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Insurance deductibles are intended to keep the cost of insurance low by eliminating very small claims and the cost of dealing with them. Deductibles apply to many different types of insurance but are most common on property and casualty insurance policies. Health insurance also has deductibles, and life insurance policies never have them. Most people encounter their first deductible when they buy auto insurance and have to choose the deductible amount for full coverage insurance when they finance a new or used car purchase.

Deductibles Only Apply to Policyholder’s Loss Claims

When involved in an accident at which you are at fault and needing to file an insurance claim to care for the other person’s vehicle, as might happen if driving a 4×4 and knocking over a costly sport bike parked on a lot, any deductible only would apply to the vehicle for which the auto insurance policy is drawn up. Any claims for repairing the motorcycle in this instance would not require a deductible. The deductible only applies to the insured vehicle and is intended to prevent the owner from filing minor claims for small things like having a flat tire. Deductibles also reduce the number of potential lawsuits over very small matters, and that helps to keep the price of insurance policies lower.

Deductibles Amounts Are Adjustable

People who want to reduce the cost of their auto, home or other insurance can do so by increasing the deductible amount. In most cases, deductibles can range from zero to $1,000. Some larger deductibles are available from some insurers, but most financed vehicles and common sense require deductibles of no more than $1,000 on autos. Most people have a deductible of $500, which is a relatively affordable amount for most working people to come up with in the event of an accident and needing to replace a vehicle. If the vehicle is totaled, the insurer will write a check up to policy limits minus the deductible. If repairs are needed, the insurer will pay up to policy limits minus the deductible. That means the policy holder will need to pay the deductible amount when insured repairs are done.

How much is the deductible you carry on your vehicles?

Originally posted 2014-06-05 00:21:03.

Have you ever experienced the sensation where you’re driving and realize that you’ve gone from point A to point B and can’t remember anything that happened? You know how you kind of wake up and realize that you don’t remember waiting to go through that gate, or whether or not you caught the light green or red? It doesn’t last for a long time, probably less than 30 seconds.

Everyone has a cell phone now. The increase of their use and prevalence, unfortunately, is evident in the the rising numbers of car accidents caused by distracted driving. Namely texting. Last year alone there were over 11,000 deaths.

Think texting while driving isn’t a big deal?

Perhaps you feel like looking at your phone for three seconds isn’t the end of the world. The problem with that is  when you’re cruising down the freeway at 65 mph, you’ll easily cover the length of a football field while driving a 4,000 pound metal battering ram while blindfolded.

The epidemic seems to be most prevalent among teens. This isn’t because teens are unintelligent. Without getting too scientific and technical, the pre-frontal cortex – the part of the brain responsible for decision making, judgement, and risk/reward balancing – doesn’t fully develop until the mid-twenties. This is why teens are more prone to participate in risky behaviors, and why teens are three times more likely to die in a car accident than people twenty and older.

The best way to avoid this epidemic sweeping our streets is to stop. Stop texting, checking Instagram, email – whatever. Talk with your teens about the dangers and help them understand just how serious the problem is.

If you feel the need to go the extra mile as a parent, there are apps available that will block all texts and phone calls while driving.

Originally posted 2014-02-20 14:52:40.

With people’s incomes often times fluctuating and car insurance rates rising every year, it is important to take the right steps to ensure auto insurance rates are as low as possible. Those who don’t have a car but still drive from time to time and who eventually want to buy a car need to maintain liability insurance for themselves. If they don’t, they will be stuck paying high-risk rates for their auto insurance for at least the first six months they own it, and that greatly increases the cost of owning a vehicle.

Auto Insurers Require Continuous Coverage

When going without a car for a period of time and not having any kind of auto insurance coverage, auto insurers will hold that
against people when they start to drive their own vehicles. A simple solution is to have a relative or friend carry someone as a named insured on their auto insurance policy for liability coverage only when possible. That gives the individual a recent history of being insured and won’t cause auto insurers to make them pay for high-risk car insurance. Individuals also can buy open auto liability insurance to any vehicle they might be driving for low rates and help to ensure they won’t have to pay high-risk rates for up to a year when they get their next vehicle.

Motorcycle Insurance Does Not Count

Motorcycles can be fully licensed, insured and ridden regularly, but if the owner of the motorcycle does not also have at least liability auto insurance, the motorcycle insurance will not count as maintaining auto insurance. Because motorcycles generally pose a greater risk to motorcycle riders than other vehicles or property, insurers want to see auto insurance coverage in place to help ensure no accidents or other driving mishaps have occurred involving the potential driver and policyholder. So if only riding a motorcycle, it is wise to also carry minimal levels of auto liability insurance.

Are you looking to buy a car but don’t have current auto insurance coverage?

Originally posted 2014-08-01 21:08:41.

Fictional sales woman Flo in Progressive Insurance commercials became recognizable character in United States. Many people find it pretty funny, others find her annoying and even created groups on Facebook called Progressive Insurance Commercials Aggravate Me, FLO MUST DIE!!!, or I hate Flo!!! As for me, I like the way actress acts and behaves as an advertising character. For some people it is not enough to watch the commercial on TV and they go on YouTube where each clip with Flo received about 20,000 – 50,000 views.

Google keyword suggestion tool shows that people search information about Progressive Insurance ad campaign as well. According Google many people searched typing:

• progressive insurance girl
• who is the girl in the progressive insurance commercials?
• who is the chick in the progressive commercials
• annoying progressive insurance commercial
  …and more.

So, who is this funny, wired, crazy girl?

Okay, the women in the Progressive Insurance commercials is an actress and comedian Stephanie Courtney. Her little wired and enthusiastic behavior turned into something like business card or sales pitch for Progressive Insurance. Appearance in Progressive commercials is her biggest but she also appeared in movies like The Heartbreak Kid and Blades of Glory.

Originally posted 2009-09-02 15:16:20.

Finding a good insurance agent is kind of like finding a spouse – you need to have good communication, common goals and values, and the desire to stick with them for life. Las Vegas insurance agents are every where and you want to find the right one for you. Of course, you don’t owe your agent the same commitment you do your significant other, but when you find the right one, you’ll never want to go through the hassle of finding another.

But unless you’re wildly lucky, finding that relationship can take some work. We’ve broken it down into five steps to help you find the best agent for your needs:

Determine your needs

Using just one agent for all of your personal insurance needs can be very convenient, but it will require you to decide exactly what you need so you can find the agent who can provide it to you. Bundling insurance policies can help save money, so make a list of what lines you’ll need: auto, homeowners, renters, flood, dwelling, umbrella, etc.

Talk to your friends

Referrals can go a long way. Talk to your friends and family to see if they’d recommend an agent or a specific company. Ask them why they’d recommend the agent and broker and decide if these qualities fall in line with what you’re looking for.

Ask questions

Regardless of whether you have gotten some suggestions from friends or family, be sure to ask plenty of questions of your potential agent and their staff. Ask for extensive information on each insurance policy. You’ll also want to ask about the agency and supporting staff as well to get a good feel of the availability of your potential insurance agent and staff.

Get actual quotes

After you’ve narrowed your candidates for insurance agents, get actual quotes on the policies you’re interested in. Be sure to ask about any discounts for bundling policies, as well as other available discounts. A good agent will try to find you the best coverage with as many discounts as possible.

Try it out

If you’ve found an agent you like who also offers you the coverage you need at a price that fits your budget, you might be ready to purchase your insurance policies and work with your new agent. Before you renew your policy, reflect on the service and accessibility of your agent and his or her staff. Hopefully, you will have found an agent and started to build a relationship that can last a lifetime!

How did you find your agent?

Originally posted 2012-09-09 05:26:18.