Antique Automobile Insurance
Antique automobile insurance is available on the Internet, but an owner has to look through quite a few websites of those who claim to cover antique cars to find one that actually does that. The companies who do offer antique car insurance have a different attitude toward these valuable collectibles, including having certain requirements for the coverage they offer. They cover vehicles used for exhibitions, club activities, parades, and other public functions. Cars covered by antique car insurance are never used for ordinary family activities like going to work or school, vacations, or running errands. The companies require the vehicle be kept safe in a covered garage, and whenever it is in use at one of the functions mentioned above, it is attended at all times.
Since the vehicle will most likely be driven to and from these functions, whatever the state and insurance board requires is also provided in the policy. Liability, uninsured motorists, PIP, medical, comprehensive, collision and more are offered on the antique automobile insurance policy. The value of one of these cars being covered is determined by its age, condition, and how rare this particular model is. Of course, clear title to the vehicle is necessary before the policy is written, and the owner must certify to all of the conditions mentioned above. Owners are often collectors of the same, so the pride they have in their collection ensures that they are taking very good care of the vehicle. They will pay whatever is necessary to obtain antique car insurance to protect their investments.
The public generally has a great deal of appreciation for these vehicles, so when they are present at county fairs or town celebrations, the possessions are well received. The average citizen would not intentionally harm one of them, but it’s good to have them covered “just in case.” Some enthusiasts put a great deal of money into restoring a vehicle after acquiring it. Since this is done with genuine parts for that vehicle and paint from the era, the value is enhanced. Thus, antique automobile insurance is a must to protect against loss. Thieves have been known to steal antique cars, so the closed garage requirement for antique car insurance is easily understood.
Most owners/collectors have no problem with the requirement of constant attendance during functions for the same reason. These automobiles are the prized possessions of those who own them, so antique automobile insurance is a vital necessity. But even if we own the most prized vehicle, we must keep our priorities in order. First Timothy 6:7 says, “We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” As stewards, we purchase policies to protect our possessions, but as Christians, we also realize that our true protection is in God’s hands, not in our possessions.
Car Insurance / Auto Insurance Recommendations
We here at SEIA recommend GEICO for car and other types of vehicle insurance because it’s simple to get a fast online quote from them and they are one of the biggest providers of auto insurance in the USA.
Being such a large company gives them the ability to provide a very economical service because they have so many customers.
Go and use the next few minutes to fill in their short quote form.
Since they provide a no-obligation quote, all you’ve got to lose is a few minutes of your time and you could end up with a much cheaper car insurance policy.
Gettin’ DOWN - automobile insurance
Car-insurance rates are falling as boomers slow down and cars get safer. Make sure you get more than your share of the savings.
Shopping for car insurance isn’t Phil Conley’s idea of fun. And he’s the vice-president of a commercial-property insurance company. “Insurance is something you have to have but don’t want,” he says bluntly, “and I don’t want to spend a lot of time on it.” But he’s found that spending a little time can deliver a big payoff. In the past two years he’s doubled his coverage while slashing his costs by $600 a year.
Shopping for insurance probably isn’t what you do for kicks, either, but there’s a good chance that you, too, can save. The 20th century is winding down with back-to-back years of falling premiums, the first drops since 1973. On average, rates fell 2.8% nationwide in 1998, and they’re expected to dip another 4.5% in 1999, according to the Insurance Information Institute.
Despite the rising cost of new cars, premiums are down in most states, according to Bob Hartwig, the institute’s chief economist. The big winners are in California, New York, North Carolina and Texas. In North Carolina, insurers petitioned the state insurance commissioner earlier this year to roll back rates to the tune of $125 million.
Several factors are driving this refreshing trend. The graying of America means baby-boomers are moving into their safest driving years. As cars get safer, automobile injuries decline. And stiffer laws have curbed theft and drunk driving.
But rates aren’t down for everyone everywhere. For example, in 1998 State Farm’s auto premiums dropped an average of 6% nationwide, but they actually went up in a few states, including a 6% boost in North Dakota. And there’s no guarantee that the overall downward drift will continue. State Farm–which is appealing a $1.2-billion award for using after-market parts to repair damaged vehicles–has suspended the use of the less-expensive parts. If it loses its appeal, the company says the higher cost of using original-equipment parts will ultimately be passed on to policyholders in higher premiums.
But for now, get in while the getting is good. “Competition is so keen that companies are eagerly writing up people they previously were reluctant to insure,” says Robert Hunter, former Texas insurance commissioner and director of insurance for the Consumer Federation of America.
It’s also easier than ever to comparison shop. Thanks to Internet sites, you can get quotes from several companies in a matter of hours.
Companies that sell through agents–including All-state (www.allstate.com/products/auto), State Farm (www.statefarm.com) and Nationwide (www.nationwide.com)–will direct you to local agents for quotes. Direct sellers–such as Geico (www.geico.com; 800-861-8380) and USAA (www.usaa.com; 800-365-8722)–will bid for your business over the phone.
Progressive Insurance (www.progressive.com) goes a step further. It will prepare a price for its insurance plus prices for up to three of its competitors as soon as you fill out an online questionnaire or call its toll-free number (877-776-4266).
For more help scouring for the best deal, InsureMarket (www.insuremarket.com) and InsWeb (www.insweb.com) will scout as many as 20 different companies and list the best prices they can find. Don’t let inertia prevent you from using the tools at your disposal. “People who aren’t attentive to their shopping will pay significantly higher rates than they need to,” says Darrell Ticehurst, vice-chairman of InsWeb Corp., in Redwood City, Cal.
KNOW THY COVERAGE
Automobile insurance isn’t a single product but rather a group of coverages packaged together. You can fine-tune any part of the package to suit your needs. Liability pays for injuries you cause to others and their property. It is typically sold with three limits. A $100,000/ $300,000/$50,000 policy, for example, would pay up to $100,000 for injuries to a single person, up to a total of $300,000 for injuries in a single accident, and up to $50,000 for property damage. This is the minimum you should consider–and you can boost your protection relatively inexpensively. “We recommend $250,000/$500,000 in bodily-injury coverage because medical bills plus pain and suffering and all the extras can easily exceed $100,000/$300,000 in a serious accident,” says Ronald Whitaker, an independent agent in New Lenox, Ill. “And the extra protection costs only 20% more.”
Some states demand that residents carry uninsured/ underinsured motorist insurance. It pays for medical treatment, lost wages, and pain and suffering if you’re injured in an accident caused by an uninsured driver. Even if your state doesn’t mandate it, the growing number of uninsured drivers makes it advisable to buy this coverage. Typically it will add about $120 a year to your bill.
Medical-payment insurance or personal-injury protection (PIP) covers medical expenses and the lost wages of people who are injured in your car. In many cases, this coverage–which runs about $50 a year for $5,000 of insurance–is superfluous because most people have their own insurance and because costs would be covered by the liability coverage of the driver at fault. In states with nofault insurance laws, PIP coverage pays for you and your passengers, regardless of who is at fault.
Insuring a Used Car
A standard auto insurance policy is a package of different kinds of coverage. There is generally some flexibility in terms of both the types and amounts of coverage you select. However, practically every state has enacted insurance laws that require drivers to carry at least some auto insurance. Many states even require that you present proof of insurance before you register a car. So the short answer to the question is that you will probably need to insure your car, regardless of its value.
Every state requires that drivers carry liability insurance. The liability coverage section of an auto insurance policy provides financial protection from liability claims against you when you (or certain other people) cause an accident that results in bodily injuries to other people and/or damage to their property. Every state has mandatory minimum levels of coverage in this area. The rationale behind such laws is that at-fault drivers should be able to compensate victims who suffer accident-related losses. But the required minimums in most states don’t even come close to covering the costs of a serious accident. Consequently, if you wish to be adequately protected from liability claims, your liability coverage should probably exceed your state’s requirements.
Other coverages are required in some states and optional in others. Medical payments coverage and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage are two such coverages. Medical payments coverage covers medical expenses incurred by you, your family members, and your non-family passengers. Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage covers losses you and others suffer as a result of an accident caused by a driver who either has no insurance or insufficient insurance. If buying these coverages is optional in your state, base your decision on your needs, circumstances, and other factors. Consult your insurance agent for more information.
Collision and comprehensive insurance is optional in virtually every state. The collision and comprehensive section of your policy covers physical damage to your own vehicle resulting from collisions and a variety of other causes (e.g., fire, falling objects). It may also cover losses associated with theft. However, your car’s value plays a big part in assessing your need for this type of coverage. It may not be cost-effective if your vehicle is worth less than $1,000 because you’ll have to satisfy a deductible, and the most you’ll receive (even if your car is totaled) will be its actual value (i.e., after depreciation). That’s not much, especially taking into account the premiums you would have been paying for coverage.
SUV Owners Pay More for Insurance
Hortencia Privett is like thousands of other owners of Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs). Privett admits that she loves what she drives, a silver 2002 Jeep Liberty, but insurance experts caution that she and other SUV owners have to pay considerably more for insurance than those tooling around town in smaller cars.
The cost to insure an SUV is generally 10 to 20 percent more than a car, depending of course on a driver’s location, claims experience, credit history and other factors, confirms Loretta L. Worters, vice president of communications for the Insurance Information Institute, in New York. “Yes auto rates for SUVs are generally higher than for automobiles,” says Worters. “Rates of course correlate to risk — and there are a lot of risk factors with SUVs. Not so much what affects them, but what they do to other vehicles.”
Cutting to specifics, Worters pointed out that an SUV’s “potential for liability and medical payments coverage losses is a real concern to the industry. Pedestrians hit by SUVs have a 300 percent higher risk of serious injury than if they were struck by a passenger car. There’s also greater injury in cars that are hit by SUVs than it would be with another car.”
Privett acknowledges that she has to pay more for coverage, but that’s okay with her under the circumstances. “I feel safer in my SUV,” explains Privett, an office secretary in Illinois. “I’ve had an SUV for three years, and I wouldn’t go back. Even though I have to pay more for insurance, it’s worth the added cost to me.”
Privett’s SUV sentiments are hardly unique. It’s been reported that SUVs accounted for upwards of 24 percent of all new-vehicle sales in the United States for 2003 and, with well over 20 million on the road today, SUVs represent almost 12 percent of all registered vehicles in the U.S.
The safety reputation of an SUV or other vehicle type certainly has a bearing on insurance costs. On the subject of SUV safety, a spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) brings up what he considers to be a misconception about SUVs.
“The misconception is that many people think that SUVs are safer than cars, and they’re not,†says IIHS’s Russ Rader. “Vehicle crash statistics that we compile each year show that pound for pound, if you’re comparing vehicles of a similar weight, SUVs tend to be less safe than cars.”
Rader says that cost of repair is a big issue from an insurance standpoint. “SUVs can be costly to repair in minor crashes, because they don’t have to meet the federal government’s standards set for bumpers on cars in terms of withstanding crashes in commuter traffic or parking lots,” explains Rader.
Says Rader: “Most SUVs aren’t built like cars and don’t drive like them. Yes, they’re higher and you can see the road ahead better, but that height also gives them a higher center of gravity, which makes them less balanced than sedans — and more likely to flip.”
Auto Insurance Rates Decline in 2005
In the survey of 46 states, the District of Columbia and nearly nine million auto insurance quotes provided by its customers, Insurance.com found an overall decline in the 2005 national average for auto insurance rates, resulting in a rate fall for over 21 states. That’s a 2% decline from 2004, saving many households an average of $60 per year.
Despite the overall decrease, Insurance.com found many states that normally enjoy lower auto insurance rates experienced an increase from 2004 to 2005. And states that experienced a rate decrease are still paying some of the highest car insurance rates in the country. These statistics leave many drivers wondering why, at a time when insurance rates are down, do so many states still feel a price crunch.
It turns out that where you live still plays a large role in how much you pay for auto insurance. For instance, New Yorkers paid an average of $3,165 for automobile insurance in 2005-a 3.4% decrease from 2004. And Louisiana residents paid an average of $3,100-a 4.9% decrease from 2004. However even with the rate reductions, both states remain the most expensive states in the country for auto insurance. Due in part to the cities’ limited parking, higher traffic population, greater theft rate and increase in uninsured drivers
2005 Auto Insurance Pricing Report*
Auto Insurance Pricing Report highlights the average change in auto insurance premium quotes. The report compares the average auto insurance premium in 2005 against the average premium for the full year in every state*. The information comes from actual auto insurance quotes consumers received from over a dozen of the nation’s leading auto insurance companies who participate on Insurance.com’s comparative auto insurance platform. The quote information was collected from more than two million auto insurance quotes provided by Insurance.com to its customers in 2004 and over seven million insurance quotes collected in 2005.
Poor call centre performances driving motorists online for insurance
In their efforts to cut costs more and more finance companies are looking to use offshore call centres to provide their customer services and administration. This is especially prevalent in the insurance industry, where it seems as if there is a newspaper announcement of previously UK based services migrating abroad every day. As more insurers use offshore call centres, recent research from Swinton insurance shows that motorists are increasingly turning to the internet to find the best deal on their car insurance.
Drivers are constantly advised to search around and obtain multiple quotes when it comes to renewal time, with recent research showing that drivers needed to obtain at least seven car insurance quotes to be likely to have found their most competitive deal, on average £52.26 better than their first quote. However with 47 per cent of those looking for car insurance taking more than ten minutes to obtain a single quote by phone, while a single quick search on a website like Moneynet, or Insure Supermarket can provide immediate comparisons of tens or hundreds of car insurance providers, it is understandable that people are turning towards the internet as a means of shopping around for the best deals.
It is not only the length of time taken by the call centres that motorists appear to have a problem with. The study found that the number of motorists looking for car insurance online has now reached 681,000 with many of them citing poor call centre performance, and doubts over the efficacy of the call centres as the main reasons why they are no longer using the phone to obtain insurance.
Most of those questioned indicated that concerns over the levels of customer service provided by call centres, with offshore centres targeted in particular, was a major factor for them fuelling a move from phone to the internet. Rightly or wrongly, most of those surveyed felt that the service provided, and the time taken for problems to be resolved, by offshore call centres would be slower, when compared with their UK call centres counterparts.
Despite the high levels of respondents reporting being unhappy with the customer service provided by UK call centres, and general levels of dissatisfaction with call centre staff growing, the phone is still most drivers’ favoured method of buying cover. Swinton claims almost two thirds of UK motorists indicated they use the phone to buy their car insurance, while the number of motorists purchasing their cover online has now risen to 23%. The AA have stated that the figures are actually closer to 40% of all new car insurance now being arranged on the internet, with online sales of car insurance last year growing by nearly two-thirds.
However, even with the growth in the number of people using the internet and despite all the safety measures implemented to facilitate online transactions, more than a million motorists are reported as still not trusting the internet as a safe purchasing tool, and feel safer using the phone to speak directly to a person. This is despite recent news reports of the bank account details of 1,000 UK customers, including passwords, addresses and passport data, held by Indian call centres, being sold to an undercover reporter from the Sun.
Andrew Jackson, marketing director for Swinton said, “We believe that despite the increase in the number of people purchasing car insurance on the internet, the phone will continue to be a popular method as long as providers ensure that their call centres provide good quality customer service,”.
However unless call centre based companies redress the publics perceptions of poor performance offered by call centres, they are liable to find more motorists trying to find other options, and if the internet based insurance providers can convince the increasingly technologically savvy public that buying online is safe, then we may soon see the rapid decline of call centres and see the internet becoming the primary source of information for motorists in their quest for cheaper car insurance.
California Catering Truck Insurance
Catering truck insurance
Not many agents/brokers write catering truck insurance as they don’t have a contract with companies that will write that type of coverage. There’s a certain type of knowledge needed to write the risk with catering truck insurance properly. There are basically (2) categories of operators:
They are, hot trucks and Mobile Food Preparation Vehicles (MFPV), which allow food to be prepared as customers order, and cold trucks, Industrial Catering Vehicles (ICV), which sell only prepackaged foods.
The hot trucks have at least a driver, (which is usually the taxpayer), and a cook, who may be a family member. The cold trucks in most instances, only need a driver since it is a self-service vehicle, however, they are not limited to just the driver.
The average cost of the trucks is approximately between $50,000 - $100,000. The trucks may be owned by one individual, serving as the owner/operator, or several individuals may own a fleet of trucks and lease them to various individuals to operate; or they can be individually owned and then leased to another individual to operate.
The drivers/owners of food trucks are linked to specific commissaries stocking and storing their trucks overnight. The commissary is a wholesale supermarket where the drivers are able to buy food and supplies in bulk. The trucks are assigned to a commissary and are required to park their vehicles there overnight for washing, unloading, and morning loading of food.
The drivers purchase their goods for sale at the commissary, although you may discover that outside purchases were also made. The Department of Health Services have very strict requirements with regards to the purchase of food for sale. Food must be obtained from an approved vendor, approved facility, or approved commissary.
The owners and operators of the vehicles have to meet certain requirements for various governmental agencies. The owners are required to register their vehicles with the Health Department. All vehicles must have a valid County Health Permit.
Vehicles are usually inspected annually in order to renew their license by the Health Department. The license, showing the name of the owner, must be on display in the vehicle or on the persons of the driver.
Selling any goods, wares, or merchandise on public streets and sidewalks on foot or using a pack, stand, or push cart is illegal without the approval of the Department of Building and Safety.
There are also stringent health codes that must be followed and enforced to operate safely and within the guidlines of the dept of health in order to be able to operate the food business. State laws also require catering truck insurance.
Finding California High Risk Truck Insurance
California high risk truck insurance
If your are in need of California high risk truck insurance there’s an easy way for you to find it. Fortunately with the advent of the internet and database development in the auto industry you shouldn’t have any difficulty with California high risk truck insurance.
Not too many years ago the shopping process was very gurgling to say the least. If you have ever tried to compare several quotes from say (4) different agents/brokers, good luck. It was just about impossible to do the comparison fairly. Then you’d try calling back to get changes made and normally that itself was enough to make you want to commit harrykary.
The good news is that today you don’t need to suffer through as much nonsense as was the case not long ago. Transportation providers have made their rates rather accessible and now online through the use of your computer in the office or at home.
Providing rates for your needs is really very simple. You simply type in the answers to the questions you’re asked and off you go. When the quotes are finished you can simply change what you want quoted differently and you’ll have your answer almost immediately. Pretty neat, eh?
Most insurance companies do business in California so getting a good range of prices is excellent as well because of so much competition for your business in the state.
Generally you select the quote, complete the online application, make a downpayment and bingo that’s it. Occasionally you’ll receive a phone call perhaps with additional questions and that fine. Someone is doing their job trying to help you get California high risk truck insurance.
What You Need To Know About Automobile Accident Insurance Calculators
Considering that, as a matter of policy, automobile insurance companies do not reveal the methods and factors they use to calculate rates for auto insurance, an automobile accident insurance calculator is just a little bit illusory.
An auto accident insurance calculator is comprised of many factors that have to do with both the vehicle and the driver. Which factors and what weight they carry may vary quite a bit depending on the automobile insurance company.
Car insurance rating groups are a particularly important factor used to calculate insurance rates. Insurance rating groups determine to what extent the level of risk to insure members of a particular group deviates from a norm.
You’re A ‘Joiner’ Whether You Think You Are Or Not
An insurance calculator would calculate higher rates for those with higher levels of risk and lower rates for those with lower levels.
Insurance rating groups might be categorized by age group, gender, credit scores, location of residence, and other factors, or a combination of several. Based on insurance rating groups, an automobile insurance company might be able to project the chances of a policyholder being in an automobile accident or of their putting their vehicle at risk in other ways; where they park, for instance.
When you apply for auto insurance, you are essentially applying for membership in a club, one of many insurance rating groups. You can’t do anything about joining some of those clubs–the Young Males’ Club or the Under-25 Club, for instance–but you can do something about being in the Good Drivers’ Club, The I-Pay-My-Bills-On-Time Club, The My-Car-Gets-Parked-In-A-Garage Club, and others.
An insurance ‘calculator’ looks to see if your ‘membership dues’ are paid up in full, then determines your insurance rates accordingly.