Smart Auto Insurance Blog

During these tough times everyone is looking to save a dollar, and there are ways to save on your auto insurance as well.  In addition to shopping around for the best auto insurance rates, there are a few tips you may not know to save you a lot of money.  The article “Saving your green: How to save money on auto, car or truck insurance” by Evelyn Kanter on examiner.com shares some of these tips

1. If you have an older car, consider dropping collision
2. Buy your home and auto insurance policies separately or at least get two separate quotes to compare
3. Be sure you have sufficient coverage in case of a major accident otherwise it could cost you big in the long run
4. Look for companies that offer discounts for hybrid cars if you are driving one
5. Consider paying a small claim yourself instead of contacting your insurance company
6. Avoid purchasing exotic sports cars or cars perceived as unsafe

Although all these tips may not save you money, it’s important that you are educated in how your rates are determined so you can be the informed consumer.  An informed consumer is often times a richer consumer.  Now more than ever we need to be looking for every little way we can save money.

According to an article on Albany, GA’s WALB.com by Delivrine Registre, auto insurance rates, as well as homeowner insurance rates are increasing for policy holders in Georgia, partly due to the recession.

Georgia auto insurance rates are rising, but not as sharply as homeowners insurance.  The Georgia Department of Insurance states that four of the biggest insurance companies in Georgia plan to raise their rates anywhere from 5-11% by the end of 2009.  The average increase in auto insurance rates will be about 2.4%. 

Not only has the recession been affecting businesses like insurance companies, but spring storms as well as flooding causes these companies to suffer additional losses.  There is no better time to shop around for cheaper Georgia auto insurance.

A profile for non-standard auto insurer United Automobile Insurance Company (UAIC) has been added to the auto insurance company directory.

More information about non standard auto insurance for high-risk drivers

A helpful article on Officialwire.com by Joel McLaughlin gives information on SR22 Auto Insurance.

SR22 insurance is a form that your auto insurance carrier fills out for you and sends to the DMV office when your license has been revoked.  Once the DMV office receives the proof that you do have insurance and that you are covered for minimum liability, they return your license to you.

The standard requirement for having SR22 auto insurance is 3 years but this can differ from state to state and the offense severity.  If your carrier cancels your insurance before the date of termination, the carrier is required to submit a SR26 to advise the state that you are not covered by auto insurance any longer.  Not all auto insurance companies offer the SR22 option, so you will need to do some research as to which carrier will be able to assist you.

Auto insurance companies are supporting the US Olympics.  According to an article on Allstate Insurance’s website, Allstate is sponsoring the 2010 Olympic games which are being held in Vancouver.  Allstate has been sponsoring Olympic games since 2002.  They were the official Home and Auto Insurance sponsor of the Salt Lake Olympic Winter Games. 

Allstate is also sponsoring the US Olympic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony being held in Chicago, Illinois.  The nominees were announced in April according to TeamUSA.org, which included 15 individuals, 5 teams and 5 Paralympians.  Voting by fans will be going on through June 16th.  The inducted group will include 5 individuals, 1 team, 1 Paralympian, a coach, a veteran and a special contributor.  The reveal of the inductees will be in July and they will be honored on August 12th at Chicago’s McCormick Place.   This is the only national sports Hall of Fame that has fans vote for the inductees. 

Nominees for this 2009 induction class were selected by a nominating committee with 10 people which included athletes, current members of the US Olympic Hall of Fame, historians and USOC representatives.  Allstate states they are proud to be supporting the dedicated athletes and look forward to supporting the US Olympics in the future.

A profile of Permanent General  Assurance Corporation was added to our auto insurance company directory yesterday.  Over the coming weeks we will be continuosly adding new companies to this directory to help our visitors to learn more about the companies from which they may be considering purchasing auto insurance.

According to the article ”Games for Cheaper Auto Insurance” by AJ Glasser on Kotaku’s website, Allstate Insurance is teaming up with a San Francisco start up, Posit Science, to look into brain training video games to improve driving skills and decrease auto insurance rates.

Posit developed a program called InSight, which has five brain exercises.  Posit states that these types of games can improve visual processing, such as peripheral vision and divided attention needed for driving.  Allstate is currently experimenting with the game’s ability to improve driving skills. 

If they have positive results, Assistant Vice President in Research and Marketing, Tom Warden, states that they could end up using a high score as a way to discount auto insurance rates for their customers.  The author said he played the demo on Posit’s site and he thought it was challenging, but fun.  This could be an unique way to attract certain customers to Allstate Auto Insurance if they end up implementing such a discount.

According to the Estrella Insurance website, uninsured motorist coverage protects you for bodily injuries made to you and your family members as well as certain others in the case of the other driver not having insurance.  It covers you when the at-fault driver has no liability insurance, or liability coverage with inadequate limits to cover the damage to you. 

Some states require this type of coverage, but many do not.  It’s normally relatively inexpensive to add this type of coverage to your policy and many specialists say that it’s very important to have, especially during these tough economic times where many do not have insurance, or have low coverage insurance policies.  If someone hits your car and legally is responsible for the damage but has no insurance, or inadequate insurance, you may get no money and will have to pay out of pocket if you are not protected under your own auto insurance policy. Get an Estrella Insurance quote and see if this coverage is for you.

The commissioner of the LPGA, Carolyn Bivens, says she has had a series of conversations with State Farm Auto Insurance about the future of the LPGA event in Springfield, IL.  She is optimistic about an agreement being reached between State Farm and the LPGA for a new title-sponsorship contract.  She did not say if or when the agreement would be reached according to The State Journal-Register. 

During these tough economic times, few sports are getting automatic renewals but Bivens is encouraged by State Farm Insurance’s efforts to support the local LPGA tournament event.  As many companies are holding back, State Farm is stepping up to invest in the community and the LPGA.

Auto insurance premiums were the lowest they have been in May since September 2008 according to an article on IFAWebnews.  The average rate dropped to $1871 in May.  It was as high as $1950 back in September, 2008. 

This lower premium comes at a good time since industry experts believe that new car sales will be increasing by as much as 9% in June over May as dealers try to get rid of 2009 cars to make room for the new 2010 cars.  This will thrust more auto insurance buyers into the market.  As expected, new car sales have been behind throughout the year as consumers try to cut back due to the economic conditions.