Auto Insurance Law

Archive for October, 2009

If you can’t get an auto insurance, you can call the Automobile Insurance Plan in Oklahoma. The Automobile Plan in Oklahoma was created in 1955 to help provide auto insurance to those motorists and transport owners who can’t get an auto insurance using other means.

Uninsured driver.

One thing you can add to auto insurance policy is uninsured driver scope. While not needed by law, this auto insurance rider will help you and whole your family, and anyone who sits in your car .

There are some transport policies which will help you if you are have damages in an accident that wasn’t your fault.

The Lapsed auto insurance.

If your auto drives bad, it is reasonable to maintain your auto insurance. If you don’t see that the policy to lapse, you could finish up purchasing a highest resard when the auto becomes operable.

Some mistakes in auto insurance scope could result that rate is increase, regardless of the any cause for the lapse. Ask your auto insurance agent if your list allows for a decrease rate while your transport is doesn’t work correctly.

You must know, if your auto insurance in Oklahoma is stoped within 180 days from the starting of new policy, the auto insurance company is needed to tell the Department of Safety in Oklahoma. That Department will connect with you (or the stoped policy owner) using the address on file and ask check of the new auto insurance scope. You (or it can be policy owner) must answer within 40 days having the proof of the new scope or your auto registration and motorist license will suspended. That’s why it is very significant to keep your address information and auto insurance connecting with the Department. If you don’t, your auto license can be stopped without your interposition and that is a bad thing!




By: Eden Ali

Having a new car is great because it can be useful to anyone especially having business travels or family travels, or as simple as having your own ride. Sometimes, we may feel that we don’t need to insure our motor vehicle because we believe that we are careful enough in driving. Or even sometimes, we procrastinate purchasing for the auto insurance of our vehicle. But this should not be an attitude in having a car because we don’t know when accidents will happen no matter how careful we are. Some people may not be careful and we can’t avoid that. Another thing that we have to know as new vehicle owners is that having auto insurance is compulsory and it is governed by the laws of the State government.

The laws for auto insurance in the country are compulsory though the enforcement varies from state to state. Here are some of the laws where the auto insurance is affected:

In a tort state, a party is identified as the one who has fault in the accident and therefore responsible for the damages done to the injured party. Full tort and limited tort are the two classifications of this state law on insurance. In the limited tort, the one responsible for the damages will not give claims to the injured party unless the party suffers permanent disability.

We also have the so-called ‘no-fault state’ where the drivers of motor vehicles are required to purchase their own insurances that will serve as protection for themselves. If the driver has insurance for himself then he is considered a responsible driver which will make him restricted from being sued whenever an accident happened. Under the pure no-fault law, the drivers are protected by having their own insurance plans regardless of him being responsible for the incident. But there are no states following the pure no fault law thus giving opportunities for the injured parties to sue the one responsible for the damages.

Another kind of state law is the ‘add-on no-fault’ which allows the injured party to collect the benefits from the party responsible under his or her bodily injury liability coverage. This happens when the medical expenses exceeds the limit of his or her PIP coverage.

The theory of comparative negligence is usually followed by some states where the responsibility and the liability of a certain incident is distributed among the involved parties. This will not leave one person to be fully responsible of the damages but the party with fault will be contributing 50% of the damages caused by the accident.




By: Kate Hudgens

Auto insurance is a contract that protects your financial security in case of an accident. Although it is not mandated by federal law, the purchase of auto insurance is usually a requirement in most states; every state (with the exception of New Hampshire and Wisconsin) have minimum insurance laws.

These two states, instead of having insurance requirements, have mandated financial responsibility laws, so that the owner of a car is required to show that he has sufficient funds to pay any necessary claims. If said owner cannot produce proof of satisfactory assets, then he must buy an auto insurance policy. Regardless of the law, having good auto insurance is practical for the driver who wishes to avoid lawsuits or immense repair bills.

According to the Insurance Information Institute (III), a basic auto insurance policy is comprised of six basic types of coverage. While some of these types of coverage are required by state law, some are considered optional.

These are: 1. Bodily injury liability 2. Property damage liability 3. Medical payments or Personal Injury Protection (PIP) 4. Collision 5. Comprehensive 6. Uninsured/Underinsured motorists coverage

Liability Insurance

Liability coverage is the foundation of any car insurance policy, and is required in most states. If you are at fault in an accident, your liability insurance will pay for the bodily injury and property damage expenses caused to others in the accident, including your legal bills. Bodily-injury coverage pays for medical bills and lost wages.

Property-damage coverage pays for the repair or replacement of things you wrecked other than your own car. The other party may also decide to sue you to collect “pain and suffering” damages.

Liability insurance (both bodily injury and property damage) is the foundation of most auto insurance policies and is ideal if you are seeking a low cost car insurance policy. Every state that requires auto insurance mandates the purchase of property damage liability, and Florida is the only state that requires auto insurance but does not call for bodily injury liability. If you are at fault in an auto accident, your liability coverage will pay all the expenses, bodily injury, property damage, and any legal bills. The bodily injury coverage would pay for medical bills and lost wages; the property damage coverage would pay for any auto repairs, or replacement. Property damage liability usually repairs damage to other vehicles, but can also cover damages to things such as lamp poles, fences, buildings, or anything else that your car may have struck.

Remember, although purchasing only the minimum can get you a cheap auto insurance rate, if you cause a serious accident, minimum insurance may not cover you adequately. That’s why it’s a good idea to buy more than what your state requires. If you own a home and have nest egg and a savings account, you should consider more liability insurance because, in most states, drivers are allowed to sue other drivers who injure them in car accidents. If you’re sued and your liability insurance doesn’t pay for all of the damages, your personal finances are on the hook, and it’s likely you’ll become a target.

Collision and Comprehensive Coverages

If you cause an accident, collision coverage will pay to repair your vehicle. You usually can’t collect any more than the actual cash value of your car, which is not the same as the car’s replacement cost. Collision coverage is normally the most expensive component of your car insurance rate. By choosing a higher deductible, say $500 or $1,000, you can keep your premium costs down. However, keep in mind that you must pay the amount of your deductible before the insurance company kicks in any money after an accident.

Insurance companies often will “total” your car if the repair costs exceed a certain percentage of the car’s worth. The critical damage point varies from company to company, from 55 percent to 90 percent.

Comprehensive coverage will pay for damages to your car that weren’t caused by an auto accident: Damages from theft, fire, vandalism, natural disasters, or hitting a deer all qualify. Comprehensive coverage also comes with a deductible and your insurer will only pay as much as the car was worth when it got wrecked.

Because insurance companies normally will not pay you more than your car’s book value, it’s helpful if you have a rough idea of this amount. Check the Kelley Blue Book or the National Automobile Dealers Association. If your car is worth less than what you’re paying for the coverage, you’re better off not having it.

Neither collision nor comprehension insurance is required by any of the states, but some lenders, when the owner finances the car, may require the purchase of collision and comprehensive in the loan agreement. Even when it is not required, collision and comprehensive coverage is highly recommended by the insurance industry, so that in the unforeseen event of damage or theft, the owner of the car can avoid heavy bills. Theft of cars is not as unusual as some people may think. In 2004, a car was stolen in the United States every 26 seconds, and a car had a 1 in 190 chance of being stolen.

Medical Payments, PIP, and No-fault coverages

Medical payments (MedPay) coverage will pay for your and your passengers’ medical expenses after an accident. These expenses can arise from accidents while you’re driving your car, someone else’s car (with their permission), and injuries you or your family members incur when you’re pedestrians. The coverage will pay regardless of who is at fault, but if someone else is liable, your insurer may seek to recoup the expenses from him or her.

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage is an extended form of MedPay. PIP may cover expenses that are related to injury, but not necessarily medical, such as lost wages, childcare and funeral costs. PIP coverage is currently required by sixteen states. If you are already insured under a good health insurance policy, then fortunately, there is no need to buy more than the minimum required amount of PIP or MedPay insurance.

If you have a good health insurance plan, there might be little need to buy more than the minimum required PIP or MedPay coverages, if at all. And, if you already have disability insurance, there’s little reason to purchase higher-than-minimum amounts of PIP.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorists Coverages

Uninsured motorists (UM) coverage pays for your injuries if you’re struck by a hit-and-run driver or someone who doesn’t have auto insurance. It is required in many states.

Underinsured motorists (UIM) coverage will pay out if the driver who hit you causes more damage than his or her liability coverage can cover. In some states, UM or UIM coverage will also pay for property damages. Similarly, underinsured motorists insurance will cover any damage caused when you are struck by a driver who is not insured for a sufficient amount.

If you are hit, as a pedestrian, underinsured coverage will cover the expenses. Uninsured motorists insurance is currently required by twenty states, and Underinsured motorists coverage is required by only four: Connecticut, Minnesota, Maine, and Vermont.

You’ll probably want to have at least the minimal amount of UM/UIM because if you can’t find the other driver, you’ll at least have some coverage for pain-and-suffering damages.

Add-on Features

Several supplemental auto coverages are available, either as separate premium items or included in augmented policies. -Rental reimbursement, a common add-on, covers vehicle rentals required because your car is damaged or stolen. -Coverage for towing and labor charges in case of a road breakdown is also common. -Gap coverage for your new car will pay the difference between the actual cash value you receive for the car and the amount left on your car loan if your vehicle is totaled in an accident.

Basic auto insurance is required by virtually every state and is typically the cheapest auto insurance in the marketplace. Proof of insurance is required at different times throughout the life of a vehicle.

You may be asked for proof of insurance at any and all of these times: at vehicle registration, at the time of an accident, and any time when driving the vehicle. It is suggested that the owner of the car keeps proof of insurance in the car at all times, instead of on his or her person, so that it can be available at all times, no matter who is driving.

Any violations of state law regarding auto insurance could result in, at best, a hefty fine, and at worst, suspension of your driver’s license and/or time in jail. The dire consequences of driving while uninsured are not worth the neglect of paying for insurance. The chance that an uninsured driver will avoid detection is slim; he is likely to be caught and strictly punished.




By: Amy Danise