priority
parking spaces for hybrids.

So, there are plenty incentives for purchasing hybrid and electric vehicles. Build the environment, go green!

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://driveclean.ca.gov

(n.d.). Retrieved from www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/laws/state_summary/CA

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.hybridcars.com/federal-incentives.html

First of all, you need to determine how much insurance you really need. Many people are paying more on auto insurance than what their vehicle is even worth. If this is the case the best thing to do is to descend some coverage. If your car is not worth noteworthy and you simply have auto insurance because it is a necessity to drive, you should drop coverage such as collision coverage. This will decrease your premium and still give you the required coverage you need to drive upright.

Another way you can save on auto insurance is by increasing your deductible. This is the amount of money you agree to pay in case of an accident. If you are a honorable driver you most likely will never have to pay this money. One intention to save a lot of money on car insurance is to simply increase your deductible.

You can also set aside on auto insurance by being loyal to one company. If you have home owners insurance, renters insurance, motorcycle insurance, or any other type of insurance try to stick with one company. If you do this you will most likely be offered a multi policy discount on your auto insurance. Simply sticking with one company can help save you money.

These are just a few ways you could save on auto insurance without even shopping around for another company. Following the tips above could help save you hundreds of dollars a year on auto insurance.

Making it all the way to senior status around here does have its perks and certain insurance discounts are only a small bit of the good stuff that is to be in store. When I mention twilight here I don’t mean the dreamy attractive brooding vampires from the movies either. I mean those golden few years where you are supposed be able to rest easy and take your time getting somewhere instead of rushing around like a maniac all the time.

It is surprising to me having just turned fifty that I actually had to go and ask our insurance agent to give me any available senior discounts they offer. It is not like they do not know my age! In fact, they probably know more about me than most of my friends and family combined. So make a point of asking your agent to procure you tuned in to every senior discount option they offer. If you are not gay with these results then contact other insurance agencies and start shopping around. Once you have the agents attention ask them to abet you with the following things.

First see if they offer a pleasure driver rate as this can save a senior money on their insurance since they are typically not driving nearly as much as when they commuted to work every day of the week. This one change could achieve you ten to fifteen percent on your premiums.

Another item to contemplate is to ask if they can aid set you up with an AARP or AAA safe driver course which once completed successfully they should be able to offer you another design of safe driver discount. It is well-liked knowledge that folks between the ages of 50 and 70 are reportedly some of the safest drivers on the road.

Since you are officially a safer driver than most and to prove it you finished your safe driver course it may be time to raise your deductible so that your monthly premiums are lowered. This is worth the risk if you have a good driving record and can put away the deductible amount you may need ahead of time. Of course paying the deductible later negates some of the savings you accrued but that is always going to be the same risk no matter how much you pay per month.

One really fast way to save on your insurance cost is to pay your annual premium amount in full at the beginning of the term. This can net you a substantial cost reduction on your premiums if you can afford to drop the cash in one big lump payment.

Getting what the insurance business calls “Multi-Line” insurance is another great way for seniors to save on their insurance bills. What you need to do is find an insurance company that covers cars and homes and combine these policies. many of us have one for each and this is not cost effective.

You could downsize your sedan and go with something smaller that is less costly to insure and is perhaps gets even better fuel mileage saving you more money per year as well. If possible you could consider selling the car and going with public transportation or ride one of the newer motor scooters that are more like motorcycles than scooters. One is even a three wheeled unit that is really safe from a company called Piaggio.

All things considered seniors are wise to consult with a few different agents to see that they are getting the best deals possible since most of us will be on a fixed income at some point in our twilight years we may as well be frugal on things like our insurance premiums.

There has been barely a whisper coming from the White House about the crisis facing the unemployed every day. This is the same administration that made great noise around bailing out the banks, insurance companies and automobile manufacturers.

Monday July 19th is the day slated for the unemployment extension 2010 bill to be voted on once again, but has anything changed? Did the Senators find it hard to sleep on their long July vacation? Are they in a run to start their long August recess? The bill is in the hands of these men and women who most likely never had to misfortune where their next meal is coming from.

Senator Hatch proposed drug testing anyone applying for the unemployment benefits. Although this does not seem to be an issue at this time, this is the most degrading proposal ever to be presented. This proves how out of touch with reality this voting process has become. To operate a drug testing component with unemployment benefits would be a waste of the taxpayers money and making millions for the pharmaceutical companies who supply the test.

There needs to be a replacement appointed for Senator Byrd’s seat before the Unemployment Extension 2010 bill is voted on. “Once the West Virginia senator is appointed, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said that another vote will be taken on a standalone bill. The bill will extend unemployment benefits to people who are eligible and who have been out of work for more than twenty-six weeks”, according to “News Around the World Today”.

The senator who is appointed to take the vacant West Virginia seat that was Senator Byrd’s is expected to provide the vote that is needed to pass that bill.

The numbers of unemployed workers in Connecticut is at 8.9 %. This is high, but not as high as other states such as Nevada, which has long past double digits with 14% of that state being unemployed. North Dakota has fared the best with their unemployment statistics weighing in at 3.6%, according to the Daily News.

Reference: News Around the World Today, Daily News.

In addition to the changes that being connected married to another person brings, many other aspects of your life will change for the better that you likely haven’t thought about. This includes your car insurance premiums! Yes, we’re all required by law to have car insurance (except for a few lucky states…), so we should do everything we can to lower our car insurance premiums, right?

Now, I’m not advocating going out and getting married just to lower your car insurance premiums–that would be insane. But if you do find yourself tying the knot, your insurance company will likely give you a shatter, and there are a couple of reasons for this.

For starters, a married couple with multiple cars at one car insurance company (you ARE going to insure them together and split the bill, right? ) means you’ll qualify for a multiple car discount, which most insurance providers offer. When you have multiple items of any kind under one insurance company, whether they be cars, boats, houses or even life insurance, the insurance companies usually give you a break for giving them so much of your business. Aren’t they nice?

If your husband or wife happens to be a better driver than yourself, this will work out better for you and vice-versa. Bringing a spouse on to your own car insurance profile with a grand record will improve your own standing with the company by association.

There is another, much simpler factor in regards to why your marriage will positively affect your car insurance premium: insurance companies just like married people. They really do! They see married couples as being more mature than single people. Now, whether that is actually true or not is debatable, and it certainly isn’t proper 100% of the time, but car insurance companies aren’t the only group of people to have this idea, so there’s likely something to it, or they just wouldn’t offer it.

Now for what is perhaps the sole negative factor in all of this: if you and your spouse demolish your marriage, you will likely see your car insurance premiums rise, sometimes dramatically. Why is this? They may reason that a newly divorced person is likely to feel depressed and become more reckless, especially when driving. Again, this isn’t something that can be easily debated, but it’s just how car insurance companies do business.

Marriage brings with it a large amount of financial bonuses, and reduced car insurance premiums are but one aspect. Still, it’s nice to know that devoting yourself to the one you love can be positive in such a grand number of ways.

Sources:

Getting Married? , State Farm

Marriage and Car Insurance, CarInsurance.com

It’s not that I had any true issues with Geico Insurance over the past 7 years. It’s just the irony of having to pay so considerable money toward a service when you have no choice but to have insurance, regardless of whether or not I ever use the service. Geico came to the rescue when I hit that deer. Well, they were there to consume my phone call at 3 o’clock in the morning and even arranged to call tow service to come to our aid. Some accidents can’t be avoided, so when the car was totaled and money offered in its place, but not enough to make up for the loss, your not sure if the money you were spending toward insurance would have better covered that and some. Oh well, rainy day saving is not an option—a legal alternative to car insurance. Frankly I liked Geico’s coverage. I liked their service. I liked everything but the notice. So I switched to progressive. As near as I can tell I get everything I would with Geico, but for a lesser bill. I checked. The coverages match up. And believe it or not, the people on the phone are just as nice and willing to help if called upon.

Both car insurances offer free rock chip repair under my comprehensive coverage, my only other standard fix, given all the construction and gravel trucks on the road. But they both keep track of the claims made and a little too touchy for me to make such insignificant claims. I objective pay for that repair on the side for like $10, whereas when I tested out having it charged to the insurance, through their chosen provider, the insurance was charged $180. No wonder the insurance companies get uppity about some claims. But the point is that there isn’t a stark contrast between how either company handles these types of claims. Again, it is about the money just to carry the insurance, because all other things seem equal.

The strange thing is that Geico’s googley-eyed mascot isn’t saving me money. Progressive is. All State, American Family, State Farm, Countrywide and others all offer basically the same services, but say they can do it for less money. But I didn’t find anyone who is doing significantly better on that claim than Geico, except Progressive (and maybe Countrywide).