While electric motor vehicles haven’t been around for long enough to speak about any lengthy claims history, hybrid cars have been on the market for almost a decade and insurance providers have all the statistics they need to determine adequate insurance rates for such vehicles. And to much surprise, owning a hybrid vehicle doesn’t automatically mean that you’ll get better insurance rates.

The insurance company won’t give you better rates just because you’re driving a hybrid (unless they offer special discounts for this type of vehicles). Each car model is taken into evaluation and the premiums a car owner is charged with depend on the claims history through different coverage domains. For example, the popular Toyota Prius has the following ratings across the majority of auto insurance providers:

- Collision Damage Index. The evaluation of claims assigns the Prius with “D,” which is higher than average in terms of premiums.
– Damage Theft Index. In this category the Prius also gets a “D”.
– Liability Rating Index. With regards to third party liability, the Prius scores with a higher “B”, which reflects in lower than average premiums.

As you see, the popular hybrid model doesn’t perform any better than the majority of other vehicles, and there are many ordinary drive cars that have better scores than this hybrid. A head to head comparison of another popular hybrid model – Toyota Camry Hybrid – with its internal combustion engine analogue indicates that they both have the same scores across all coverage types. What this means is that there’s no particular benefit from owning a hybrid drive if you’re looking for lower car insurance rates, unless you find a company that offers special discounts for hybrid drives.

As for electric cars, there aren’t as widespread as hybrid vehicles and there’s no sufficient data regarding claim history with these vehicles. So by far the insurance companies tend to rate them “neutrally” until sufficient amount of information is accumulated. Still, there’s room for speculation regarding auto insurance quotes for electric drive vehicles as we have a recent example in hybrids of how the rates can change over time. It’s likely that insurance rates for electric cars will increase at first because the repair costs with such cars are higher than with ordinary vehicles. But as the number of such vehicles will grow, newer models will be introduced and the level of technology will become more advanced the cost of repair such vehicles will drop and so will the average insurance rates for electric motor cars. But only the future will tell whether it’ll be this way or not.

As a customer, there are many things you can use your insurer’s website for. Things like:

Getting quotes: If you want to make changes to your policy, you can often use an insurance company’s website to request the changes and see what your new premium would be. For instance, when using an auto insurance company’s website, you may be able to add a new car to the coverage, change deductibles and limits and even add coverages. You’ll also get to see the cost of these changes before committing to them.

Getting policy copies: Misplacing your insurance policy happens, but when you have online access to your policy you can request another copy easily. Some insurance companies may even offer digital copies from their website that help facilitate better storage.

Requesting new cards: If you lose your insurance card, you will probably need a new one sent as soon as possible, especially if it is an car insurance card. Calling an insurance company and dealing with an automated message can be frustrating, but an insurer’s website might offer the perfect way to notify them that you need a new card quickly and easily.

Understanding your policy: The terminology used on some insurance policies is hard to understand. Many insurers offer handy definitions on their site that make reading, and understanding, your policy much easier. These may be in a special policyholder-only section of the site or might be on the public part.

Making claims: Not everyone has the time to sit on the phone with their insurance company making a claim. Many insurers offer online access to claims forms and digital claim submission processes. Not only are these easier and less time consuming than calling an insurer, they also make it easier to keep records of your claims.

Get your discounts: Many insurance customers find that buying insurance through certain carriers provides them with discounts on other services and products like car rentals, hotel stays, and even phone service. But you might not know about any of these services unless you log on to your insurer’s online system and track them down.

For convenience, time saving and ease of use, take advantage of the online system that your insurance company has set up. Be sure that it is on a secure server, and make sure you only log in at home so you don’t run the added risk of identity theft. This will save you a little bit of time in your daily life and help ensure that you get the most out of your car insurance premium.

The West coast sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and, at some point, there may be a major quake affecting California. We should wonder whether the nuclear power plants in the areas most at risk will fare better than those in Japan. Southern California proudly boasts the design for the San Onofre Plant will survive a 7.0 quake. As a word of explanation, every change in a whole number, say from 7.0 to 8.0 means the quake is ten times as strong. It would not hurt to look carefully at the safety issues at all plants close to areas at risk of a quake.

Closer to home, we should take out our own insurance policies. Remember, the wording used by insurers is very precise. If it says something clearly, that is all it says. There is nothing more. Do not make the mistake of assuming the words will include everything you hope. So, for example, a reference to wind damage may cover the fall of a tree on to your home, but not a tornado that lifts off your roof. Sadly, tornadoes are rather specific events and more common in particular parts of America. They are always dealt with as a special endorsement. So what is included? In most policies, you are covered for accidental damage to contents, and damage to contents and structure by fire. You will be able to replace much of what has been taken in a burglary and “ordinary” wind damage is usually included. But after that, you are into formal additions to the policy.

Almost all homeowners insurance companies exclude earthquake damage and, because of the problems of geology in other areas, there are strict limits on damage caused by mudslides, landslides, sink holes, and the like. Flooding is now most often a matter for the Federal government. Even there, problems will arise if the cause of water arriving in quantity is a tsunami.

Once you read through all the exceptions and limitations, you will realize how thin your cover is. Now is the time to get homeowners insurance quotes to see how much it will cost to fill in some of the holes. Unfortunately some cover is expensive and you may not think it economic. But you should at least be well enough informed to make good decisions.

These 4 items will save you a ton over even a few years, but make sure your insurer will give you a discount. If they won’t, get some quotes and find an insurance provider who will!

Signal Mirrors

LED turn signals placed strategically on car mirrors have proven to reduce collisions. People don’t always notice your normal turn signals, but other drivers will have a better chance with flashing lights on your mirrors as well.

LED lights make for long-lasting energy efficiency, so you won’t be losing money on bulbs!

Sensors and Cameras

These aren’t just expensive options for your Lexus, Audi, and Mercedes. Cameras that let you see behind you and on your blindspots are surprisingly affordable add-ons for any vehicle. Not only do they make driving a whole lot safer-and parking a ton easier-they also save you lots of money on insurance.

Statistics now prove that these do indeed prevent accidents, so you can get a monetary reward for using them. Plus, as you build a better driving record, you will get even lower rates. Double bonus!

These are the features you should be looking for:

• Front-collision warning
• Blind-spot detection
• Lane-departure warning
• Electronic stability control

Child Car Seats

Not all car seats are created equally. Some are simply far safer than others, depending on your child’s age and the car you are driving, so you should do some serious investigating. Even if one is significantly more expensive than the other, it might be worth it because of the serious savings you can see on car insurance quotes.
Be certain to ask for a recommendation from your insurance provider before purchasing a car seat, or at least make sure they will give you a discount for the model you like.

Tips:

• Look for rear-facing seats and don’t place them in front of airbags.
• Try to keep seats from being inclined. Anything above a 45 degree angle is very dangerous.
• Notice that car seats have expiration dates. Yup, even car seats go bad over time!
• Always connect every strap and use every harness.

Add On Headrest

These are pads that you connect to the front of your headrest. Since most people sit with a big gap between their heads, necks, and the headrest, collisions can cause whiplash as well as head, back, and severe neck injuries. The add on headrest protects against all these things by making sure your head has a cushion to rest against so that it does not snap through the air before hitting something hard.

Studies have proved the effectiveness of these very affordable pads.
Drive more safely and comfortably, and pay less when checking car insurance quotes!

Protects drivers and passengers from:

• Whiplash
• Concussion
• Brain trauma
• Neck pain
• Back pain

Car insurance quotes can be a big help in finding cheaper rates for big long-term savings as well. Use online quotes and contact the companies to discover more about discounts.

The current low fruit waiting to be plucked are in the insurance industry. Why is this? Well, it comes down to a number of factors. The first is the usual inefficiency of large organizations. With so many people working the administrative side of the business, many do their jobs on auto-pilot. If they can tick all the boxes on their checklists, they pay out on a claim. Second is the increasing boldness of the fraudsters. They are now into staging traffic accidents. Those with small numbers of people to call on find clinics with flexible morals and pay kickbacks for unnecessary treatment and favorable medical reports to support their claims. The professionals set up their own clinics. Some are just shells to front the fake medical reports. Others are genuine to slip through the fake claims.

New York recently announced that a special fraud task force had arrested one-hundred-fifty-nine people with millions of dollars in claims. But this is the tip of the iceberg. The same investigators report 12,800 suspected cases of fraud in 2010. The task force does not have the resources to investigate more than a handful of these claims. They will just be paid out. Why should we worry?

The problem is simple. If insurers pay out on false claims, the money has to come from somewhere. The actuaries only estimated the amount of claims arising from real accidents. The shortfall comes from increasing auto insurance quotes. Obviously, the insurers cannot expect their investors to take a hit on their expected dividends. So all us ordinary policyholders have to pick up the bill. Worse, the more people get away with fraud, the more they are encouraged to repeat the offense. That’s why there’s been a steady increase in the number of suspected fraud cases across the nation. If it keeps on going unchecked, we will all end up paying ever higher premiums when those auto insurance quotes come in. This makes it a political issue. Why should we voters be the ones to pick up the tab for all this fraud? The insurance industry could employ more people to investigate suspected cases. The states could devote more resources to police forces to collect sufficient evidence to bring these people to court. It’s up to you to let your local politicians how you intend to vote at the next elections.

In other countries where similar laws apply, there are provisions to increase the minimum amounts in line with inflation. That way, there’s always enough money to pay for most, if not all, the repairs and treatment. Put another way, lawmakers who thought the law a good idea, thought it an equally good idea to keep the value up-to-date. But not in our country. Our lawmakers made their laws in fixed amounts. The result is rather alarming. If you take $1 in 1960, it would take $7 in today’s currency for the same buying power. Now think about a mandatory minimum of $15,000 for medical expenses set in 1960. That should be $105,000 today and, even that amount would struggle to pay for anything more than routine treatment for relatively minor injuries. Yet when lawmakers debate increasing the mandatory minimums today, no one talk about even doubling the old values. The brave representatives talk carefully about ten or twenty percent increases, and duck for cover when the howls of outrage come from their electors.

Auto insurance quotes for the mandatory minimums have been rising faster than the rate of inflation because an increasingly large percentage of drivers now fail to insure. With fewer drivers sharing the total cost of loss, the premium rates must rise. This produces an ironic result. Because more people refuse to pay higher premiums, the premiums rise. When the premium rates rise, more drivers refuse to pay. This leaves us with about 20% of drivers uninsured and the majority underinsured. If you have the money to pay the premiums, everyone now buys uninsured/underinsured coverage. With no sign of effective enforcement for the mandated coverage, the number of uninsured drivers will continue to rise and the auto insurance quotes for the law-abiding will continue to rise. In such times, no one will talk about increasing the minimum amounts for liability coverage.

This all sounds great except for one small detail. All the states could link up all the databases run by the various government departments, the police and the insurance companies. So, at any moment, it would be possible to see whether a vehicle was insured. This would make enforcement of the mandate straightforward. The licensing authorities and police would have a list of everyone with an uninsured vehicle. Tow trucks could tour the streets collecting those vehicles from their homes or the police could pull over any vehicles found on the road. As it is, most states do not give the police access to the insurers’ systems. Whenever a vehicle is pulled over, there’s no way to tell whether there’s insurance in place. This means there’s a very good chance people will not be caught and/or prosecuted.

So a small number of states have introduced a “no pay, no play” rule. In the usual tort states, a driver not at fault has the right to sue for the full range of damages. But in Alaska, California, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, North Dakota and Oregon, the uninsured driver cannot sue to recover all heads of damages from the at-fault driver. The idea is that if you do not pay the same premiums as the honest driver, you should have no right to claim the full compensation. Four other states are currently considering amendments to their laws which would introduce similar rules.

It’s interesting to see some states take up the notion of fairness when it comes to carrying insurance. This might be slightly harder on the driver who genuinely cannot afford to pay even the cheapest car insurance quotes, but it certainly feels like justice for the willfully uninsured driver. He or she should never be in a better financial position than those who accept and pay the best of the auto insurance quotes.

Those car owners who already have insurance policies for their vehicles usually have a period of 14 to 30 days depending on the state, during which the coverage is spread on your new vehicle after purchase. Some providers can even offer a longer period to inform them about your new car, so it’s always better to check the rules at your particular provider.

However, insurance experts recommend analyzing your insurance coverage before actually going to the dealership for the new vehicle, in order to make sure your policy has the necessary coverage amount for the new car. Otherwise, you may end up gambling during the transition period and if something happens on the road, it will be quite an unpleasant surprise to learn that your old policy is insufficient for covering the new ride. In most states the coverage remains the same when you’re changing the vehicle, and this can be quite uncomfortable if you didn’t have collision or comprehensive coverage with your old auto and now need it for the new vehicle. So paying your insurance agent a visit becomes really important in such a situation.

In case if you don’t have an auto insurance policy when buying a new vehicle, in some dealerships you won’t be able to drive the car off the lot. This certainly applies if you’re using an auto loan. Moreover, when the dealer finances your purchase you my be obliged by the contract to purchase a specific amount of coverage from a particular insurer, which might be not the most competitively price offer you would get when comparing auto insurance quotes.

So it’s particularly important to consult with your insurance agent or broker before making the purchase in order to assure that your new car is covered properly. Don’t expect the insurance provider to do all the work for you even if you’ve decided to stay with the same policy after the purchase. You will still have to inform your provider about the purchase and tell all the specifications of the new car for the record. If you’re buying your new car on the weekend, most insurance providers have 24/7 contact numbers that you can call to inform about the purchase, so don’t lay it off, otherwise you can get in trouble if your provider finds out about the purchase only when you’ve filed a claim.

For those who are buying the new car using own money, getting car insurance quotes before the purchase is a must. Insurance companies have different claim history across car makes and models, and if your previous policy was very competitive for your old car, this doesn’t mean that your rates will be as good for the new vehicle. If you manage to find really attractive car insurance quotes for the car you are looking forward to buy, it’s reasonable to switch providers because there’s no sense in overpaying for redundant coverage, right?

But what is a tort reform in the first place and what it has to do with auto insurance? Tort reform is a general term that refers to a change in the US civil justice framework that is required to provide a limitation of tort litigation and damage. If the reform will be applied then the negative effects litigation has on the economy will be significantly reduced.

In order to make the significance of this reform a bit clearer, here’s an example. There are a lot of advanced technologies available for installing into your vehicle. Things like side curtain airbags, special glass, obstacle detection systems, rear camera system, advanced seat belts and numerous other features are very common in the European market and often come as a standard setting for new vehicle. But even if this equipment is made in the US, it is still exported since it’s not that simple to introduce these features into American cars. But why is that so, you might ask? Well, it may come as a surprise for you put if studying the question in details it turns out that our own court system and litigious society are the main reasons for these technologies to have a hard time penetrating the domestic market.

The thing is that installing these add-ons into a typical car automatically gives a possibility for litigation, so it’s much simple for the auto dealers and auto insurance providers to neglect these features than try to seek regulations in the legislation. That is why the tort reform is required to modify the legal system itself, and this will allow for new technologies to be introduced to the market faster and much easier than now. Who will want to provide coverage for such an auto when the customer can sue the company for not providing a regulatory base and failing to cover such equipment to the right extent? Of course, no-one.

The U.S. Class Action Fairness Act of 2005 may be a good step towards an overall tort reform since it transferred class-action lawsuits from the jurisdiction of state courts, which eliminates a large part of state litigation. There are two major points that tort reform advocates see in this Act:

1. Lowers the risk of an out-of-state defendant to face excessive verdicts, and reduces the amount of settlements that can be otherwise exceeded by local venues.

2. Introduces new procedures for reviewing coupon settlements, reducing attorney’s fees that can be often labeled as “excessive”.

This Act thus significantly lowers the litigation amounts and can ultimately lead to a decrease in auto insurance rates. Nevertheless, there’s a need in a real tort reform for the auto insurance industry to work more effectively and allow new technologies to be introduced without the risk of court trials from unhappy customers.

One of the consequences of this desire to pay down debts during the recession has been the rise in insurance rates. This is easy to explain. When family budgets come under pressure, people decide how they are going to spent the little they have. An increasing number have decided to come down to basic liability cover on their vehicles or drive without insurance. Despite the legal risks, the average percentage of uninsured or underinsured drivers on our roads is now approaching 20% in some states.

We now need to go back to the basics of insurance. The insurer estimates the value of the claims likely to be made in the next twelve months and divides that cost among all those paying premiums. If the value of the claims stays the same but more people decide not to pay premiums, this forces a rise in the amount paid by the honest. Worse, as the risk of being involved in an accident with an uninsured driver rises, more people have to buy coverage to protect themselves. Under normal circumstances, if someone crashes into you in an at-fault state, there’s a claim against his or her insurer. Even the basic liability minimum is better than nothing. But if there’s no insurer, who pays for your medical expenses and for the repair of your vehicle? Without uninsured cover, all that money has to come out of your own pocket.

Life can be very unfair and, when people are in financial trouble, it would be hard to expect them to give up their personal transport. American cities have not been designed with pedestrians in mind. But unless the mandatory liability insurance laws are enforced, all the honest drivers will end up paying more for their insurance. When the majority are being penalized by a minority, something should change. Otherwise, every time those auto insurance quotes come into your inbox, you will see rises. The Constitution does not say everyone is free to pick and choose which laws they will obey. If we want to see the return of cheap car insurance, we should see all mandatory laws properly enforced.