Giving the Insurance Agent your personal information

can be difficult, especially if you just are trying to compare the hundreds of auto insurance quotes you are getting now that you went online & requested one!! 

So if you are doing lots of shopping, then you are spreading your personal information all over.

Kinda scary, huh?

You might even think that changing your auto insurance every six months to get the cheapest rate is good too.

It's not.  It actually shows the next company you are applying for that you are a shopper and you're probably going to leave them too.   This is figured in your insurance score.
However, just an FYI.  It is actually important to give your personal information when you are shopping for other insurance.  The more info you give them, the better your rate will match your risk characteristics.

That can be bad or good, depending on you..

So my suggestion is if your rates go up, deal with it. Auto insurance rates ALWAYS go up!



And give that agent your personal information, you have to start trusting someone someday!!


Make a comment, I'd love to hear your suggestions or your side. 
Have a great week!

Oooh, just realized how long its been since I've written a blog post on insurance issues!  Wow, life can sure get away from us, can't it!

DRIVER RESPONSIBILITY

That is my next subject.  Boring, you say?

Well, read on my friends and don't judge so quickly. 

I was driving to work in a rush the other day worried I was not going to make it on time. Along with my worries were five thousand other drivers thinking the same thing!  We were all weaving in and out of lanes to get to the fastest lane there.   You know, you've been there.

How annoying is it to get behind someone not in a rush to get to work!  Darn them, they must have left early enough to get to work on time!

Since my day is surrounded by auto insurance issues, of course insurance was on my mind. And since I am the insurance geek, well, you get the rest.  

So, who's responsibility is it to drive safe?  Is the company you insure with responsible?  The passenger in your car? DOT (Department of Transportation)? Or your father for not teaching you how to drive well?  

I am here to announce, yes announce, that it is your responsibility that I get to work on time.

Bold statement, I know. 

              OKAY, you too.  But if we are all to drive on the roads fast and weavy...   we need to make     sure we are totally focused on the road and the lanes.  Totally. No looking at email or texting or changing radio stations or even looking at the beautiful flowers on the side of the road.   

TOTALLY FOCUSING

So one more word.  Be responsible for me, stay in your lane!

What Is a Loyalty Discount?

Its been quite a while since I've written a posting for my blog.  I have been so busy with my job in insurance, which just means job security but also means not writing blog posts!

I finally have time and something to say.

The other day my  husband and I bought a new car.  We've had the same insurance company for about 25 plus years and had accrued a "loyalty discount".  Each company calls this discount something different.  It might be called Guaranteed Renewal, Loyalty, Good Driver, Policy Time, Policy age...etc. Each policy, no matter how many times you changed your car stands on its own and begins to accrue this time.  So if you buy a new car and start a new policy... it begins at day one and earns its loyalty time day by day, year by year.

Why is this important to know?

Have you ever stumbled upon a great deal on a car and bought it?  You knew you needed to sell the current one, but you were not ready yet. Maybe you plan on saving it for your upcoming teenager or something? If not, we all know it takes time to sell a car & you want to get a good deal, right?   Right. 


The absolute best thing to do, is to "replace" the current car with your super duper good deal.  It will pick up the long-time accrued "loyalty" discount.   Then start a NEW policy with the one you plan on selling.   Because you see, once you sell that car, the loyalty discount goes with it!!!

Yep.  It does.  

Once you sell that old car, the new policy you took out? (Which only had a few  months on it). That policy goes away, is cancelled, deleted... gone bye-bye, dumped in the vast sea of dead policies.

Which is okay, cause it didn't have enough time on it to accrue that loyalty discount.
Make sense? 
Well, good.  I'm glad you read my blog today and learned something!

For more good learning, read my past blogs on car insurance, etc and comment!!
 Every comment is welcome.

Have a great February everyone!

EVER wondered who would make a great driving partner?

Me too. I value my driving record and I hold it sacred. But then again, I am the insurance geek and I care about my reputation as a good driver with no tickets or accidents. For me to have an at-fault accident on my record would be like most people getting fired from their job or waking up with a zit on their face!   I've been fired before and it is humiliating.  As far as the zit, its par for the course in just being a human, nothing a little make-up can't hide--but some people go way over-board on that one, let's admit it!

The reason I bring this up is because lately I've been thinking of car pooling.  Yes, there is a commute Virginia!  And its really long & lonely. Some days music keeps me company or the current radio show, but having a driving partner will help on those lonely days when conversation is the order of the day. And talking to the radio host out loud in your car does not count as conversation!  Trust me, I tried it!

But who to drive my car or in my car?
I know you are waiting with baited breath for my solution because you have wondered the same thing, haven't you?  On those lonely treks home when you've had a bad day at the office and just want to vent or confide in someone before you get home and kick the dog.

We really don't want to kick our poor innocent Man's-best-friend, do we? 

Well.... in Insurance there is a species we don't usually think about when we think insurance.

"What?  You don't think insurance??  Are you  nuts?? "  I say.
"No, only insurance geeks live, breath and die  insurance thoughts"  You say.
Timidly I reply, "Okay that's fair".  I smile a crooked smile.

Once again, I digress.

Okay, so here it is.   Claim adjusters. 
Now you know the answer.  Make friends with the species, I mean person, that handles claims day-in and day-out and I guarantee a great driving partner.  
 There is a possibility they might be a bit paranoid, however. It's the chance you might have to take to find a good driving partner.
Oh well, sometimes we might have to take the compromise road.

Claims adjusters will spot a potential accident way before it happens and therefore be a great driving partner. You may have to put up with a few "Watch out for that!" or "watch out, they're braking ahead!" when you are driving, but its worth it......... right?

Well, there ya go, i've solved another insurance dilemma for you without you even having to ask.  

Afterall, I am the Insurance Geek.   

Have a great holiday this week everyone!!!    And as always, please comment if you'd like.  
  

**October brings on the cooler weather and there is a sense of newness in the air for some reason.  I'm not sure why the cooler weather makes people happier...there must be some kind of scientific research somewhere about it?  Don't you think?***

However, there still are things that happen to us humans that get us a bit heated up...  and I am here to talk about them  AND they usually have to do something with insurance! 

That's why I'm the Insurance Geek, I love insurance stuff! 

Anyway, I digress.

The other day I was looking at an MVR (motor vehicle report) and saw that this gentleman's license was suspended.  Most insurance people will not let you continue your insurance with a suspended license (because legally, you can't drive, so who is now driving your car?).  

I sent the agent an email to ask them WHAT'S UP? with this customer.  He told me that Mr. Doe was driving a friends car he borrowed and didn't ask the most important question you should EVER ask a friend..............

"Do you have insurance on this car?"

Well, he made a funky turn and got pulled over and of course was asked to produce an insurance card.  When the officer checked it out by running the VIN on the car, he discovered there was no insurance.  So they take the car (not always) and impound it.  And since YOU were driving with no insurance, not your friend, YOU get the ticket.

Now lets say, for some reason the same person pulled over didn't realize they were going to suspend his driving privileges, or he didn't make it to court.  If his license had already been suspended and he was pulled over, his little problem now became a big one cause he now has a MAJOR VIOLATION: Driving on a suspended license.  Doesn't matter if you didn't know (major violations stay on your record for five years).

So two things to get from this blog post:
1) Always ask your friend or acquaintances the big question about insurance before you borrow their car. (This always goes for you designated drivers if you are driving someone else).
2) If you move you have to change your address with the DMV!!!  Don't forget that is also a law! If they can't find you, they  may just suspend your license to get our attention!

Well as always, I have brought you more information than you'll ever know or want to know, but wouldn't I love it if you  post your own story here?    
YES !!!!

Happy October & cooler weather everyone!  (except maybe those who live in Arizona!)

WOW!!  No feedback on my last blog posting about auto insurance?? I'm kind of surprised.  Auto insurance is one of the things that really  make people  mad, even me!

Ever since I moved to Texas, my rates have been double what I was paying in Upstate New York (not down state, they are actually atrocious and not for the faint of heart!)  I couldn't understand why Texas rates were so high.  I thought maybe it would be a little better here, you know?

WELL, after driving on these roads I know why rates are so crazy....
                        "THEY SAY EVERYTHING IS BIGGER IN TEXAS! AND THAT
                                            AINT NO  LIE!!!"
Auto rates are BIG here!
Let me tell you why and maybe this will help you, wherever you are, to understand.

FIRST, Traffic going into Dallas is packed.  Lots of people going that way, and not much light rail or buses that I see.  Don't see much carpoolers either but some van pools.  How many people can a van pool hold, six maybe?

SECOND, Roads here are made of concrete, yes concrete.  Not sure why. Maybe my Engineer husband can tell me why. Anyway, they crack and there is much upheaval going on.  So the roads are almost like a see-saw... up and down!

THIRD, People are in a hurry here. Why?  Cause they are always late since there is so much traffic! They leave too late from home or the gym and now they are in a hurry.
BECAUSE  of these three top reasons, there are more claims here in the area and therefore...  YOU GOT IT!  Rates are higher.

I am sure there are hundreds more reason rates are higher here, but don't want to go on and on and bore you!

Oh one more thing, the other day I was driving on a main road and up ahead everyone was putting on their brakes,  OF COURSE I was in a hurry and running late!  Anyway, when I finally got closer to the problem, I see a calf running across the road with a rope tied around his neck and a cop car chasing it, staying behind it so he could keep it from running across the other side and getting in the other lanes of traffic.  The cop was acting like a sheep dog.. and it was working!  HAHAHAHA
It was so funny and I wished I'd had my camera ready to take a pic.  BUT, alas, I was in a hurry.
On my way to my dr. appt, I thought,

"ONLY IN TEXAS!!! "


Have a story you'd like to share about auto insurance?  Well, post it here, ya'll.........

How to keep from having ANOTHER accident.

As we drive to and from our many destinations each day, we run the risk of getting into some kind of scrape! Not that we want to, but it is always because other people either drive like crap or just won't get out of our way! When an accident happens, it is always inconvenient and never our fault.  Right?

But is it really NOT your fault?  

I know what you are thinking.... someone hit me, how can it be MY fault?

My newest job has me reading about claims all day.  As an auto underwriter, I get to decide, for the most part, if we will take action or not on a household. Taking action usually means:

• Non renewing the auto policy 
• Removing coverage 
• Sending a caution letter
• Following up on an undisclosed driver 

 So, as an underwriter my job is to figure out if the action is warranted by the details of the claim.   

I'll give you some examples~~~~~
Veh 1 was driving in lane 1, when Veh 2 came over in his lane. Veh 1 swerved and hit a pole. Veh 2 left the scene. 
Veh 1 was making a left turn into lanes of traffic. The vehicles in lane 2 & 3, let him in. As he was turning, lane 3 had veh 2 coming at 30 MPH who did not see veh 1 approaching from the side.  Veh 2 hit Veh 1.
Veh 1 was backing out of parking space at the local grocery store, veh 2 was driving through and hit him.
Veh 1  and veh 2 both were backing out of the retail store at the same time and backed into each other.
Last one- veh 1  hit a pothole in the road and did damage to his undercarriage.


I realize I made all these males, but please bear with  me for brevity's sake.  Thanks.



So, do you think you could have prevented any of these?   I say yes.  And even though technically you are not at fault. You really are.  Let me expound.
In the first loss, here's a tip: Don't be in a lane when there is someone right next to you. Either move up or move back.
The second loss, next tip: NEVER, i repeat, Never allow others to wave you through. When it comes down to it, YOU will have the at-fault loss & possibly violation on your record, not them!
The third loss, my tip: Always park pulling through the parking spot. There will never be a need to back up!
Fourth loss, This tip: see above.  Or just take your time and be very careful!!
Last one: This is hard because sometimes potholes are hard to miss.  If you leave plenty of room in front of you from the next car, you 'd be surprised how much time you will have to prepare if you get yourself in a bind. TIP:  Leave plenty of room in front of you in order to move into another lane if there is something in the road.

I say you are only at fault because you are not "Driving Defensively!" Every adult should know this and practice it every day.  And then share with your children/grandchildren;  He or she.
 
Was this helpful? Or did it make you mad?
 I'd love your feedback!!!   Even if  you disagree!!     
If they are helpful, then good luck.  I live these rules every day and I have not had an accident- at fault accident, in 36 years!
 Whoo Hoo!!!!