Have you ever really looked at your car insurance? There are multiple components to your automobile insurance policy. It’s important to understand the current coverage that you have and what each section means in case you are involved in an accident.
Here are the basic types of coverage included in the average vehicle policy:
Property Damage Liability – This covers property damages to another person’s car that you or a family member have damaged.
Bodily Injury Liability – This provides coverage for bodily injury claims from the people you might injure in an accident
Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage – This coverage protects you when a negligent driver doesn’t have insurance or doesn’t have enough insurance to cover damages. This usually includes bodily injury losses, and sometimes property damage losses.
Physical Damage Coverage – This will cover damages to your car if you are involved in a collision or if your car is damaged in a storm.
These are very brief descriptions of coverage that might be included in your automobile policy. Call Insurance Doctor if you have questions about your current policy.
Don’t panic! A fender bender is an unfortunate occurrence, but it usually does not mean that you will lose your insurance coverage. The reality is that filing a automobile insurance claim will probably raise your current premium.
Your auto insurance premium will probably go up after an accident – especially if you were the driver at fault. Studies show that people who have previously had accidents are more likely to have another accident again. Therefore, companies tend to charge you more for insurance coverage because of the likelihood of another claim in the future.
Of course what you really want to know is how much your premium will increase. This is a more difficult question to answer because different insurance companies use different formulas to calculate rate increases. But don’t worry, in almost all cases, your policy will not be cancelled because of one fender bender.
Call Insurance Doctor if you have questions about your automobile insurance policy.
What a great question. Many people think that if the car isn’t worth much then it is not necessary to insure it. But even if your family car has little value, you will still need to carry some insurance on it.
Your automobile insurance policy is comprised of multiple types of coverage. You usually have some flexibility in the types of coverage as well as the amounts of coverage on your plan. With that said, just about every state has laws that require drivers to carry liability auto insurance and many states require proof of coverage in order to register your car.
It is required that drivers carry liability insurance. This type of coverage provides financial protection from liability claims against you when you or a family member causes an accident that results in bodily injuries to other people or causes damage to their property. Every state has mandatory minimum limits of liability coverage.
Comprehensive and collision insurance is another type of coverage included as part of your automobile insurance plan. The collision and comprehensive coverage reimburses you for physical damage to your own vehicle resulting from collisions and possible other causes such as falling objects or fire. You may not want this type of coverage if your car is worth less than $1,000. The most you would receive in reimbursement would be its actual value after depreciation and depending on your deductible, that probably isn’t much. Some car owners only carry liability insurance on the family clunker.
If you have questions about the coverage of your existing automobile insurance policy, call Insurance Doctor.
There seems to be a great deal of confusion about what automobile insurance actually covers and what it does not cover. Insurance Doctor wants to unlock some of the mysteries of car insurance.
One popular question often heard is “Does car insurance cover theft of my personal belongings from my car?” The answer is no. If you leave your laptop, wallet or GPS sitting in your car and it is stolen, your car insurance will not replace those items for you.
Car insurance is intended to offer financial protection in case of an accident, fire, car theft or most storm damage to your vehicle. It does not replace personal property in your car. An individual’s personal property is covered under your homeowner’s or even your renter’s insurance policy, not your car insurance policy.
Your homeowner’s insurance should cover your personal property at home, in a car, on vacation or anywhere in the world up to a certain dollar limit. Review your homeowner’s policy, because in most cases, the deductible is usually much higher than your car insurance deductible and would not meet the amount needed to file a claim for reimbursement.
It is a good plan to familiarize yourself with both your car insurance policy as well as your homeowner’s insurance policy. At Insurance Doctor, we offer coverage for all of your insurance needs: car, home, motorcycle and renters insurance. We can answer questions you have about your insurance coverage for both your car and your home.
While it is possible to acquire car insurance without ever walking into an office or seeing an insurance specialist, sometimes it is nice to have that individual contact and personalized service available in your car insurance company.
At Insurance Doctor, we have 16 offices conveniently located throughout Virginia and North Carolina.
In Virginia, all of our locations are open Monday – Friday from 9 to 6 and on Saturday from 9 to 12 for your convenience. Click here to view all of our Virginia locations.
Our North Carolina locations are open Monday – Friday from 9 – 5:30 and Saturday from 9 – 12. Click here to view all of our North Carolina locations.
Have you ever wondered what formula goes into factoring the cost you pay for your automobile insurance? Your driving record is one of the biggest considerations, but there are other factors that go into calculating the premiums you pay for insurance coverage. Here is a list of some factors that can either increase or decrease the cost of automobile insurance coverage:
1. Type of vehicle you drive: make, model and year – Some vehicles are more expensive to repair and statistics show that accident rates differ for different types of cars.
2. Insurance coverage history – If you are a new driver or previously have not had insurance coverage, you can expect to pay higher rates.
3. Designated vehicle use – Claiming your car as a work vehicle can increase your premium.
4. Personal factors – Your age, sex and marital status can influence your insurance rates. Studies indicate that older drivers, female drivers and married drivers usually have better driving records which can give these categories of drivers lower premiums.
5. State of residence – High population states tend to have more accidents. Also, the type of insurance system in the state can affect your insurance premiums.
Contact Insurance Doctor if you have questions about your insurance coverage and to get a free insurance quote.
If you drive and have auto insurance then you have probably heard of the term assigned risk, but what does it mean exactly? Assigned risk is a person with such a poor driving record that he/she is unable to qualify for commercial auto insurance, and therefore must use a state operated or designated insurance program which usually has much higher rates.
In this day and time, most all states require you to have auto insurance in order to be able to drive. There are different minimum insurance requirements from state to state and you should check on your own state’s minimum requirements. Within your state of residence, you may have a problem if insurance companies are not willing to accept you for automobile insurance coverage. Because of this dilemma, most states have some type of assigned risk plan to assure that you can get coverage. While the cost of insurance under the assigned risk plan may be higher than other insurance plans, you are guaranteed coverage.
Call Insurance Doctor if you have concerns or questions about qualifying for car insurance.
Of course you do! 14 minutes is all it takes to save money on your car insurance. The Insurance Doctor has two objectives: to find our customers the best policy for their needs and to do it quickly and make it easy for our customers.
When you ask Insurance Doctor for a quote, this is what you can expect:
Step 1: Get your quote. Our quote process involves shopping 40 different insurance companies in order to find the best policy for your individual needs. You can request your quotes either online or over the phone. On average, it takes us about 4 ½ minutes to provide quotes by phone and sometimes it can be faster to request your quotes online.
Step 2: Get your policy. We can do this either in our office or over a fax. Most people choose to do this in our office because it’s fast, but if you have access to a fax machine we can do it all without you having to come in.
Within an average of 14 minutes you will have:
Your receipt
Proof of insurance coverage with your new policy number
Your choice of your payment schedule
24 hour claims information for your new insurance carrier
A temporary insurance card to keep until your new card arrives
Ok, so let me ask you again. Do you have 14 minutes to save money? Let the Insurance Doctor show you how.
Did you know that every 26 seconds a vehicle is stolen in our country? By the time you finish reading this blog, another car will have been stolen. While you can’t always prevent theft from occurring, sometimes there are things that you can do to minimize the risk.
At Insurance Doctor, we take car safety seriously. Here is a list of anti-theft devices that are available on the market to protect you and your vehicle. Prices can range from $10 to $1000 depending on the level and type of security you choose:
Steering-wheel lock: These devices go over the steering wheel and completely locks it into place. (@$25-$100)
Brand parts with your Vehicle Identification Number: Your VIN is a unique 17-digit serial number assigned to your car. Car parts with a visible VIN are a lot harder for thieves to re-sell. (@$20)
Car alarms: These are quite good at getting every one’s attention. The price on these can vary greatly. (@$150-$1,000)
Hood locks: This will prevent a thief from accessing your battery or stealing car parts. (@$20-$50)
Tire locks: Tire locks are visible and not so easy to take on and off. Not the best idea for the car you drive on a daily basis. (@$80-$200)
Kill switch: This will actually shut down part of your engine’s electrical system when activated. Be sure to check your car’s warranty, because some car makers do not allow installation. (@$10-$125)
Vehicle tracking system: This device is linked to your local law enforcement agency. A transmitter is installed in your car and is activated once a theft is reported. (@$700)
If you decide to install an anti-theft device on your vehicle, be sure to contact your automobile insurance provider. In some cases, you may qualify for a deduction in your insurance rates.
According to the 2009 National Insurance Crime Bureau Auto Theft Study, the most popular car to steal last year (2009) was the 1994 Honda Accord. At Insurance Doctor, we want to inform you of valuable automobile information to help you in the care and safety of your car and its drivers. Here is the list of the top ten most stolen vehicles in the year 2009:
1. 1994 Honda Accord
2. 1995 Honda Civic
3. 1991 Toyota Camry
4. 1997 Ford F-150
5. 2004 Dodge Ram
6. 2000 Dodge Caravan
7. 1994 Chevrolet 1500
8. 1994 Acura Integra
9. 2002 Ford Explorer
10. 2009 Toyota Corolla
As a driver, you can take precautions against having your vehicle stolen. There are multiple anti-theft devices on the market that can minimize the threat of having your car stolen. There are also items on the market that enable you to track your vehicle for quick recovery in case of theft.
In some cases, anti-theft devices on your vehicle can qualify you for special discounts on your car insurance. Call Insurance Doctor if you have any questions about our automobile policies and possible discounts that you may be eligible for.