Posts Tagged ‘Insurance Companies’

California Car Insurance Requirements

Friday, March 19th, 2010



California Law requires all motor vehicle owners to have insurance which provides Bodily Injury Coverage and Property Damage Coverage.

In the State of California the required minimum coverage for bodily injury is $15,000 per person injured in any one accident and $30,000 for all persons injured in any one accident.

The required minimum coverage for property damage is $5,000 for injury to or the destruction of property of others in any one accident.

Optional insurance may include Uninsured Motorist Coverage. If the policy holder makes this choice, the actual coverage purchased must be at least the amount of the required Bodily Injury Coverage. If the policy holder purchases more than the required amount of Bodily Injury Coverage, Underinsured Motorist Coverage may then be purchased in a lesser amount. The State of California does not require insurance companies to provide Uninsured Motorist Coverage in any amount greater than $30,000 per personal injury in any one accident and $60,000 for all persons involved in any one accident.

As well, if Uninsured Motorist Coverage is purchased, then the policy must also include Underinsured Motorist Coverage. California requires insurance companies to offer for purchase Underinsured Motorist Coverage in an amount equal to that purchased for Uninsured Motorist Coverage. Insurers may, however, offer a greater amount of Underinsured Motorist Coverage than the Uninsured Motorist Coverage actually purchased by the policy holder.

California requires liability limits of 12/30/5 which represent $20,000 for bodily injury coverage per person and $30,000 for bodily injury coverage per accident which will pay for medical bills and lost wages. The last number of 5 represents $5,000 for property damage coverage per accident which will pay for repairs and/or replacement of objects damaged or destroyed other than the policy holder’s own vehicle.

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and No-Fault Coverage are not required by the state.

Adding Collision Coverage as well as Comprehensive Coverage to an insurance policy is optional as well in California.

Geico Car Insurance – Things To Remember While Procuring A Policy

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009



There are companies like Geico car insurance that will insure your vehicle(s) at reasonable cost. However, that should not be any reason for you to procure insurance even from such reputed companies with closed eyes. Insurance is one such commodity that, even if sold with best of intentions, may result in complications at later stage. Such complications can be avoided by being careful and prudent at the time of procuring insurance. You should have a clear idea of what you are getting. You should learn to ask questions and clear your doubts even while obtaining insurance from reputed companies like Geico car insurance. Otherwise, if complications do arise at a later stage, as in you finding your indemnity insufficient in the event of a claim, you will certainly face financial loss. Here’s a description of points to remember while buying insurance.

Be Aware Of The Specific Coverage Included On Your Policy

Make sure to check the different types of coverage included in your policy. Don’t assume anything. Read the terms & conditions to verify. Whatever you think you have paid for should be mentioned on paper. This is to obviate the possibility of a company intentionally or inadvertently leaving out something. This will also help you find out if you have forgotten to include something that you essentially require. For example, you may think because you opted for comprehensive policy, it provides coverage to your family members also. This is not the case at all. Family members living in the same house require independent policy. Similarly, recreation vehicles are not included in comprehensive policy. They require separate coverage.

The Amounts Payable In Case Of A Claim(s)

Most companies like Geico car insurance decide the amounts to be paid in the event of a claim at the time of signing the contract. For example, if you procure bodily injury coverage, the company may decide to pay an amount of $5000 per injured person and $12000 for property damage. Remember to peruse these values carefully. If you find them on the lower side, don’t hesitate to negotiate. Also, do remember to ask whether in case of your car getting damaged beyond repair, the amount payable to you will be decided based on the company’s internal assessment or on that of an impartial agency.

Finally, make sure that the discounts or concessions that you qualify for are properly considered while calculating the cost of the insurance of your vehicle. In short, be a smart consumer / buyer. Don’t let your laxity or the company’s error put you in a difficult situation.

California Low Cost Car Insurance – For Under-25′ Drivers?

Thursday, June 18th, 2009



It’s often difficult for most under-25′s to get to this in California: Low cost car insurance rates. The simple reason is that drivers under 25 years of age are statistically high risks in auto insurance. The younger a driver is, the more difficult it is for the to get low cost auto insurance unless they know a few thing. This write-up will teach you some of those things.

1) While this may look like a joke, get married and you’ll get lower rates.

2) Increasing your deductible lowers your premium. However, make sure you don’t choose deductibles that are more than you can provide with ease. An insurance company is only bound to make out payments for claims after you’ve paid such deductible.

3) Insurance companies have specific driving classes that are designed to improve your driving. Get trained in defensive driving. Defensive driving classes that are accepted by your auto insurance provider will certainly bring down your auto insurance premium.

4) Make sure you get a car that is equipped with safety devices. Cars with such features have a high safety rating. Such a car will make it easier for you to get low cost car insurance in California.

5) Insurance companies reward you with cheaper auto insurance rates if you make good grades — A’s and B’s…

6) You can be on your parents’ auto insurance policy. To make this work you would have to live with them and register your car in their name. If prefer to live on your own then you’ll have to pay higher rates.

7) You can get more affordable car insurance rates now by visiting at least three insurance quotes sites. Requesting quotes from at least three quotes sites increase your chances of getting low cost car insurance in California. This is because insurers not covered by one site will be covered by the other.

Ever Wondered What An Auto Insurance Claim Adjuster Does?

Thursday, May 28th, 2009



An auto insurance claim adjuster works for the insurance company with whom you purchase a policy. Some insurance companies use independent adjusters so that they get an unbiased report. When you have an accident and make a claim on your insurance, the company will send out an adjuster to access the damages and come up with an amount of money that will be needed to complete the repairs. The auto insurance claim adjuster has to contact the garages to get an estimate of what the parts and labor will cost.

When you report a claim for an accident to your auto insurance, they will contact the appropriate adjuster. The auto insurance adjuster assigned to your case will contact you to get the details on where he/she can assess the vehicle. Then you will receive a report from the insurance company regarding the assessment the auto insurance claim adjuster submits. If the damages exceed the value of the vehicle, it will be “written off”.

The amount you get on your auto insurance policy depends on the policy itself. If the auto insurance claim adjuster determines that the vehicle is written off, the insurance will pay you the book value of the vehicle. This could be more or less than what the car is worth. With some auto insurance policies, you can pay extra to have a clause included stating that if the vehicle is written off within the first two years, you get the full amount that you paid for the automobile.

There is a certain process that an auto insurance claim adjuster has to use to come up with the amount the insurance company will pay. You will usually get two quotes – one that will see the car getting repaired at a top of the line garage and another if you take a cash settlement on the claim and get the work done yourself. The auto insurance adjuster knows that many people have friends who can do the work cheaper and often take the money.

Once you decide how you want to proceed, the insurance company will issue a check. If you are paying on the vehicle, the check will be made out jointly to you and the lender. Otherwise the check comes directly to you. The job of the auto insurance adjuster is only to access the damages, Any dispute you have regarding the report made by the auto insurance claim adjuster has to be done through the insurance company. Keep this in mind because the adjuster is only an ordinary person like yourself trying to make a living.

An auto insurance claim adjuster doesn’t have an easy job.