Archive for August 17th, 2008
SUV Sales Drop? Imagine That!
Gas prices aren’t high enough. Really… they aren’t. Do you disagree? You should!! Today (october 4th, 2005) we learned that SUV sales dropped dramically after the huge gas spikes that hurricane katrina caused. Did you see that coming? I sure did. Gas prices have a direct effect on the economy. This you know. What you might not know is the amount of an effect it has on many things. I forecast that SUV sales would drop significantly when gas hit $3 per gallon. You may s…
Car Insurance How Can I Lower My Premiums?
During the last few years, the average car insurance premium has virtually been at a stand still. The reason is price competition. There are now over 100 car insurance companies fighting for your business and competition is fierce. There are always bargains to be found as companies cut their premiums to attract motorists in the hope you’ll remain loyal and stick with them in following years. Indeed, every year, 23% of us renew our motor insurance with our existing insurer.
But in recent years the Internet has created a revolution in the marketing of car insurance. It makes shopping around so easy without the need to make loads of phone calls and without spending time threading yourself through the automated phone systems beloved by so many call centres.
But you’d be wise to remember that the lowest premium is not always the best. For example, some insurers have recently pushed up the level of claims excess they want you to pay as this helps them provide you with a much lower quote. You should also check out whether a courtesy car is provided if your car is in for repair. You might also feel you want legal insurance cover and automatic windscreen replacement. An accident helpline can also very useful in the middle of an emergency! You’ll need to phone the broker or insurance company you’re thinking of dealing with in order to check out these points.
17 Top Tips
for cheaper car insurance
Get your online quotes through car insurance brokers. Their computer systems will search for the best quotes from 40 or more car insurers and save you lots of time. When you’ve got their cheapest quote, phone them to discuss the relative merits of the cheapest quotes they found.
Garage your car at night. Insurance companies know that a car left on the road at night is much more vulnerable to theft and damage. If you don’t have a garage, if possible keep it on your drive.
Update the estimate of your mileage each year. If you’ve moved home or changed your job you may have shorter commuting journeys. If so, your premiums should be less.
Your premium can be influenced by your job. Landlords, journalists, and professional footballers to name but a few, all pay more! Go for a job that’s a bit more boring! Accountants and civil servants pay less!
Getting married could save money on your car insurance, particularly if you’re male and under 30.
If you’re under 25, add an older experienced driver with a good riving record onto your policy as a named driver. But don’t let him be too old! ? premiums start rising again after age 60!
Consider paying a higher accident excess. The average excess is about ?100. If you are prepared to increase you claims excess, your premium will fall significantly.
If you have cheap or old car, consider buying just 3 rd Party cover. Get quotes for 3 rd Party and comprehensive insurance and weigh up the savings.
Are you aged between 18 and 21? Then consider pay as you go insurance. Norwich Union has recently introduced the first pay as you go insurance policy, which charges you exactly for the miles you drive. It also charges more for the miles you drive between 11 and 6 at night. The system works through a Global Positioning System which is fitted to your car for a one off fee of ?199. The GPS black box tells Norwich Union how many miles the car’s been driven and they send you an monthly invoice.
A new driver? Spruce up your driving technique by taking some more driving lessons. New drivers can slash their insurance costs by as much as 35% by taking Pass Plus lessons. These give you extra training for driving in rush hour traffic, motorway driving and night driving. Lessons cost between ?15 and ?30 per hour. (www.passplus.org.uk). You can also reduce your premium if you’ve taken a course with the Institute of Advanced Motorists (www.iam.org.uk).
Buying a new car? Then check out the insurance group before you buy. Cars fall into one of 20 insurance groups with 1 being the cheapest and 20 the most expensive. If the proposed insurance premium is too high, chose a car that’s in a lower group.
High spec and performance cars attract thieves and are more expensive to repair - so they always cost more to insure. Consider something with a little less voroom!
It’s hard we know, but try hard not to speed! Most insurance companies will ignore one fixed penalty fine but get more and your premium will rise.
Got 4 or more years no claims discount? Pay the extra get the discount protected.
Fit a satellite navigation system. Some insurance companies have noticed that sat nav cuts the accident rate by letting drivers concentrate on the road. Insurers will soon be giving discounts if you have it fitted.
Get a engine immobiliser or alarm fitted. It could save you between 5-8%.
Got more than one car in the home? Some insurers will give a discount for insuring them all in one policy.
Michael writes for Brokers Online who offer <a href="http://www.life-assurance-bureau.co.uk"> Cheapest Life Insurance Cover</a> and most UK financial services including <a href="http://www.life-assurance-bureau.co.uk/car-insurance/">cheap car insurance</a>.
Learn About Towing Services And Roadside Assistance
When you purchase a new car you may get a roadside assistance package included but if you have a used car you typically won?t have roadside assistance and the benefits it provides, such as towing services. Not to worry, there are many companies offering memberships that will give you peace of mind.
Parts do wear out over time. That?s why one of the biggest concerns a driver has is the fear of a breakdown that will require towing. As we all know these events always occur at the most inopportune time or when we don?t have the extra cash to cover a towing bill. By becoming a member of one of the many auto clubs that offer services, you?ll have peace of mind that when disaster strikes you?ll be covered.
AAA, or American Automobile Association, has divisions throughout all of North America. For a nominal yearly fee you?ll be provided with all kinds of services for you and your vehicle. You?ll have full roadside assistance. Whether you run out of gas, lock your keys in the car, get a flat tire, or break down, you?ll be covered. Planning a trip? If you need maps AAA will provide them. And if you?re thinking about taking a vacation to a sunny tropical destination, AAA has full travel services and can offer you some great prices.
Good Sam is another auto and RV club that offers excellent services to its members. It?s a camping club, motor home club, and RV club all combined into one. For under $80 a year you get a full year of roadside assistance for your RV, and all the cars, vans, and trucks in your household. You get a full year of emergency towing services, lockout services, and trip interruption services as well as emergency medical referral services.
Drivershield costs under $70 a year and offers a 24 hour toll free hotline for emergency towing, roadside assistance, and locksmith. It also offers a lifetime collision repair warranty that?s good from coast to coast as well as 50% off at thousands of motels, hotels, and dining locations across the country.
If you ride motorcycle and want the same type of protection for your bike as you have for your car, Bros Club Cycle Services is worth exploring. For less than $100 you will get a two year membership which will give you 24 hour a day 365 day a year emergency roadside protection, which includes a network of more than 40,000 flat bed service providers across the US, Puerto Rico, and Canada. You?ll get towing services, flat tire assistance, dead battery assistance, and you can even purchase your motorcycle insurance at a discount. You also get some great discounts at motels, hotels, dining locations, and parts providers.
It?s a given. At some point in your travels you are going to require towing services. So why not consider a membership in one of the many national auto club programs that will give you peace of mind?
Gray Rollins is a featured writer for UpTowing.com. To learn more about <a href="http://www.uptowing.com/">towing services</a> and <a href="http://www.uptowing.com/towingcompanies/">towing companies</a>, visit us.
Getting A Good Car Insurance Rate For Your Teen - Saving Money When You Need It Most
If you’d like to insure your teenager to drive your car, be prepared to pay through the nose. It’s an unfortunate fact of life that young people tend to have more accidents than their older counterparts, and insurance companies know this all too well.
There may be some variance in the Teen rate your insurance company provides depending on the sex of the child, with males being a higher risk than females, and therefore more expensive to insure. Over all, the likelihood of someone between the ages of 16 and 19 having an accident is four times higher than those over 19. It’s hard to blame insurance companies for charging more to cover themselves and your family.
Teen insurance is expensive, but if your child has good grades, this can count towards a discount. Teenagers who maintain a B average or higher will often cost their parent three quarters of what a less academically able student would cost to insure. Also make sure your teen has learned good driving skills and completed safety courses. Having certification from these courses may save you up to 10%, which can be a tidy little sum.
The other important factor in saving money on premiums goes for teens and adults. Keep it clean! Your driving record that is. Tickets and traffic infringements can send your premiums skyrocketing. Once again, gender becomes an issue, with females experiencing less increase in premiums per offense when compared with males.
It does seem unfair and biased, but you have to remember that it’s nothing personal. Insurance companies let the numbers do the talking, so if you want the lowest insurance costs for your teen, regardless of gender, just remember to make sure they’ve completed a driving course, they keep out of trouble with traffic and the law, and keep their grades up.
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The Real Cost Of Motor Vehicle Theft
Ever had a car stolen? Did you collapse, broken-hearted, on the floor when told that its burnt-out chassis had been found at the bottom of a dry creek bed and was now home to a family of very large rats? The stereo was gone, the seats were gone, the woofers, gone. And the fluffy dice ? they even took the dice!
No more ?DOOF-DOOF?, no more dice
No more back seat paradise?
I know ? you were much younger then?.
The negative impact caused by car theft spares no one. Its effects are felt right across the community. For example, an increase in motor vehicle thefts means an increase in motor vehicle insurance claims and this ultimately leads to a rise in motor vehicle insurance premiums.
But it doesn?t stop there. Even those who don?t own a vehicle end up bearing the cost of motor vehicle thefts indirectly as taxi fares, bus fares, even school excursions become more expensive. And if you believe you?ve been excluded from these increased costs because you walk or cycle everywhere, think again.
Higher motor vehicle insurance premiums mean higher transport running costs, which lead to higher freight charges, and this translates to higher prices on the supermarket shelves.
And let?s not forget the individual. The poor motorist who has had his car stolen must now cop a reduction in his No Claim Bonus as well as pay a hefty excess. If he relies on his vehicle for work there is also the alarming prospect of a temporary loss of income.
So what can be done to combat these heinous crimes?
Many new cars these days have built-in anti-theft devices such as car alarms, engine demobilisers and wheel nut locks. Even so, there are several things car owners can do to prevent the their vehicles being stolen.
? If your car doesn?t come with an anti-theft device, buy one.
? When parking on the street at night, always choose a well-lit area.
? That anti-theft device that you bought?use it!
? Never leave items that may be tempting to a thief in plain sight. These may include department store shopping bags, mobile phones, wallets, gifts or other valuables. If such things absolutely must be left in the vehicle, hide them away in the glove box, boot or even under the seats.
? This may sound obvious but keys should never be left in the ignition. Many a car has been stolen from right under its owner?s nose simply because the key was left in it. Even if you?re just popping in to pay for the petrol you just pumped, take out the key. Theft of your vehicle will take less than ten seconds with the key already in the ignition.
? If you have a garage, put your car in it instead of the pool table. And, having done that, don?t forget to lock it.
? If you don?t have a garage, park in the driveway instead of the street. (If you don?t have either? have you considered a pushbike?)
? When leaving the vehicle unattended at home, take your car keys with you.
? If leaving the car with a mechanic for maintenance or repairs, only leave the ignition key with the car.
? Never leave spare keys in or on the vehicle.
? Don?t leave important papers such as registration, license or mail in the vehicle while unattended.
If, even after being as careful as possible, your vehicle is stolen, report the theft immediately to the police. They will take details of the vehicle, where it was parked and for how long, as well as information about any items that may have been inside it at the time.
You will then need to make a claim through your insurance company ?assuming you have comprehensive motor vehicle insurance, of course ? as soon as possible. These days many insurance companies allow you to report the claim online as well as in person or over the phone. The important thing is to do so promptly, giving as much detail as is available so as to help streamline the process.
Once the claim is reported, a claims officer will most likely contact you within a day or two to confirm the information. If accepted, it may then take up to a further six weeks to pay the claim if the vehicle is not recovered. If it is found within that time, the vehicle will be assessed as to whether it can be repaired and, if so, at what cost. If the repair costs would be more than the vehicle is worth, it will be deemed a total loss and the claim paid for the insured value less any excess.
Any way you look at it, motor vehicle theft is a crime that causes loss and anxiety in several different ways. The best we can do is take as many steps as we can to prevent it and support car manufacturers that provide security devices in their cars.
As for the car thieves?placing them in stocks and throwing rotten tomatoes at them springs to mind?
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<b>P-L-A-N your personal safety on the road</b>
If you are concerned about your personal safety while out and about on the roads here is a simple 4-point guide from GEM Motoring Assist, the leading UK driver based road safety association. The guide offers practical advice for any driver, whether they have just passed their test or have years of driving experience.
P - Prepare yourself
- assess your risks. We can all take responsibility for our own personal safety, taking steps to modify or change our behaviour according to the risks
- try to be relaxed. You can exacerbate a difficult situation if you are rushed, stressed, or afraid
- avoid confrontation. Do not meet aggression with aggression. Talk your way out of problems: stay calm, speak gently, slowly and clearly. Breathe out slowly to help you relax
- respect other people s space. Each of us has our personal buffer zone which we are quick to defend
- avoid an aggressive stance: crossed arms, hands on hips, a wagging finger or raised arm will challenge and confront. Avoid looking down on anyone or touching someone unnecessarily
L - Look confident
- a confident person is much less likely to be attacked
- be alert when out and about
- keep fit. Good posture, stamina, strength and tension control can all aid personal safety
- hold your head up, be aware of your surroundings and potential hazards
- know where you are going and how to get there
A - Avoid putting yourself at risk
- your aim is to remain safe!
- thinking things through and planning for the unexpected helps you to feel confident and react well in emergencies
- read this page often. If this were to happen - then what would I do? Take a few moments to consider what you would do if a problem should occur
- let someone know, with at least a note to say where you are going and when you will be back. Tell them if your plans change
N - Never assume
it won t happen to me. Nobody is invincible. Even though the chances are slight, don t bury your head in the sand
your fears are unfounded. Do not ignore your instincts or the funny feeling . ACT straight away
a good samaritan is what, or who they appear to be
that your mobile phone will work
Established in 1932, GEM Motoring Assist is the leading UK driver based road safety association. <a href="http://www.motoringassist.com">GEM Motoring Assist</a> provide a wide range of driver services including low cost <a href="http://www.motoringassist.com">car breakdown cover.</a>
Get Cheap Car Insurance - Make Getting Quotes Really Easy
When it comes to getting cheap insurance rates, one of the most important tools you have is information. You need to be knowledgeable about the steps you can take to help ensure that you are eligible for the lowest cheap car insurance rates possible. In addition, you need to know how to locate the companies that offer cheap car insurance and compare available rates.
Everybody wants cheap car insurance, but, alas, the rates are up to the insurer. There are many variables that insurers use in determining your rate, some of which you have influence over and some that you don?t. Age, for example, is one cheap car insurance factor that you?ll just have to wait out. However, young or old, you can do things to make you more eligible for the better cheap car insurance rates.
Naturally, the most obvious is to be careful in your driving, avoiding accidents and traffic tickets. Perhaps not so obvious is to avoid making insurance claims if possible. Sometimes, it is cheaper to just pay for less expensive damage than it is to make a claim, when you factor in how that claim will affect your insurance rates in the future.
Other ways to make yourself more likely to receive cheap car insurance rates include use of devices that help to prevent vehicle theft and to recover it if it is stolen, where you live, as areas with a higher crime rate often result in slightly higher rate quotes, and your choice of car. A more conservative vehicle is more likely to have cheap car insurance than is a sports car.
Also important to getting cheap car insurance is knowing where to look. With the advent of the Internet, you have the opportunity to get quotes and compare prices all over the nation. Using that opportunity can greatly increase your chances of finding the cheap car insurance rates you want.
Information is a valuable tool in getting cheap car insurance. The successful consumer knows where to find cheap car insurance and know what variables can affect rates, adjusting what can be fixed and waiting out the rest. Collecting the right information and acting upon it can help you, too, to enjoy cheap car insurance.
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The Basics Of Car Insurance
Car insurance basically covers you, your passengers and your car in case of an accident.
Many states require you to carry liability coverage in your insurance policy. Liability insurance covers the expenses incurred for the damages for another vehicle with your own if you are at fault. So basically if you are in an accident and you caused the damage, then the liability of you car insurance will cover damages according to the terms that are in your policy.
Collision coverage is when your car insurance will pay for the repairs or replace your car in the case of an accident.
Comprehensive coverage helps you pay for damages to your vehicle that occurs with bad weather, theft and vandalism.
As you would will all insurances, your car insurance will also a deductible. The deductible amount of the claim is your responsibility to pay. Car insurance costs go up as you lower your deductible. If you want to have a higher deductible you car insurance will be less expensive.
Also keep in mind that as your car ages your car insurance premium will decrease in price. Of course that is if you have a good driving record and don?t get any tickets or get into any accidents. Also you can consider the amount of coverage you get as your car ages. Some think only having liability coverage on your cat that is old is better. Of course it is up to you whatever you want.
I hope this clears up a few things about car insurance for you. If you would like more information do a little bit of research on your own and see what you come up with. Or ask questions when you are inquiring about a certain insurance policy. It is always better to know every aspect before getting insurance and signing the dotted line. Good Luck!
Mitch Johnson is a successful freelance author that writes regularly for <a href="http://www.elliptical-trainers-review.com/" title="http://www.elliptical-trainers-review.com/" target="_blank">http://www.elliptical-trainers-review.com/</a> . His articles have also been featured on related sites such as <a href="http://www.myinsurancetips.info/" title="http://www.myinsurancetips.info/" target="_blank">http://www.myinsurancetips.info/</a> and <a href="http://www.mynutritiontips.info/" title="http://www.mynutritiontips.info/" target="_blank">http://www.mynutritiontips.info/</a>
SUVs Can Be Environmentally Friendly!
In the past few years, the Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) has gained amazing popularity. When before sleek sports cars and petite Japanese cars were the only in thing in the world of cars, now these big macho brutes have taken the world by storm. With their style and size, SUVs make a statement lo