New California Driving Laws
New driving laws for 2009 are now in effect for California motorists. These laws are regarded as trailblazing because they protect against the modern-day hazards of text-messaging while driving. They are also revolutionary in their stern clamping down of DUI violators. In particular, two of these laws address the recent outbreak of car accidents involving cellular-phone use. Moreover, the third law imposes greater restrictions on a minimum alcohol level for convicted DUI drivers. The first law is referred to as the “Texting While Driving” or the “No Texting Law.” This law prohibits any person from sending text messages on wireless phones or communications devices while driving. Any driver caught texting while driving will be pulled over by a police officer and fined for $20. If the driver repeats the offense, he will receive a $50 fine. Many California lawmakers attest that additional fees may be added on top of these fines.
Is the Type of Car You Drive Raising Your Insurance Premiums?
Owning or leasing a car is more expensive today than in automobile history. Though gas prices are the usual culprit, you may not realize that you have considerable control over the cost of your insurance premiums. When you purchase an automobile insurance policy from an agent, there are many behind-the-scenes actions that determine the rate of your policy’s premiums. After you leave your initial consultation with an agent, the agent consults with an actuary. This actuary statistically computes your risk to the agency, and thereby assigns you premiums based on that risk. Among the risk factors discussed between your agent and the actuary are your driving history, age, health, and credit score. What you may not know is that they also do research on the type of car you drive to find out that car’s incidence in accidents and thefts.
Auto Insurance Myths
Have you ever heard some of these statements? “It doesn’t matter what my credit score is when it comes to getting auto insurance.” Or how about this one: “There is nothing to worry about when I let my friends drive my car.” And there is always this one: “My auto insurance rate will be lower because I don’t drive a red car.” Correct, you ask? Not even close. We have listed some of the most popular myths that people believe about auto insurance and give you the truth instead. You might just be surprised at some of the auto insurance myths that people believe!
Twelve Ways to Save Money On Your Auto Insurance
Probably just about everyone you know complains about how much their auto insurance costs. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, since most people pay at least a couple hundred dollars every year for their auto insurance. Of course, your policy premiums can cost you a lot more than that because of your driving record, age and a number of other factors. So is there actually any way to pay lower auto insurance premiums and save some money? You can’t go without auto insurance if you own a car, because it is illegal in most states. You are also required to have a minimum amount of liability coverage, too. Of course, smart drivers usually have more than the bare minimum of auto insurance coverage if you want to have protection that is adequate and appropriate for your personal needs. So what do you do to save yourself money? You can reduce the cost of your auto insurance in a few simple steps and not cancel your policy outright. Below are twelve ways to reduce the cost of your auto insurance. However, not all of these ideas will work for you, but chances are good that you will find one or more that are appropriate for your needs.
Loopholes in the 2009 California Driving Laws
As of January 1, 2009, California put into effect a new law that forbids texting while driving. Any driver caught texting while driving incurs a fine of $20 for the first offense and $50 for subsequent offenses. Furthermore, these fines often incur additional expenses such as court costs and program fees. These expenses are just a small fraction of the total expenses for being at-fault for an accident due to texting while driving. Though refraining from texting may seem straightforward, this “No Texting Law” is actually far more complicated than at first sight. For instance, what do you do if you were pulled over for texting when all you did was push the “send” button? Or, are you still breaking the law if you text a company rather than a person? Is it really illegal to text while you’re in the middle of that never-ending California traffic?
How to Compare Auto Insurance Online
How to Compare Auto Insurance Shopping around for auto insurance is probably a good idea for most people. So you do your shopping, receive several quotes that vary in price and coverage types, and now you need to know how to compare the different rates in order to find out which auto insurance policy is the best for you. How, exactly, do you compare auto insurance rates successfully? The fact is that not all auto insurance policies are created equal, and the policies can vary a great deal in price, types of coverage, and maximum coverage limits. You want to consider each quote carefully, and compare what you need as far as coverage with what you can afford to pay. This is where many people have trouble because they don’t know how to compare auto insurance quotes effectively.
Hybrid Auto Insurance and Specifications
2009 Hybrids: What to Know Even though gas prices have been lower lately, the new 2009 hybrid model cars are something that many consumers have been looking forward to. While automakers have not been able to deliver every advantage they wanted to with the 2009 hybrids, they have come out with some really great cars that can offer the desirable benefits of owning a hybrid. Besides, you never know what exciting new advances are around the corner in the near future of hybrids. Hybrid technology is on the cutting edge and developing in new ways constantly. What’s Hot in Hybrids? The hottest new hybrid models for 2009 include the Cadillac Escalade and the Saturn Vue Green Line. Both are true hybrids and give you the fuel efficiency you want in a hybrid. The Cadillac Escalade hybrid will give you nearly double the fuel efficiency of the non-hybrid version. This is also true of the Saturn Vue Green Line. With the many fluctuations in gas prices, knowing that your gas is going twice as far is a good thing. While some people question the idea of SUVs that are hybrids, they definitely make sense for those consumers who want an SUV but also want the fuel efficiency benefits of a hybrid.
Comparison Secrets of Auto Insurance
With the current economic climate, it is now more important than ever to comparison shop when it comes to your auto insurance needs. Comparison shopping makes sense because you work hard for your money, and want to spend it intelligently while also being able to save as much as possible. With so many great auto insurance carriers online, you can do your comparison shopping any time, day or night. You can even do it in your pajamas at 3 am! When you use a site like Online Auto Insurance, you can get multiple auto insurance quotes from a number of reputable auto insurance carriers. The best part is that one of these carriers may be able to help you save a significant amount of money compared to what you are currently paying. Think of what a timesaver using this site is going to be! No more navigating around a whole bunch of different sites. No more waiting for pages to load and entering your auto insurance information numerous times. Now, with just this one site, you can take advantage of one stop shopping while still getting multiple offers for auto insurance.
Indiana Auto Insurance Requirements
Like most states, Indiana requires liability insurance. Specifically, it requires the following amounts of liability insurance:
- $25,000 of Bodily Injury Liability for one person
- $50,000 of Bodily Injury Liability to cover all injuries sustained per accident
- $10,000 of Property Damage Liability for property damage
In insurance lingo, this required coverage is abbreviated to 25-50-10
What exactly is Bodily Injury Liability and Why Am I Required to Buy It?
Bodily Injury Liability insurance goes into effect when you or a person covered on your policy causes an accident to another vehicle. If the other party sustains injuries from the accident, you are required to pay them back for their injuries through this insurance. That is, your coverage would go into paying the other party’s medical costs, at-home care, childcare, and even funeral costs. Moreover, the Property Damage component of liability insurance reimburses the other party for the repairs or replacement of their vehicle.