Smart Auto Insurance Blog

Eastwood Insurance and Infinity Auto Insurance are both known for their expertise in non-standard auto insurance.  In today’s environment, these types of companies are becoming more and more important. 

Auto insurance is being dropped at an alarming rate and once you are caught driving without the proper coverage you may run into trouble finding a company to insure you.  This is where Infinity and Eastwood Insurance can help.  Infinity auto insurance ranks among the top 50 Property and Casualty Insurance companies in the US and is the 2nd largest underwriter of non-standard auto insurance through independent auto insurance agents according to their website.  Eastwood Insurance is a proven industry leader in non-standard auto insurance and offers quality sales and service for all types of auto coverage. 

If you find yourself in a situation where you are considered a high risk driver and have difficulty getting reasonable auto insurance quotes, check out these two companies.  You can get quotes directly online and comparison shop instantly.

Florida requires its residents to carry a Florida auto insurance policy which covers for both personal injury and damage to the property of others according to the article “Minimum Floriday Car Insurance Requirements May Not Be Sufficient” found on auto-mobi.info.  The article suggests that the coverage may not be enough to handle the high costs of medical care and property damage.

Florida auto insurance laws currently require drivers to have a limit of $10,000 for personal injury protection, and $10,000 for property damage liability.  These limits can easily be exceeded following a major accident and may leave you responsible for a large dollar amount if you carry the minimum coverage.  It’s a good idea to see what extended coverage is available and affordable as you shop around.

Drivers should consider adding Comprehensive and Collision to their auto insurance policy if they want to cover their car fully, especially if their car is being financed.  Some lenders actually require coverage for the physical damage of the financed car as part of the loan terms.  Car insurance quotes vary greatly from insurer to insurer, as do the benefits of policies, so it can pay off big time to do your homework.

According to the article “Car Insurance Scofflaws Raise Health Mandate Doubt” by Kristen Wyatt from the Associated Press found on Google, thousands of people on the road do not carry auto insurance even though most states require it.  This raises the question of the effectiveness of a health insurance mandate working.  It is something Congress continues to consider.

There have been auto insurance mandates out there for about 40 years and the insurance industry says it has not necessarily made the roads safer nor has it lowered auto insurance rates.  The President and CEO of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America believes that a driver’s personal financial situation is a better indicator of whether or not they will carry auto insurance.  High auto insurance rates may force a driver who is strapped for cash to go uninsured. 

States with higher poverty levels have a similar correlation with the amount of uninsured drivers are on the road.  People cut back on auto insurance when they can’t afford it and there is a real possibility that if they make health insurance a requirement the same thing will happen.  People cut costs where they can in times of trouble and although health insurance and auto insurance are both highly important coverages, people risk going without it to put food on the table and keep water in their home.

According to the article “Drunken Driving, and Motorcycle Deaths Decline” by Gary Richards on The Daily Democrat, fatal motorcycle crashes caused by drivers who are under the influence of alcohol are on the decline in California.  This may end up affecting California auto insurance rates.

There are many factors that contribute to this statistic, but the author says that stricter laws, better law enforcement, and better education have contributed to fewer deaths.  Also, the economic downturn is causing more people to drink at home and save money by not purchasing motorcycles. 

Dairyland Insurance, which specializes in motorcycle insurance, may see an impact to their rates as crashes decline.  If you receive a DUI, it can stay on your driving record for up to 10 years and some counties are requiring even first time offenders to blow into a breathalyzer before their car will start.  These are just a few examples of the stricter laws that may be causing fewer accidents and fewer claims being filed by drivers.  This ultimately saves insurance companies money and allows them to offer lower premiums.

Progressive auto insurance has a lot of valuable information on SR-22 insurance on their website.  They point out that they can help if the court happens to order to you carry this type of insurance for high-risk drivers.

You may be asked to carry the SR-22 for numerous reasons including driving without insurance, DUI, at fault accidents while driving without insurance, repeat traffic offenses, too many tickets in a short period of time, revoked license or other serious moving violations. 

Progressive will file the SR-22 insurance form with your state’s DMV for you.  Once this has been done you generally can begin to drive legally.  Since SR-22’s are state specific there are variances from one state to another.  It’s important to ensure you understand what your state requires of you.  There are also special requirements if you move to another state in the midst of needing SR-22 insurance.  Many auto insurance companies, including Progressive, can help answer your SR-22 questions and fulfill your auto insurance needs.

According to the article “60% Use Comparison Websites” from the Press Association found on google.com, 6 out of 10 people have used a price comparison site to shop around for financial services. 

Research completed by market analyst Mintel, shows that 52% of people have used the internet to shop around for car insurance quotes, while only 32% are using it for home insurance.  12% of people use websites to search for travel insurance as well. 

Interestingly enough, other financial services aren’t not as popular online.  Only about 3% are using the internet to search for current accounts and loans, and 4% are using comparison sites for life insurance quotes.  11% are shopping online for the best savings account and 9% are using it for credit cards. 

The head of finance at Mintel, Toby Clark, believes that the appeal of comparing prices online is clear.  These types of sites give consumers the opportunity to save time and money by getting multiple quotes at once to compare instantly.  These numbers may very well increase substantially over the next few years.

There are 6 main reasons why you should shop around for auto insurance quotes according to the article “305 Compelling Reasons To Compare Car Insurance” by Neil Faulkner on lovemoney.com. 

Reason number 1 is that you may get ripped off if you don’t shop around for auto insurance quotes.  The article points out that one insurer to another can often be 7 times the cost.  Reason 2 is that prices vary widely from one company to another.  It’s not just the difference from company to company, but price varies widely from year to year as your profile and demographic changes.

The 3rd reason points out that loyalty does not pay in the auto insurance industry.  If insurance is getting cheaper in the market, your price will stay the same if you do not request a recalculation.  Reason 4 discusses the value of your actual policy.  It’s important to ensure you have the best benefits possible in your policy.  Reason 5 is that rates may be increasing so you want to lock into a low rate when you can.  And reason 6 is obvious, but extremely important…you will save money if you shop around for auto insurance quotes.  The internet makes this quick and simple so there is no reason you shouldn’t take advantage of the opportunity to compare rates.

It can be challenging to find affordable auto insurance, but it’s even harder if you have been involved in a serious accident or have many driving violations against you.  If you file too many claims you may find it harder to find auto insurance as well.

There are many drivers who fall into this category.  That’s why a unique market has emerged in the auto insurance industry known as “non-standard auto insurance”.  Many auto insurance companies specialize in this type of insurance such as Infinity Auto Insurance and Eastwood Insurance.  These types of companies understand the kind of protection high-risk customers need. 

It’s important that these companies thrive because there is definitely a need for high-risk drivers to have coverage, perhaps more important than safe drivers.  It can be challenging for an insurer to take on these types of customer since they often cost the company more money and even though they generally pay higher premiums it doesn’t always offset the costs.  This may translate to less revenue which companies do not want to risk.

There is some concern for those with Massachusetts auto insurance, that insurers may be able to use credit scores and profession when determining one’s auto insurance rates.  According to Jon Chesto’s article “Auto Insurance Agents Push for Ban on Using Socioeconomic Factors” on tauntongazette.com, many other states use credit scores as an auto insurance rate factor. 

The article also discusses the debate going on now between insurers and consumers.  President of the Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents, Frank Mancini, is worried that the ban to use credit scores might not survive through the next commissioner.  Because of this, his organization testified at the State House in favor of a movement that would ban the use of these certain factors as state law.

The Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents believe that insurance rates should only be based on driving record, location, and how long someone has been driving.  This is how it worked under Massachusetts previous, highly regulated auto insurance system.  Most states allow factors such as education, credit scores and occupation when insurers calculate an auto insurance quote, and many feel this is unfair to consumers.

According to the article “Premiums in Ohio are Very Low” by Dan Kelso on toledoblade.com, Ohio has some of the lowest insurance rates in the US. 

On average, homeowners insurance is tied for the 5th lowest at $530, compared to the US average of $804.  Ohio’s auto insurance is 13th lowest, which is well below the average.  This is great news for those shopping around for Ohio auto insurance quotes.  The Ohio Department of Insurance regulates insurance rates, so it’s important to keep that in mind as other industries may try to cause concern among consumers. 

Much of the US is envious of Ohio’s affordable insurance premiums.  They are very competitive which helps to keep costs down.  The use of insurance scores has caused concern for some, but they are very misunderstood.  With the use of insurance scores most people pay lower insurance premiums overall.  Insurance companies need to use some method of determining which type of customer is more likely to file an insurance claim.  This helps to keep insurance premiums costs down in general.