Studies have shown that insurance is the second largest expense for most Americans. And the cost for insurance has continued to increase. There are ways to reduce this cost. One way is to save money on your auto insurance. Here are a few ways to save money on your auto insurance. (more…)

Homeowners insurance can be expensive. As an informed consumer, you can reduce the amount you pay to insure your home. This article provides several tips to help you save money on your homeowner’s insurance. (more…)

Every state has financial responsibility laws. For most of us, these laws require that we buy a certain minimum amount of liability insurance. As explained in this article, these minimal amounts are often not enough to cover the costs of most car accidents and, when this happens, you are responsible for the excess amount. (more…)

Every state has financial liability laws. These laws establish the minimum amount of auto liability insurance coverage that must be carried. Here are the current liability limits for each state. (more…)

The cost of your auto insurance car insurance is based on your driving record. You can obtain a copy of your driving record by visiting your local Department of Motor Vehicles (“DMV”). Here is a list of state DMV offices and links to their websites: (more…)

Motorcycles are not covered in by the personal automobile insurance policy (“PAP”). An endorsement can be added to the PAP to insure motorcycles, mopeds, motorscooters, golf carts, motor homes, dune buggies and similar vehicles. There are several unique factors that must be considered when buying this motorcycle insurance coverage. (more…)

When shopping for homeowner’s insurance, it is important to understand that all homeowner’s insurance policies do not cover the same types of damage. The type of damage that is covered varies greatly from one policy to another. There are two ways insurance policies approach this. (more…)

Having your house destroyed by fire or other major disaster can be devastating. The emotional damage can exceed the financial damage. You can help reduce the impact of both by creating an inventory listing of your household possessions to be used to file your homeowner’s insurance claim in the event of such a major loss. (more…)

Damage and theft of rental cars is quite common. If you wait until the loss occurs to learn about how rental cars are insured, you may find that your rental car had next to no coverage. This article explains the different coverages available for rental cars (more…)

Georgia Liability Insurance Responsibilities

Automobile owners in Georgia must maintain liability insurance coverage on vehicles at all times in order to legally operate a motor vehicle and to register and obtain license plates (tags). This requirement also applies if a resident wishes to renew, replace, or transfer existing license plates. Policies must also be issued by a company licensed by the state to provide liability coverage and a consumer should always ensure that a carrier is licensed prior to purchasing a policy.

All Georgia auto insurance policies must consist of no less than the minimum liability limits set by the state. Current requirements are set at $25,000 for bodily injury to one person, $50,000 for bodily injury to two or more people and $25,000 for property damage. These are the absolute minimums, although higher limits can be purchased for an additional premium and can be beneficial in covering expenses that exceed the minimum requirements. Liability only covers the injuries and damages sustained by a third party where the insured is found to be at-fault. In order to cover the physical damage or bodily injury sustained and caused by the policyholder, additional coverage would need to  be purchased such as comprehensive and collision and medical payments.

Submission of GA Auto Insurance Information

The state has implemented a database that allows coverage information to be submitted electronically by insurers directly to the Georgia Department of Revenue. When a policy is written a carrier is required by law to electronically notify the department within thirty days of the date the effective date of the coverage. The insurer must also notify the state if there is a termination and addition or deletion of vehicles from existing policies. This allows law enforcement agencies and the office of the county tax commissioner to access and verify that any vehicle registered in GA is covered by a liability insurance policy.

The goal of developing such a database is to encourage Georgia’s drivers to constantly maintain the mandatory coverage on vehicles at all times. This helps keep uninsured automobiles off of the roadways and helps protect residents from being involved in a traffic accident with a driver lacking coverage. The Georgia Department of Revenue suggests that motorists also check to make sure that the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is correctly submitted by the insurer to the the department which can be done by visiting the online Vehicle Insurance Status Inquiry screen. If there is any type of discrepancy with the information submitted by the policy provider the consumer should address this issue immediately because the database cross-references the VIN and if the number is incorrect it will show the vehicle as uninsured.

http://car-insurance.onlineautoinsurance.com/articles/georgia-liability-insurance-responsibilities/

Cheaper Insurance Found By Shopping Around

Consumers should be aware that the best way to ensure that the lowest rate is being paid at all times is by comparing rates regularly. Many individuals purchase a policy and go far too long between the time coverage is obtained and checking to see if a cheaper insurer is available. Car insurance companies constantly change what is charged for automobile policies and sometimes a carrier will lower rates to become more competitive and try to acquire a bigger chunk of the market.

Since carriers may be changing the price of a policy it may be wise for consumers to regularly get quotes from various insurers to help make sure that a cheap auto insurance policy is constantly maintained. On another note, the industry is ever changing and as laws are put into place to entice insurers to enter markets that they would not have in the past, there may be new companies available to issue coverage that were not competing for business before. In many cases these carriers can be more competitively priced than some of the insurers that have conducted their business in that particular market. With an industry that constantly changes and a providers competing for business, it may be in one’s best interest to be an active consumer and occasionally shop and compare quotes to get the cheapest rate.

Find a Cheaper Insurance Policy Online

The Internet has grown quite substantially as the preferred market place for consumers and it does not look like it will slow down any time soon. Over the past couple of years the World Wide Web has seen a great deal of motorists looking to find an auto insurance company and the upward trend is expected to continue. Many believe the use of the Internet to find cheaper automobile coverage can be attributed to trust and security. A number of advancements have been made that allow a consumer to shop safely online that were not available in the past; this gives individuals a comfortable shopping environment and many resources to help find the cheapest policies.

One other reason that consumers may be flocking to the Internet to locate automobile policies is the ease and convenience it provides. Obtaining quotes from insurers online can be done at anytime of day in the comfort of one’s own home. No longer are motorists restricted to a company’s business hours or having to use a lunch break to sit down with agents. With the tools available on the Web individuals may be able to find the company that can offer the cheapest rate with a few clicks of a mouse. Comparison websites have become widely available that allow a consumer to compare the rates of multiple companies in a matter of minutes; after all, the more options a person has to choose from, the better the chances of finding the best deal. State departments such as the Illinois Department of Insurance recommends comparison shopping and doing so online can help speed up the process.

http://car-insurance.onlineautoinsurance.com/articles/cheaper-insurance-by-shopping/

Obtain Instant Proof of Insurance

Thanks to all of the innovations and technological advances that have been made over the past several decades, business transactions have been made much easier. In the past, consumers did not have much choice but to purchase auto insurance in person and prior to the invention of computers and accompanying software, insurers would have to go through great lengths to evaluate risk and calculate premiums. Fortunately, this is no longer the case and individuals have much easier options to obtain automobile coverage and even get policy documentation instantly.

Insurers, agents and brokers now have the tools necessary to make it much easier to quote a premium to a potential policyholder in a matter of minutes. With the software now available, an industry professional can simply punch in the information of the motorist applying for a policy and get a quotation based on the various factors used to determine the cost of policies. What is even more amazing is that this type of technology is now even available to the consumer. Websites have been developed that allow individuals to input their own information into the fields of the form provided and get a rate quote immediately. Some websites will even provide the visitor with multiple quotes from twenty or more companies. If a motorist is pleased with a particular price, they may even be able to purchase the policy through electronic payments and signatures and receive instant proof of insurance through e-mail or fax.

Keep Proof of Insurance Safe and Check Accuracy

Once an individual has obtained an automobile policy, whether through shopping online, by telephone or in person, proper documentation should be kept in the vehicle at all times. When motorists purchase vehicle coverage the insurer will issue what are called identification (ID) cards that are considered proof of insurance for a particular car. Generally, carriers will provide two copies per automobile and it may be a good idea to always keep one in vehicles and another in a wallet or at home in case the other is misplaced or if it is needed for registration purposes. Many states require that this documentation be presented to obtain or renew a vehicle’s registration.

As an individual obtains their proof of coverage it may also be a good idea to check it for accuracy. ID cards will usually contain the name of the insurer, policy number, effective and expiration dates, names insured, year, make and model of the automobile and vehicle identification number (VIN). Although agents are very accurate with with correctly inputting the information  provided by clients, there may be a case where there is a small error such as transposed VIN numbers. This may be a small oversight, but it can cause a little bit of a problem in certain states. The California Department of Motor Vehicles policy information to be electronically submitted to their offices and a VIN number that does not correspond with their database may cause an issue with registration since the vehicle in question may seem to be uninsured. Take a quick glance at ID cards and if an error is noticed, an insurance agent should be able to fix it a few minutes.

http://car-insurance.onlineautoinsurance.com/articles/obtain-instant-proof-of-insurance/