A lot of people are aware of the fact that car insurance rates are often cheaper for female drivers. Although popular stereotypes might depict women as bad drivers, statistics win out in the end, especially among car insurance companies. According to research, for a woman cheap car driver insurance is more possible because they get into fewer accidents than do men. This is mostly the case in the more high risk ages, when people are still under the age of twenty five.

Men are more likely than women to be involved in an automobile accident involving a fatality, just as they are also more likely to be ticketed for things such as speeding and drunk driving. However, there is some light at the end of the road for the guys in this group. Later studies show that women are actually getting into more car accidents these days, while men are getting into less. They still don’t get into the same amount, statistically, but the gap is closing. A few years from now it may be the case that the genders will see no difference in their car insurance quotes. At least not for that reason.

However, over the high risk age of twenty five, the effect of gender on car insurance premiums lessens. The reason for this is that, for those over this age, the statistics are pretty much equal, just as they are becoming for those under it. So, while there is a benefit in being female when buying car insurance, it only works for you if your still in your early twenties or below. This can be a great relief for women buying auto insurance policies while having to deal with high risk young group prices, since for females insurance is only 100% more than the average policy for an older person, while for males it is 200%.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

When I went to court for my speeding ticket, they told me that I would have to file an SR 22 form from now on. What does that mean?

Gale

Great question.

The SR 22 form is something that must be filed by your car insurance company whenever you commit a serious traffic violation, such as driving drunk or speeding fifteen miles over the limit. In some states, you don’t even have to commit an offense to have an SR 22 form filed. They file them for everybody. In states where they are filed for everybody, such as New York, it is pretty much impossible for someone to go without car insurance and not get found out. It’s the same way for anyone else who needs to file SR 22 car insurance. If you don’t have a car insurance company to file a form, then you could risk such serious consequences as losing your license.

The kind of car insurance that requires an SR 22 form is of the most expensive variety. When you commit an offense such as speeding or driving under the influence, then you are often moved into the highest risk group in the car insurance industry. A lot of times, your car insurance company will cancel your policy outright. If this happens, you might have a hard time finding a company to give you a policy and file an SR 22 form for you. If all else fails, you might be forced to join a state sponsored risk pool. Whatever you do, you will end up paying probably twice as much as you did on your previous premium now that you’re a high risk driver.

So does everything to do with the SR 22 form rest on your company’s shoulders? Nope, not at all. First of all, your car insurance company won’t know automatically that you need an SR 22 form, so if you don’t tell them, then you will get in trouble concerning your license. You have to call up your company, first, and tell them that you need SR 22 insurance. Sometimes you will need to take the SR 22 form to the Department of Motor Vehicles in addition to having your company file one. If this is the case, you can either have the insurance company mail you one, or print one out from your computer.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Wow! A dollar twenty five a week to live in an RV those days. Of course, it isn’t like that anymore, but RV living is still pretty cheap, and many people, especially those who are getting on in years, are opting to spend more time in their RVs than in their homes. And RV fever isn’t just alive along the middle class. The other day on the travel channel I saw a segment about what are called millionaire RV parks, where the rich and famous park their RVs. No need to be jealous, though. They look just like other RV parks, except with a big fountain in the middle.

For the growing population making use of RVs in their everyday lives, then, there is one thing that is just as necessary as a place to park. Car insurance. Some people might think it’s okay to add their RV to the car insurance policy that they have for their car, but what they might not be aware of is that there are policies that are specifically for recreational vehicles. These can be easily found on the internet and are offered by many major and local companies. In order to decide where to get your RV insurance, shop around and get a free RV insurance quote.

But why should you get RV insurance instead of adding your RV to your car’s insurance policy? Well, your RV has a lot more that needs to be covered. A regular car insurance policy won’t cover all of the things inside, such as televisions and radios. If you’re living in an RV, you’re likely to have plenty of stuff that you would normally have in your home lying around, and so you need something that is like a cross between car insurance and home insurance, and that’s what RV insurance is.

RV insurance covers the usual things such as physical injuries, liability claims, and replacement of vehicles declared beyond repair. Another great thing is that they increase your traveling freedom, giving you coverage within Canada and Mexico as well as all over the United States.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

When you get a DUI, do your car insurance rates always go up?

Dwayne

They do usually, but not always.

Most states require you to file an SR 22 form to prove that you have DUI car insurance, but not every state does. If you want to know if your state is one of the ones that does not deal with the SR 22 form, then you should contact your state department of insurance. If they don’t, then it’s very possible that your car insurance company won’t find out about your drunk driving offense until you give them the heads up. The reason for this is primarily because the insurance companies aren’t keeping a constant eye on the record, and if anything, they probably only look at it every six months, if not less.

There are a couple of other reasons though. One of them is that the courts don’t automatically give all of their information over to the DMV, so even if your car insurance company does look at your record, the offense might not be there. Another is that a lot of times, when people commit moving violations, they will take defensive driving courses in order to wipe the violation from their record. This is one of the very popular possibilities when it is offered, because most courses are either very cheap or free. Sometimes when you commit a DUI, your license gets suspended, but the shorter the time of the suspension the less likely is your car insurance company to find out.

Even if they don’t know right away, though, they still have a period of three years to find out. During that time, they can cancel your policy as soon as they find out. Aside from the misrepresentation, that in itself doesn’t mean that your rates will go up or you’ll get canceled, either. Some companies have policies where, if you have been a customer with a good history and driving record, you can be forgiven for an offense, even one as serious as driving under the influence of alcohol. Sometimes you don’t even lose your safe driver discount, so long as you keep driving clean.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

You’ve done everything you can to have the cheapest car insurance premium. You take advantage of discounts, you cut down on your driving, car pool, drive safely. You bought the right kind of car with the right kinds of safety features. So why is it that your car insurance premium rates are still higher than you would think they should be? After all, you’re older than twenty five and married, so shouldn’t you be getting a break by now?

Maybe, but one of the biggest influences on car insurance rates is something that follows many people through most of their lives. The credit score. The credit score is something that you might never have thought of as being a reasonable factor in your auto insurance rates, but the car insurance companies think that it actually does have something to do with driving. Not only are people with better credit scores more likely to be reliable customers who pay their premiums on time and don’t change companies too often, but they also, according to statistical data, file fewer claims than do people with lower credit scores.

Insurance companies take the credit report and make an insurance score out of it. This doesn’t necessarily take into account all of the same factors as does your regular credit score, and is more interested in regular payments than a long history. And these scores are the driving influences of high insurance rates among good drivers.

Their use is heavily debated. There have been lawsuits filed against certain car insurance companies for using these so called insurance scores to decide premiums, and many say that they target low income and minority families, because those are the groups in which people are more likely to have bad credit history. For the moment, now, they must be dealt with.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Fraud is something that plagues all types of business, and car insurance is no exception. In fact, auto insurance fraud is rising, especially in no fault states where, while the premiums are lower, it is much easier to cheat the system. In no fault states, billions of dollars are lost every year into fraud, and it comes in many ways, shapes, and forms. So why should you care? Well, fraud is one of the largest factors into the rise of auto insurance premium rates everywhere, and while sometimes it is out of your control, there are several things that you can do to prevent it.

I know what you’re thinking. Tell me everything! Patience, now. Fraud is a difficult subject, and it is one that you have to be very sensitive to when you want to stay above the water in car insurance. You might think that it doesn’t affect you directly, but some kinds of fraud can end up with you implicated as an accomplice to the crime, even if you never had a hand in any of it. Even if you do end up being proved innocent, the court costs are phenomenal, and it’s just another good reason to keep aware of fraud.

So how can you protect yourself from fraud? The first step is to

DOCUMENT EVERYTHING.

This will help you if you are involved in repair shop fraud, for one. The way that this kind of fraud happens is when repair shops report the details of what about your car needs to be fixed incorrectly, so that they end up being paid more for repairs that they didn’t do or being paid too much for repairs that they did do. Documenting isn’t the only way to stay on top of this. You should shop around for a repair shop if given the option, and thoroughly discuss the problems with your vehicle with the repair shop so that it is clear what is getting fixed, why, and what is being charged from the beginning.

Another example of fraud where documentation comes in hand is when someone else instigates an accident with you on purpose. Keep track of their story at the time of the accident, in case it changes later. Take pictures of the vehicles, so that they can’t claim bogus repairs. Make sure you get a police report. Or avoid it all by practicing defensive driving.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Why should you pay more for high performance muscle car insurance? Could it be justified because you own a fast car, does that mean you are going to drive fast and reckless?

I know of many fast car collectors in this country and many of them do not really drive fast at all….heck their cars cost too much money to put in jeopardy driving like a mad man.

So does this mean that their car insurance carrier will give them the same low rates as a “normal” vehicle? Ya right my friend, think again.

I would assume that the vast majority of cases the insurance rates will be greatly higher for a muscle car than that of a regular whimpy vehicle. Could this be fair? Can one really expect to find cheap fast car insurance?

So how can a high performance car owner reduce your insurance rates?

1. Carry the highest deductible allowed
2. Move all other insurance plans to one company to take advance of combined coverage discounts
3. Check for discounts like limited use or restricted use vehicles if you only drive on the weekends or at certain times of the year etc.
4. Take defensive driving class or some other state offered driving program
5. Clean up your driving record. Keep your record clean and clear of violations even when not driving in your fast car. Any and all violations will increase your rates regardless of what kind of vehicle you were driving in when you were giving the citation.

Want to get more ideas and tips on how to lower your high performance car insurance rates? Our new site is made for visitor feedback to help fast car owners get lower rates on high performance car insurance allowed.

Reader question:

I’m a good driver, I don’t speed, I never get into an accident, I have a safe car that’s a few years old–so why does my car insurance premium keep on going up?

July

Good question.

It’s annoying to watch those prices rise even when you are doing everything that you can to stop them. However, that is the way it is, and the reason that your premium prices are rising out of your control is not your own fault, but the fault of other people who are insured by your car insurance company. Fixing a car and replacing it are things that are getting more and more expensive every year, and with the number of claims that are filed, it can be difficult for a car insurance company to keep the prices down on their premiums while still making a profit.

You cannot avoid this problem entirely, but one way to lessen its effect is to go looking for a car insurance company whose rates are not rising so rapidly. Get a free online auto insurance quote and see what other companies would offer you in terms of quotes. It could be that you find another company that is just as good as the one you are currently at, but which gives you your car insurance for much cheaper.

Even if your prices aren’t rising at your current car insurance company, then you should still get an online quote every once in a while, just to see where you’re at. Many of the people who have car insurance today and are overpaying are doing so because they become comfortable with their car insurance company and don’t realize that there are companies out there that could be offering them more for their money. A twice yearly look at your policy and your price for updates and searches can keep you satisfied and a little bit richer.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

If I get a speeding ticket, will my car insurance rates go up?

Andy

Usually.

It all depends on who you are and what car insurance company you are with. Typically, a speeding ticket is one of the big factors in the rise of your car insurance rates. It is evidence that you are an irresponsible driver and puts you into a high risk pool of people being insured. One speeding ticket might not be the end of your car insurance history, but it does usually have a big impact, although not nearly as much as getting into a car accident. Car insurance companies want to nip speeders in the bud, though, considering that speeding is more likely to get you in a car accident to begin with. If your rate goes up too much, though, you can get free auto insurance quotes and see what other companies are like.

However, it isn’t necessarily true that you will see an increase in your premium. If you have been a long time customer with your car insurance company, they might want to give it a little bit of thought before giving you reason to leave them be. If you have a good driving record from the past and the speeding ticket is a one time thing that is in no way normal to your driving experience, it is very possible that you will see little to no effect from your speeding ticket on your premium.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Reader question:

I’m adding a teenager to my policy. How do I keep my rates low?

Michael

Good question.

Adding a teenager to your car insurance policy means high costs all around. It could mean the doubling or tripling of the current amount of your auto insurance premium, and because of that the best amount of effort should be put into keeping that premium down, a lot of the responsibility for keeping it down should be put on the shoulders of the teenager. In order to find out who will be best suited to insure you and your teen, you should get free instant auto insurance quotes and compare prices. But that’s not all. While they should naturally try to avoid accidents and drive safely, there are plenty of other ways for them to stay safe on the road and still be saving you money in the car insurance office.

• Driver’s ed.

Most teenagers under the age of eighteen take some kind of driver’s education course before they get their license, as required by law. However, these classes aren’t always considered enough for creating safe drivers. Getting them an additional class in driver’s ed or defensive driving can get you a discount on your car insurance, even though research shows that these classes don’t decrease the amount of accidents.

• Good grades.

Get your kid to study hard in school for their driver’s privileges. The upside of this is that, if your student brings home all B’s or above, most car insurance companies will give you as much as a fifteen percent discount on your premium.

• Mileage.

Many car insurance companies offer discounts for low mileage cars. Usually, this is under five thousand miles every year. If you restrict your teenager’s driving practices and keep the car as strictly school and back affair, then you could save money from a low mileage discount.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.