Fast Cars

Starting on page 153 he explains what those numbers mean on your car insurance. For example, 30/50/20. Never pay attention to those before? Me neither.

I remember that as late as the 1980’s, it was almost impossible for a single woman to obtain credit on her own. Things were much harder for a divorced woman who often had to pay a higher rate for car insurance than her ex-husband, and she had little protection under the law. Many law enforcement agencies did not respond to what they deemed a domestic dispute, even after the divorce was long final, which too often had tragic results.

She also mistakenly cancelled her car insurance, believing the policy related to her home insurance, he said.

One of the easist ways to save money on auto insurance is to shop around and compare rates. Different insurers can charge substantially more or less for virtually identical coverage. Don’t believe me? Well, the Vermont Department of Banking, Insurance an Securities conducted a survey in 2006 and found that premium rates for the highest priced insurer were more than twice the rates of the lowest priced insurer for identical coverage. Twice as much!

I am feeling poor today. I didn’t really spend that much money today. I just feel it. There are a few big birthdays coming up in March. I am feeling the squeeze. If my I-140 gets approved and over with, the next step’s fee will be knocking as well. Then comes D’s birthday. Then my car insurance premium. Ugh!!!

Yours truly is finally a licensed driver. I know, it took me forever and a year, but I got it! I had my permit since I was 15 so this was a long drawn-out expensive task. I also have a car. What’s next? I plan on picking it up next weekend. I’ve been looking into getting some car insurance because my Aunt isn’t sure about keeping that car under her current provider. It all depends on how much it costs.

Moodwise, I had an absolutely terrible day. I found out this morning that my car insurance premium had doubled (after it was cancelled for a week), so I had to drop over half my coverage just to make a payment so I’d be relatively current. The credit union requires FULL coverage, though, so they’re going to call in my loan. This means, basically, that I either A. need to come up with enough to pay off the car in full, or B. come up with a way to make Geico reduce my premium back to what it was, or C. switch carriers (Brian’s suggestion). Otherwise, I’ll be paying nearly $800 a month for my car. While I’m on disability, I won’t even be getting that much. I need to cover things like meds, copays, etc. until I go back to work, so Madge is going to have to go.

13. Your car insurance goes down and your car payments go up.!

I will be turning 25 in just 4 short hours. Will my car insurance rates go down?! What else is there to look forward to turning 25? Other then being “old?” haha.

Well, I was offered the job in California. I\’m not precisely sure how to handle the moving part. I plan on being in Phoenix on the weekends, so do I keep Phoenix as my permanent address, or do I fully move to California? If I fully move, I have to register my vehicle in California which everybody knows is expensive. Also, my car insurance would probably be higher if I am registered in California. How much higher? I don’t know. Do I keep an apartment here in Arizona, or not? Do I fly back and forth, or drive? Am I wearing navy or black? There are a lot of questions to answer.

Carl recently picked up renters insurance as a rider on his car insurance policy. He provided both of our info for the new renter’s policy. His insurance just informed him that since he has another person of legal age to drive who is uninsured, he has to put me on his policy. It’s an additional $500 a year. If he declines to do so, the insurance company can wipe their hands clean of us if I EVER drive his car and EVER get in ANY kind of an accident, even one that is not my fault.

Have to return to the academy on Monday for a defensive driving class. This means that I’ll probably be transporting bandits on occasion soon. That’s the only reason that they make you take that class is if they plan on asking you to be a taxi driver for naughty people. Anyway, the cool thing is that after I get this certificate for this class, my car insurance company will give me a twenty percent discount. I think that they assume that taking such a class will make you a safer driver. Heh.

Which one has the better campaign? Think about it this way: Allstate takes itself seriously; Geico takes nothing seriously. Which one would you want the next time you’re in a car accident?

Truth is, as you might or might not have known, I recently sold my car. And since I just paid for my car insurance, I'm getting a refund enough to cover the iPod. I figured I should at least compensate myself with something worthwhile now that I'm carless.

After a few years of paying $1800 for every 6 months of car insurance, the five tickets have finally dropped off my record. I am now happily paying only $581 for every 6 months. Thank god. Now I can buy a house.

Well, our anniversary is coming up soon, as well as my birthday. Our anniversary, as most of you should know, is May 16th. It will be our second year of wedded bliss… And on a less exciting note, I will be a quarter of a century old this May 22nd. The good news: car insurance goes down. Bad news: I’m closer to the “over the hill mark” of the big 3-0. =)

We also save on car insurance. Used cars cost less to insure than new ones, and, depending on the year, you may not want collision and comprehensive coverage. This can add up quickly, especially if you have other factors that make you high risk.

Recently my dad called and told me that I could no longer be on his car insurance since I was too high of a risk and therefore cost too much. Apparently I am a risk taker. I have had two speeding tickets wtihin the last three years. When I got them I thought the the only cost to me would be points on my license and a fine. However, I did not look at the big picture and the total oppurtunity cost of speeding as opposed to going the speed limit. I did not properly weigh the benefits and consequences of speeding therefor I was an irrational criminal. Not only that but now I am going to have to pay a lot of money for my own insurance now just to drive. Now I will have to get just liability insurance and hope I don't hurt my car. This now affects my whole lifestyle, since I have an extra bill to pay I won't get enough utility out of my money. The total cost of speeding was a lot more than I anticipated.

Esther Friedman indicates that she and her husband carry enough automobile insurance to pay for repairs to their Toyota Camry and cover bodily injury and property damage exposures if their car becomes involved in a vehicular accident. Friedman says that she has never been in an accident in her almost 40 years of driving experience, "but I have insurance just in case. I just hope I never have to use it."

Well, the Bimmer is in the shop for repairs to the convertible top. Meanwhile, my misadventures with USAA continue. Every time I talk to one of their agents, I get a different story. Example: Yesterday they told me the check had to be issued jointly to both me and the leasing company. Today they tell me they in fact can issue the check directly to the body shop. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? Another example: The first agent I spoke to said my iPod would be replaced...

One of the important factors that insurance companies take into account is of course your vehicle. There are thousands of different cars on the road so companies divide them up into groups. Most companies will adopt the ABI (Association of British Insurers) group rating. This splits up vehicles into 20 different groups. Generally speaking the higher the group rating for your vehicle, the higher your premium will be. Some companies may also combine your driving experience with the vehicle group to get a better idea of how high the risk is. This is one of the reasons why young drivers should consider buying a lower group car if they want to lower their insurance cost.

This website: Progressive has videos of actual Crash Tests on various kinds of family cars, SUVs, pickup trucks, luxury cars, etc. by year.

Do not try this at home…

Nationwide, the cost of auto insurance is expected to rise by just 1.5 percent in 2005, the smallest increase in five years, according to the Insurance Information Institute.

The average cost for auto insurance nationwide for 2005 is estimated at $870, an increase of $13 per vehicle from last year, reports the I.I.I. The projected increase represents a continued slowdown from 2004, when auto insurance costs rose by just 2.8 percent, said Robert Hartwig, senior vice president and chief economist of the I.I.I.

“The price of auto insurance is increasing by little more than one-half the rate of inflation,” Hartwig said. “Many people who, for example, drive safe cars, have excellent safety records and good credit-based insurance scores may see their rates go down.”

Hartwig cited the declining number of auto accidents, safer cars, new auto theft technology and fraud-fighting efforts as key factors behind the trend.

Aviva Insurance has announced that it is launching “pay as you go” car insurance in Canada. These types of programs, which have been launched elsewhere, are based on the notion that data collected by a “black box” installed in the car can, if the driver qualifies, entitle the driver to considerable discounts. Tyler Hamilton reported on the program in The Toronto Star today - details on the Aviva program are in his story, details on others are here, here and here, and discussions of car manufacturer “black box” data collection are here, here, here and here.

After a House committee killed the bill reauthorizing their use, the Virginia Senate is trying a backdoor reauthorization of "photo red" cameras reports WAVY-TV news.

Four days after a House of Delegates committee killed local pilot programs that use cameras to catch red light runners, the Virginia Senate revived them as a floor amendment to related legislation.

After adopting the amendment, the Senate voted 29-9 to pass the bill. The measure now goes directly to the House floor, bypassing the committee that had refused to lift the July 1 expiration date for the programs.

We should have known better than to expect tax and spend politicians to let one of their cash cows die so easily. If the real goal were traffic safety, increasing the yellow light is the easiest and most effective method. Instead, some localities across the nation have been caught shortening the yellow to maximize revenue.

If you have a fast car, this might not be the ticket, as it were.

Looking for a way to reduce your car insurance premium? A new pilot program from Progressive Auto Insurance installs a special device in willing drivers' cars. The device records and transmits information about how fast the driver was going, how hard she was breaking, etc. to Progressive.

Full story here.

The idea is that drivers who drive more safely will be offered a break on what the pay for insurance. Do premiums go up for those who like to play Speed Racer? Progressive says no--the program is strictly for identifying safer drivers who are in line for discounts.