Smart Auto Insurance Blog

Infinity Auto Insurance has been offering unwavering support for the Haiti relief after the 7.0 earthquake devastated the country and took many, many lives.  Necessities were donated such as tents, clothing, blankets, water, and cleaning supplies.  There were numerous drop off locations throughout Florida.

All donations were shipped to Miami from a cargo ship through “Sow A Seed” which is a small non-profit organization that offers assistance to the most remote areas of Haiti.  Infinity Auto Insurance is extremely thankful for all of the donations and they hope to make a difference in Haiti.

This earthquake tragedy was beyond devastating and the rebuilding of Haiti is going to be a long and stressful process.  Through donations from across the world the effort can be helped.  There are many different ways to offer your support and it’s worth your time to look into what you can do to donate your time or money.

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 “Lower Score? You Will Pay More” by Richard Burnett on sun-sentinel.com, auto insurance companies can increase auto insurance rates upwards of 50% if a policyholder’s credit score drops.

The article states that government regulators and consumer groups are trying to get the auto insurance industry to stop using the credit score as a factor in determining auto insurance quotes.  Credit scores have dropped as the economy struggles and banks tighten their lending qualifications making scores drop further.  TransUnion is one of the three big credit reporting agencies and they found that consumers in Florida and other large states have seen drops in their credit scores by about 10% and this will in turn affect Florida auto insurance quotes.

The insurance companies want to continue to use the credit score as a factor.  They claim if they stop using the credit score when calculating rates, premiums could rise by as much as 70%.  The credit score is only one of many factors used to determine a rate but the credit score actually carries more weight than your driving record.

The article “Jacksonville tops Florida for car crashes” by the Jacksonville Business Journal gives a brief overview of the report from the Florida Highway Patrol.  In the report it is found that Jacksonville has the highest incidents of car crashes in 2008 which may affect the city’s auto insurance rates.

Jacksonville crashes were shockingly 50% higher than Miami.  Jacksonville totaled about 14,000 car crashes throughout the year.  The 2009 GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test released a report ranking Florida 43rd in the country based on exam scores.  Florida’s average driving exam score was 74.1%. 

The good news is that statewide there were less crashes that resulted in death in 2008 from 2007.  There were less than 3,000 fatalities for the first time in 8 years.  Pedestrian deaths fell about 5%, but pedestrian injuries were up about 4% overall.  These types of reports are used by Florida auto insurance companies to assist in determining rates.

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.

Are you in the market for a motorcycle?  One thing to consider when making your purchase is that you will need an insurance policy for your new bike.  You will want to shop around to find the policy that fits your lifestyle, much like you will look for a bike that fits your needs.  Most states require you to carry a minimum amount of liability coverage, but there are many other types of optional coverage choices.

Some companies specialize in motorcycle policies such as Dairyland Auto Insurance, a member of the Sentry Insurance Group, and can give you detailed information on what you may be looking for.  You can also use comparison sites such as smartautoinsurance.com to find the best rate if price is your number one concern.  It may be worth your while to take a training course such as the Motorcycle Safety Foundation rider course, since many companies will offer a 10-15% discount to graduates of similar courses.  There are also multi-bike discounts for those insuring more than one bike as well as organization discounts for members of certain motorcycle associations. 

Many factors go into determining the rate of your motorcycle insurance.  Bike type, style, and age are just a few, so keep this in mind as you are shopping for your new motorcycle.  Just like you plan on choosing the right bike for you, it’s important to ensure the company who insures your bike is right as well.

In 1980, Nicolas Estrella built his insurance company from the ground up. Estrella Insurance is known for being a very family oriented company which is highly valued among customers. These types of companies are becoming harder and harder to find.

Estrella Insurance prioritizes customer service and has very reasonable prices. You can check out the Estrella Insurance quote to see for yourself. They specialize in auto insurance, but also have home, commercial, business, boat and motorcycle products available. It’s encouraging to know there are companies out there focusing on serving the customer while maintaining its foundation of values.

On Wednesday, May 13, Florida Cabinet members refused to stop auto insurance companies from charging new policy holders higher rates if they have been in not at fault accidents. 

Industry representatives say that charges for new customers with accidents on their driving record is a common practice, even if the customer didn’t cause the accident.  They say it’s justified because research shows these drivers are at higher risk of filing claims and it’s often difficult to determine who is at fault for the accident. Auto insurance companies need to consider all facets of the driving record to understand the customer’s risk and charge the most appropriate rates.

According to an editorial on Ocala.com, Governor Charlie Crist is considering a ban on State Farm selling Florida auto insurance. State Farm will lose almost 3 million auto insurance policyholders in Florida if that provision goes ahead.

Crist, along with state Senator Mike Fasano, is retaliating against the insurer’s announcement that it will phase out its homeowners’ property insurance in the state. State Farm is leaving the market because they were not allowed to increase rates by enough to make it profitable to insure the hurricane-prone region. They are probably hoping State Farm won’t go ahead with their market exit if it means forgoing the auto insurance profits in the state.

Get State Farm quotes here.

New York Giants football player Plaxico Burress is in some hot water due to a car crash he was involved in last May. Last week he was sued in Broward County, Florida by the woman he rear-ended, says the Associated Press.

According to her lawyer, he was driving without auto insurance on his $140,000 Mercedes-Benz. All I can say is, really?! Didn’t you just win the Super Bowl? Although Plaxico has been involved in some other stuff lately that makes letting your expensive car’s auto insurance lapse seem like a good idea in comparison.

His insurance provider, Allstate, claims that he failed to pay his premiums. His policy expired just three days before the accident! He could’ve asked for an Allstate insurance quote and avoided this whole problem in the first place.

(Photo credit: tedkerwin under CC 2.0)