Smart Auto Insurance Blog

We all know how dangerous drinking and driving is, but the epidemic continues and people are still dying in tragic accidents caused by drunk drivers.  According to the article “More Young Women Driving Drunk” by Steven Reinberg on BusinessWeek.com the trend is growing in young women which is very unfortunate.

Men still make up the majority of drunk drivers, but the number of drunk women on the road is growing.  A study based on data from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that women drivers involved in deadly car crashes increased over the years 1995-2007.

Weekday accidents with alcohol involved among females increased by 3.5%, and weekend alcohol related accidents increased by 2.2%.  With more women consuming alcohol in large amounts there are more women making poor decisions and causing horrific accidents.  Simply said, do not drive drunk.  Even if you do manage to get extremely lucky and avoid an accident you are at risk of expensive fines, jail time, and carrying special SR22 Insurance for high-risk drivers.  None of that is worth it, especially putting lives at risk.

According to the article “Regulators Shy Away From Imposing Emissions-Cutting Auto Insurance” by Evan Lehmann on NYTimes.com, key insurance regulators recently said they won’t require the auto insurance industry to offer auto insurance policies that help reduce emissions by rewarding drivers who are on the road less.

The regulators also weren’t keen on the new plan to make those policies standard across the county.  This plan is often known as “pay-as-you-drive”.  Joel Ario, Pennsylvania’s insurance commissioner believes they will never require the pay-as-you-drive concept.  Ario and other researchers have promoted the drive less mentality over the years.  They believe drivers will stay off the roads more if they know they will pay less on auto insurance quotes because of it.  This will lead to less environmentally unfriendly emissions from automobiles.

The concepts are similar to other movements such as the Energy Star appliance standards, and the green building code called LEED, or Leadership Energy and Environmental Design.  Auto insurance companies such as Eastwood Insurance, would have to offer some type of policy that rewards drivers for driving less, but in a way this already makes drivers less risky which often translates to lower rates.

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.

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.

It is against the law to drive without auto insurance in Arizona and most of the country.  You also must carry proof of insurance.  According to the article “Proof of auto insurance requirements changing in Arizona” by Delane Cleveland on fox11az.com, the law is getting stricter when it comes to carrying proof of Arizona auto insurance. 

Tony Riojas, the presiding magistrate for Tucson City Court says no proof of insurance is one of the most common citations that come through court.  Currently, if someone has to go to court to prove insurance, charges are often dropped or reduced but starting October 1 that will change.  Before you can get any reduction in fine not only must you show proof of insurance but you will also need to prove that you have not gotten an insurance violation within the past two years, or only one citation in the past three years. 

Repeat offenders can face fines up to $1,000.  Governor Jan Brewer signed the bill back in July to approve these provisions and insurance companies across Arizona approved.  They believe this bill will reduce the number of uninsured drivers on the road.

Here’s an update on what to expect from California auto insurance quotes due to the proposed pay-as-you-drive program.  According to the article “Poizner issues final pay-as-you-go auto insurance regulations” there has been some headway on the proposal. 

California Insurance Commissioner originally proposed the pay-as-you-drive regulation back in September of 2008 and just this past Thursday issued the final regulations which will allow insurance companies to offer rates based on the actual miles driven. 

Once the new regulations go into effect, insurers will be able to offer a mileage program instead of, or in addition to, current estimated mileage programs.  The hope is that the regulation will save California drivers money, and cause people to drive less which will in turn reduce emissions and reduce California’s dependency on foreign oil.

According to the article “Classic Car auto insurance is cheaper than enthusiasts may think” by Kathy M. Kristof on latimes.com, classic car auto insurance rates are often cheaper than traditional policies.  The reason being that collectibles are pampered by their owners.  They are driven less and driven much more carefully.

About half of classic car owners put their classic cars under a standard auto insurance policy without realizing there are specific policies out there created just for collectible cars.  Sometimes the traditional policy is too expensive and happens to be inadequate coverage according to Ford Heacock III, chief executive of Heacock Classic, an insurer of collectible cars in Florida. 

There are a number of reasons why it’s important to have your classic car insured appropriately.  One of the main reasons is because traditional insurance assumes your car’s value will decrease over time whereas classic cars usually appreciate, especially if the car is getting restored.  If the car is destroyed you want to get a payout that will replace the item at its increased value. 

Classic car auto insurance is offered by dozens of specialized insurance companies across the nation.

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.

When shopping around for auto insurance, it’s important to understand the different ways to buy and understand some of the pros and cons of each.  There is a huge market for auto insurance out there today and it can be overwhelming when you first start out your shopping experience.

One option to buy auto insurance is to go through a broker, such as Eastwood Insurance.  Brokers, in general, do the shopping for you which can save you time and money in the long run.  It’s important to know when you are going through a broker, because sometimes consumers may think the broker company is actually supplying the insurance coverage, when really a different company is, causing billing and customer service confusion.

Purchasing directly from an insurance carrier can have its benefits because you know what you are getting right off the bat.  You may see an advertisement on TV or the web and can call directly to get your price.  On the other hand, if you are interested in ensuring you are getting the lowest quote, shopping around by calling each carrier is timely and can be extremely redundant.  You can also use websites such as smartautoinsurance.com to help you shop around and determine if you are getting the best price.  It’s a competitive market, so the informed consumer definitely saves more.

“High-risk” or drivers with a checkerd driving history have always paid more for their auto insurance coverage from coast-to-coast.  However, in Maryland the upcharge for being a “bad driver” is unusually steep.

The insurer of last resort in Maryland is prohibited from allowing high-risk drivers to pay their auto insurance premiums in installments (ex. monthly) like other drivers, they must pay the entire annual premium up-front.  If they can’t afford to pay the entire year of premiums up-front ($2,500 per year on average) they must borrow money to finance the premiums.  In these cases 75% of the interest is within 5 months, in case the policy is canceled early

The system has been denounced as unfair to 70,000 low income or immigrant drivers in Maryland who are forced into this pool, after being turned down by other auto insurance companies.

About half the drivers enrolled in the pool are eventually canceled for nonpayment and more than 60% have no traffic offenses but were refused other auto insurance coverage because they lack a credit history or driving experience. Thousands are recent immigrants.

More information about Maryland auto insurance.