Whether you pay for car insurance monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or yearly, you probably are paying quite a bit for car insurance. You may also be wondering what you get in exchange for the dollars that you pay for car insurance. In short, the answer is peace of mind, but the longer answer may help you to understand where those insurance dollars go.
In the first place, by having liability insurance on your car, you are meeting the financial responsibility laws of your state. These financial responsibility laws vary vastly by the amount and types of coverage that are required, but all states require that all drivers be covered with personal injury and property damage insurance on their car. Let this coverage lapse for even a day and some states will cancel your registration or driver’s license until you prove that you have insurance coverage in place and pay an administrative fee or fine.
Driving without car insurance, however, can cost you much more than just a fine. If you are in an accident, you can be held financially responsible for the other person’s vehicle and medical expenses. In addition, you will likely be ticketed for driving without insurance. These expenses can far outweigh anything you might pay in insurance fees.
In addition you will have to pay to have your own vehicle repaired or replaced. In the interim time, you may have to pay for a rental vehicle to take you to and from work and fulfill other duties for which you need a vehicle. This can sometimes be several weeks. The cost you pay for the rental vehicle is often a significant amount of money.
For coverage on your vehicle in the event of vandalism, glass breakage or theft, you will need comprehensive coverage. Far more car thefts occur than we would like to think, and stolen vehicles often are not recovered without at least some damage. Many times the vehicle is driven until it is wrecked and abandoned. Other times it will be stripped and the parts will be sold.
Persons that drive newer vehicles often find that their finance company requires that they carry insurance on the vehicle. The coverage needed is full coverage insurance and there may be a limit to the maximum amount of deductible on the insurance you are carrying on your vehicle. If you do not have insurance, the finance company can take out an insurance policy on your vehicle, but the price you pay for this insurance is very high when compared to the price you would pay for your own insurance. In addition, it does not meet any state’s financial responsibility laws.
The best way to save money on car insurance is to comparison shop. You will find that there are many companies that offer free insurance quotes online. You may choose to give all the required information for the most accurate quotes or you can choose to get quotes with no personal information given. These quotes will allow you to compare prices and find the insurance company that offers peace of mind at the lowest cost.
When you think about it, the price you pay for peace of mind is not all that much.
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