Posts Tagged ‘Liability Coverage’

Auto Insurance Terms Explained

December 13th, 2009



The typical insurance policy will use terms of language that are not used in regular situations. These terms may actually be unique to the auto insurance industry and used exclusively. If you want to be in a knowledgeable position where it comes to your insurance coverage, you should have, at least, some grasp of the auto insurance lingo you might encounter.

There are a few basic things you should understand about car insurance. If you do not have insurance you need to realize that you lack any sort of protection if you happen to get in an accident. Without insurance protection, you can be held legally libel and subject to lawsuits. If sued, you may have to pay for any damages sustained in the accident if it was your fault. On the other hand, if the accident isn’t your fault, you may still have to pay for your medical bills, those of your passengers, as well as repairs or replacement of your automobile. These consequences underscore the need for auto insurance coverage. This fact, of course, explains why most states make some level of auto insurance coverage mandatory.

There are really only five basic terms you might want to understand when reading a policy or discussing it with an agent. Those terms are liability coverage, physical damage coverage, medical coverage, emergency assistance coverage, and unattached equipment coverage.

For many car owners, the above terms might be somewhat recognizable. They may have come up in early conversations about insurance. Other may be less familiar to you. Liability, medical, and physical damage coverage are considered more recognizable to car owners who know a little about insurance or have discussed it in brief. Meanwhile, emergency assistance and unattached equipment coverage are mentioned less frequently and remain more obscure to the average insurance policyholder. They are not typically considered as important as other types of coverage. Still, they do offer some great advantages if added to your policy.

Above all terms, liability will probably be the most familiar to you since it is the most basic coverage. Liability coverage is usually the minimum amount of insurance you can have. It protects the driver from any costs for damages sustained in a collision. When you have liability coverage, the point is to have protection from any fees incurred when damages are done. If you do not have sufficient coverage it may mean you will pay the victim’s damages or injuries yourself. Physical damage insurance is simply that coverage you used to pay for repairs or a to replace a damaged vehicle. Of course, medical coverage is meant to cover not only you but passengers as well by paying for medical expenses.

The last auto insurance terms are not essential. If you have emergency assistance coverage, you can access roadside assistance programs. Once emergency assistance coverage is added to your policy, you can feel safer knowing that you can make use of towing and other services when your vehicle has a problem. Unattached equipment coverage deals with those aspect of your vehicle that may have been added later, after purchase that are not permanent parts of the automobile. They may be expensive additions like fancy lighting, customizations, or sound systems; all may be eligible for protection under this last form of coverage.

If have a working knowledge of these types of terms, you will be able to approach the topic of auto insurance with far more confidence than before. You will understand what each means so you can better evaluate plans to see if they are fitting your insuring needs.

By: Alisdair Cosgrove

Get a Car Insurance With Advantageous Terms With Little Effort

December 10th, 2009



Getting car insurance in California is an easy task, but getting a good policy and a competitive price is not that easy. However, with some research you can easily obtain a suitable policy with the exact coverage that you need and with a minimum premium. So, if you are getting your new car or if it is time to renew your previous car insurance policy, read on and get California Car Insurance with great conditions.

Before starting your search for California car insurance, you need to determine which type of coverage you need. There are mainly two types of issues that you need to address at this stage: collision coverage and liability coverage, being the last one the most important one. It is critical to understand these two concepts thoroughly in order to be able to obtain the best deals on car insurance policies but also a proper risk protection. Moreover, California has specific regulations on liability coverage with regulations that are complex and exceed the purpose of this article but you need not worry as all insurance companies are obliged to comply with these standards.

Collision Coverage

Collision coverage will protect you in case your car is damaged due to an accident. Depending on the type of policy and damage that the car suffers, you can obtain an amount high enough to purchase your vehicle in the market, the costs of replacing damaged parts and fixing the vehicle or the actual replacement of the vehicle for a new one. This type of coverage protects the vehicle but does not cover the damages that you may cause with it.

Liability Coverage

Liability coverage protects you against the damages your car causes to property or the injuries suffered by other people due to an accident that your car takes part in. All the costs associated to these risks are covered by the liability coverage of your California car insurance policy. However, the liability coverage has limitations and thus, when you purchase your policy you will decide what kind of protection you desire. The amount of the liability coverage will have a great influence on the value of your insurance premium.

Getting The Right Policy

Taking into account the above concepts, you need to select the policy that best suits your needs. Once you have selected the type of coverage and the amounts that you need to feel secure, you have to find a balance between the costs and the coverage. In order to do that you need to do some research and the best place to do it is the internet. Within the net you will find many insurance companies willing to offer you quotes so you can compare.

California car insurance policies can provide you proper protection against risk in exchange for reasonable premiums if you know where to look for them. The internet is a good place to start but you can also contact the local department of insurance and non profit consumer organizations that can help you determine which California insurance company offers you the best terms and conditions in exchange for a competitive price.

By: Lara Sawyer

Auto Insurance Breakdown

November 21st, 2009



Auto insurance is an important, and, in most states, legally required protection for drivers. Auto insurance applies to vehicles such as cars, trucks, and motorcycles, but also applies to boats. It is primarily designed to protect motorists, but also protects individuals, such as pedestrians, who may be injured by an auto, or property owner’s whose property is damaged by an auto.

There are many different types of auto insurance, so I would like to give you a general overview of the available options. Fortunately, the different types of auto insurance can be easily broken down by the level of coverage that they provide. The levels range from the highest possible to the bare minimum required by law.

First of all, there are two basic categories of auto insurance: collision insurance and comprehensive insurance. Collision insurance covers damage to the vehicle if it is damaged in an accident. Comprehensive coverage offers more protection because it applies to a wider range of situations including theft of the automobile.

It is easiest to start with the minimum level, which is know as liability coverage. Liability insurance pays for injuries or damages sustained by other vehicles and people involved in an accident that is caused by the policyholder. For example, if the motorist causes an accident in which both party’s vehicles are damaged, liability coverage pays only for the damage to the vehicle of the driver who was not at fault in the accident, and not to the driver who was at fault.

Liability is required by law in many states because it also covers personal injury protection to people injured in accidents. Thus, it ensures that any person injured in an auto accident, through no fault of their own, is covered by the insurance of the responsible party.

Personal injury protection (PIP) and medical payments (MP) are not included in liability. However, the next level of insurance, collision insurance does covers these two expenses.

Personal Injury Protection covers the policyholder for time and medical expenses required for the maintenance of a vehicle. This covers lost wages should a person need to bring a vehicle to a mechanic and must miss work as a result.

Insurance can also cover medical payments, which refers to the cost of treatment if the policyholder is injured in an accident and the cost of that treatment exceeds the limits of personal injury protection.

Collision coverage includes the liability of the driver to other parties, personal injury protection, and medical payments. It also covers damage to the policyholder’s own vehicle in the event that it is damaged in an accident, regardless of whether the insured is at fault in the accident or not. Therefore, even in a single car accident, the policy of the driver covers the damage that his or her car incurs. In a two car accident, all damage is covered by the person found to be at fault in the accident.

If the policyholder’s vehicle is damaged so badly in an accident that it must be replaced, collision insurance will pay for the value of the damaged vehicle towards the purchase of a new one. However, collision insurance does not cover the theft of the vehicle, damage from a fire, or damage due to weather, such as hail.

Comprehensive coverage offers a higher level of protection for the policyholder. It covers liability, PIP, MP, and damage to the vehicle if it is involved in an accident. Comprehensive coverage will also pay for a new vehicle if the vehicle of the policyholder is stolen or damaged in a fire.

Although both collision and comprehensive coverage can protect the policyholder from the cost of vehicle replacement, it is not perfect. This is due to the fact that the value of vehicles depreciates over time. These types of insurance will only pay for the value of a totaled (destroyed) vehicle, regardless of the cost of the vehicle when new.

However, there is a third type of insurance that can protect the policyholder from this kind of depreciation. GAP insurance protects the consumer from the depreciation in value of a vehicle.

It is obvious that auto insurance is complex, and it is important to understand all of the available options before making a choice. Different states have varying requirements, so it is important to ask question not only about the type of coverage you are purchasing, but about the requirements of your state, as well. Remember, accidents are called accidents because they are not deliberate, and always come as a surprise. Make sure that you have the appropriate coverage for you and your family in advance, to protect against unforeseen events, such as accidents.

By: Gena Woodard