Automobile Insurance Specialist

Reader’s Question:

If got convicted of DUI and I would like to know if my insurance carrier in Palm Beach, FL will just cancel my car insurance policy or does it has to go through some sort of procedures?  Do I need a specific auto insurance specialist?

Josh

Palm Beach, FL

Insurance carrier’s guidelines vary however a conviction for driving under the influence (DUI) could result for an insurance provider terminating your automobile insurance policy. Usually your insurance carrier may cancel your insurance mid-term or cancel the car insurance policy at the end of the term due to your conviction for DUI.

If your insurance policy is terminated in this manner in Palm Beach, FL, your insurance carrier must send you notification stating why your car insurance policy have been canceled and then you will have to find another insurance carrier while now having a cancellation on your auto insurance claims history. Most states do not allow insurance carriers to just drop you in the middle of the car insurance policy term, even for a DUI. If you want to get more information about your state guidelines with regards to this, verify with your state’s insurance regulatory body.

Cheap Auto Insurance in Abilene Texas

Reader’s Question:

Does an unmarried couple residing in Abilene Texas who’s been living together need to share the same policy if they each have their own car? Is it cheaper?

Jeremy

Abilene, TX

Insurance companies tend to favor two-car policies and often offer discounts. What you can do is to compare rates from different auto insurance providers in Abilene Texas to see if it’s cheaper to combine or have separate insurance. Be aware that in calculating insurance premiums, each driver and each vehicle will be rated separately. It would be even better if you own a house together and use the same carrier for your homeowner’s and auto insurance.

Usually if your insurance company knows that you’re living in with someone, they will ask you to add that person either as explicitly included on your policy (listed as a driver and their driver’s license rated) or EXCLUDED (not allowed to drive the car and not covered if they DO drive it).

When deciding whether or not to combine your insurance policies, you may want to consider NOT mentioning that you live with someone who has a bad driving record. If a person has a bad driving record, it’s recommended to have separate policies for cheaper rates. In this case, the policy of the better driver may need to exclude that of the bad driver.

Just a footnote, for unmarried gay couples in states or cities where there is domestic partnership there may also be a discount being offered by some insurance carriers.

Cheap Car Insurance Rates In Las Vegas

Reader’s Question:

If the insurance policy is written under two names and one of them dies, will the insurance rate will be cheaper? This is in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Romeo

Las Vegas, NV

 

If there are individuals on an insurance policy and one of them is taken off of the policy (for some reasons) in Las Vegas, then the insurance rate can be affected.

It is possible that it will be cheaper and it depends upon the rating system and if the insurance policy rates were higher at all because of the second adult motorist being on the policy.

To know how your specific insurance carriers rating system works and how your insurance rates would be affected in this type of situation you may contact your insurance broker since insurance rating system and guidelines vary.

The only rating factor difference that some insurance companies may see for is a widow versus single, typically though a widow rating variable would cost less than a single rating variable.

17 Year Old Teen Driver Insurance Rates In Georgia

A reader today asks: How does one go about obtaining vehicle insurance for a beginner 17 year old driver in Georgia, without paying an arm and a leg?

I think this is a super question to inquire about your teen driver. At 17 years of age this teenage beginner driver, can’t legally enter a binding contract since they are not considered an adult. I would also guess that most teenage drivers would be considered “good” drivers they are still not old enough to sign on the dotted line of the contract.

I would also assume that most vehicle insurance agencies would also require a parent and or a legal guardian to sign the contract and to be financially responsible.

You might want to start off your investigation by making a few phone calls the local insurance carriers in your immediate area and get their opinion on this question.

But I really do not see why you couldn’t get coverage for your teen driver. A better question to ask my be are you going to be able to afford this type of coverage?

You might also want to contact the Atlanta GA car insurance bureau or DMV to ask them if there are any restrictions for obtaining car insurance in Georgia.

 

Are Car Insurance Rates Falling? Should I Wait to Switch Insurance Carriers?

Reader question:

Are auto insurance rates falling in the U.S.?

Albert

They sure are.

It’s some of the best news to come out of the insurance business, and after so many years in which the rates have steadily gone up, they are finally beginning to go down. Not by too much, but in gradual amounts that are still reassuring and do make a difference. The very first drop in rates was by .3% nine years ago, and since then it has been growing. For this year, the expectation for reductions is somewhere around 3%. Again, it is going slow but the good thing is that it is going at all.

California has had some of the best results, with a 5.7% drop in insurance rates in the last year. This wasn’t the first year for rates in California to fall, but it was definitely the most successful. Other states where car insurance rates tend to be the highest, such as New Jersey, are also seeing good things happening. New Jersey alone will see a 15% decrease thanks to new state laws.

There are a lot of reasons that one might consider to be affecting the decrease of car insurance rates. One of the main ones is that there are now more people who are older than there are who are younger. The highest car insurance rates tend to belong to those under twenty five, and there are just fewer people of that age nowadays.

Another reasons is because cars are safer now. Every year a new kind of safety feature is added to the automobile market, and with things such as traction control, run flat tires, and all wheel drive, getting into a car accident these days seems like it takes a concentrated effort. Not only that, but car insurance companies provide incentives for people to buy safer cars with their discounts.

There are now more car insurance companies on the market as well, which means that the prices are going to fall due to there being more competition out there. Car insurance companies are falling all over themselves trying to come up with new discounts and innovative practices and advertising techniques to call customers. This mostly comes with companies that are now doing the bulk of their advertising through the internet, which is much cheaper and reaches customers just as well;if not better than traditional advertising schemes.

Another big factor has to do with more policing of drunk driving. Drunk driving laws are now much harder than they were before, creating larger disincentive. And the fewer drunk drivers, the lower car insurance prices.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.