Smart Auto Insurance Blog

According to the article “7 Desirable Auto Car Insurance Companies” by Matthew Keegan on saycampuslife.com, the insurance commissioner in any given state authorizes who can write auto insurance policies.  The article discusses 7 auto insurance companies that have a national presence with excellent reputations and competitive prices.

The companies discussed in the article include State Farm, Allstate, Government Employees Insurance Company, Progressive, USAA, Liberty Mutual and Nationwide Insurance.  All of these companies are well known and provide an array of benefits.  Having auto insurance is required in most states and important to have in case you are in an accident.

When you do decide to shop around with these or other companies, be sure you are obtaining quotes based on comparable coverage to ensure your comparison is fair.  Most auto insurance companies review your credit as part of determining your rate, so it’s a good idea to pull your credit report and have a good understanding of where you stand.

According to the article “Pennsylvania Attorney General Charges 24 People With Auto Insurance Fraud” by Mark Mendell on topnews.in, 17 New Yorkers and 6 New Jersey residents claimed to be PA residents to obtain lower auto insurance rates.

This is a very serious offense and is definitely classified as insurance fraud.  Pennsylvania Attorney General, Tom Corbett, said the rate manipulation leads to $12-$15 million in claims on PA policies that affects the auto insurance rates of all the other drivers in the state.

Pennsylvania auto insurance quotes are significantly lower than rates in NY and NJ so it’s no surprise people would try to cheat the system to save a lot of money.  PA officials are taking this fraud very seriously.  The PA Attorney General spokesperson, Nils Fredericksen, says that the 24 defendant each face up to 7 years in jail and $15,000 in fines.

According to the article “AG Urges Changes In Auto Insurance” by Robert Weisman on boston.com, Massachusetts Attorney General’s office issued a report claiming that managing competition in the auto insurance system, started back in 2007, is not working.

The new system has attracted more auto insurance companies to the state, but Massachusetts auto insurance quotes are starting to factor in socioeconomic factors that aren’t related to driving record and this is concerning many.  The AG also faults the state Division of Insurance for not providing data to compare auto insurance quotes and make it easier for Massachusetts residents to shop around.

Attorney General Martha Coakley is afraid that consumers are not getting the best deal on their auto insurance rates.  She wants to initiate a few changes to better the system, such as requiring insurance companies to justify their discount rating system when determining their auto insurance quotes.  She would also like a Massachusetts website made readily available to residents to compare MA rates easily online.  The new system has showed mixed results, so it’s still to be determined how everything will pan out.

Infinity Insurance Group, which is comprised of Infinity Auto Insurance, Infinity Select Insurance, and Infinity National Insurance Companies consistently is assigned A.M. Best’s rating of “A” for excellent according to their website.

A.M. Best Company is an independent agency which rates the financial stability of insurers.  Many factors are taken into consideration to come up with an insurance company’s rating.  They measure the financial strength and how able a company is to meet its financial obligations to its policyholders.  This is an excellent tool for consumers to use as they decide who to do business with.

Infinity Insurance has the overall goal of producing consistent insurance products through exceptional programs and superior customer satisfaction.  In today’s ever changing economic environment it’s important that Infinity focuses on their challenges to ensure their customers continue to experience quality service.

California law requires the filing of SR22 Insurance for high risk drivers who have had their license suspended for DWI, reckless driving, or other major violations.  The website SR22Filing.com specializes in filing the SR22 Insurance form and they represent a lot of companies to get you the lowest auto insurance rate, which can be very challenging if you are a high risk driver.

SR22 Insurance simply proves that you are covered by auto insurance.  SR22 Insurance Services claim to get you covered quickly and relatively easily.  By getting the SR22, you are showing the DMV that a company agreed to write you a policy and you are covered to get your license back again.  Once you are deemed a high risk driver getting insurance can be difficult so it’s useful to use a company that specializes in such filings.  It can take many, many years to get a clean driving record once you have major violations.

There are still many critics out there unsure of the pay-as-you-drive program being offered by some auto insurance companies.  But according to the article “Car Insurance For Less, and Less Driving” there may be some big savings involved for drivers across the country.

The article cites a study from 2008 by The Brookings Institution that says that if all drivers in the US bought auto insurance per mile, 2 out of 3 policies would save on average $270 a year.  This translates to big savings for drivers so it’s worth looking into if you are shopping for car insurance quotes.

GMAC offers a discount up to 54% to customers who end up driving less than 2,500 miles in a 6 month period.  These drivers have the On-Star system in their car which tracks the mileage.  Those who drive less than 15,000 miles are also eligible for a discount.  You can get a discount up to 26% for the particular premium period if you drive between 7,501-10,000 miles per the premium period.  The On-Star system can cost between $199-$299 so this can offset some of the savings you earn from driving less.

According to the article “Nationwide Debuts Second iPhone App” by Dianna Dilworth on DMNews.com, Nationwide has two applications that you can download onto your iPhone to make your life easier.

The first application, called Nationwide Mobile, launched back in April of 2009.  It lets Nationwide customers obtain information about their auto insurance policies and file claims by using the iPhone camera.  That application has been downloaded about 82,000 times and over 200 claims have been started through this process.

The second application just launched this week, called Cartopia.  This application has the purpose of helping consumers shop for new and used cars easily through their phone.  Both of these unique iPhone applications were created by the interactive agency Rosetta.

If these types of conveniences appeal to you, you can get Nationwide auto insurance quotes online.

Salt Lake City, Utah has a new program called the “U Car Share” program where an individual can drive around town without owning a car.  The program allows you to “borrow” a car to run errands or get to a meeting at competitive prices.  Ten other cities are trying the program as well.  The article “Car Rentals by the Hour, A New Option For Getting Around Town” by Annie Cutler on abc4.com has more details.

Community leaders hope the “U Car Share” program will improve air quality, increase public transportation, and help traffic.  There are 20 cars at about 12 stalls throughout the city with numerous types of cars.  The cost includes a one-time membership fee, an hourly rate, and an additional $.50 per mile.  Gas and auto insurance costs are built into the price.  You will need to be 18 years of age in addition to having a valid drivers license.

Currently the membership fee is set at only $5 and an hourly rate of $4.95.  They intend on raising the membership fee to $25 after January 15th, but they hope the low introductory price will entice drivers to try out the program.  Many are hopeful that the program is a big success.

According to the article “Report: SC Auto Insurance Premiums Still Below National Average” found on WCIV.vom, South Carolina drivers pay about $761.81 per year on auto insurance compared the national average of $794.98.

These findings are based on the report completed by The National Association of Insurance Commissioners.  South Carolina auto insurance continues to be below the national average according to this just released study.  In January of 2007 the South Carolina General Assembly passed a law requiring an increase in the minimum for liability insurance coverage.  A survey by South Carolina Insurance News estimates the new law caused drivers’ rates to go up by about 7-20%, but even with this increase SC residents still have very affordable auto insurance quotes.

Allison Dean Love, the Executive Director of the South Carolina Insurance News Service believes that having the proper liability coverage is crucial because of rising medical costs as well as higher costs to repair cars that may be damaged in collisions.

According to the article “NJ car insurance rates down, still No. 2 in US” by The Associated Press found on philly.com, the state has seen a 9.6% in auto insurance premiums since 2004. This is based on information from The Star-Ledger of Newark and Record of Bergen County’s Statehouse Bureau.

Despite this drop, New Jersey auto insurance quotes continue to be second highest in the US, just behind Washington, DC. Data compiled from the National Association of Insurance Commissioner’s annual report shows the average New Jersey resident in ‘07 paid about $1100 per year, which was down about 4% from the previous year.

New Jersey continues to be one of the most expensive places to insure a car, partly because of how densely populated the area is. Auto insurance rates have dropped about 5.6% between ‘04 and ‘07 across the nation.