Top

Critical Issues Affecting Car Insurance for Business Use

June 23, 2009

How will you determine the type of car insurance policy that is appropriate for your business? Will the conventional insurance policy suffice in providing protection to the company?s assets and other investments? You have to seriously consider your decision as the kind of policy that you take out will have a direct effect on how well you can respond to adverse claims for damages caused by accidents where your vehicle is involved.

With the all the potential harm that such unforeseen events have on the interest of the company, it is just incumbent upon us to seriously consider our decision on the type of commercial car insurance that we get to protect company. There are a lot of things that come into play when we are deciding on the type of commercial car insurance policy for our business.

You have to take a position with regard to the extent of coverage for specific liabilities and the amount of payout that the policy must have in order to provide adequate protection of the company?s interests. You also have to determine the premium cap that you will have to adopt in the selection of your company?s commercial car insurance policy.

As a general rule, if you are using your car for business-related activities it is wise to get commercial car insurance with sufficient protection coverage for liability of your company from property damage and bodily harm. Failure to consider the appropriate liability coverage of your car insurance policy may have serious repercussions on the driver and your company as well.

On the other hand, car insurance policy for home-based businesses and other small scale businesses is not as straightforward as most of us are wont to believe. What complicates the matter is the practice of most business owners of relying on personal car insurance policies even for cars that are extensively used for business activities. This practice normally exposes the business to unwarranted risks and you stand to lose more when unfortunate accidents happen where your car is involved.

The process involved in commercial car insurance is more complicated than in personal car insurance. The liability coverage involves two elements that is legally required for car insurance policies applicable to cars used for business purposes. One of the elements required under the law is coverage for bodily harm. The commercial car policy must have sufficient protection cover for compensatory damages for bodily harm as a result of an accident where a company car is involved. Businesses are also required legally to provide for liability cover for damages to properties as a direct result of accidents where company vehicles are involved. Your car insurance company agent will be able to explain the terms of compliance for these two aspects of your commercial car insurance policy.

You will also have to discuss with your insurance agent additional coverage that will address other concerns like collision, medical expense and motorists with no protection cover. The degree of protection that you need will be dependent on how well your company will be able to cope and respond to adverse claims made by an affected third party on damages to properties and bodily harm. In such instances, the commercial car insurance policy with a larger payout may be chosen by the company in order to protect its assets and other interests.

About the Author:

Four Ways To Get Cheap Auto Insurance

June 23, 2009

Finding cheap auto insurance can help you save hundreds of dollars each year. Many individuals tend to stay with the auto insurance company that they already use but it is possible to find better rates. There are four steps you can take to get cheap auto insurance and they include shopping around, checking for discounts, reducing coverage on older vehicles and selecting a higher insurance deductible.

To compare which auto insurance is the least expensive you will need to shop around and compare different companies. Purchasing inexpensive auto insurance does not mean you should be getting bad insurance or auto insurance that is similar to having no insurance at all.

Make sure you understand how to make claims, how quickly claims are processed and when you can expect payment. You can find cheap auto insurance that is good auto insurance. No matter how inexpensive it is you do not want to pay for bad insurance or insurance that is basically like having no insurance.

If you don’t want to change auto insurers then you can look for discounts. Many auto insurance companies will offer discounts for low mileage drivers or cars that have extra anti-theft protection and safety features. You may be able to decrease your insurance by installing an alarm. Good drivers will also automatically get lower insurance because they have a good driving history. If you do have some strike against your driving record you can decrease them by taking a defensive driving course.

If you have never had any car accidents or tickets then you may want to increase your deductible. The only time you pay a deductible is when an accident occurs. A higher deductible will dramatically decrease your insurance premium each year and the money you save can be quite substantial.

Older cars may not need to have complete coverage, as the cost of the coverage may actually be more then the value of the car. You will need to compare how much you are spending on auto insurance to the market value of the car. It your insurance is more then the value of the car you should look to eliminating your collision or comprehensive coverage. You can even get rid of both.

About the Author:

Most Common Variables Considered When Calculating Car Insurance Rates

June 23, 2009

Car insurance is necessary for every person who owns and drives a vehicle. In just about every jurisdiction, the law requires that you own auto insurance. It protects both you and other drivers from loss that may arise due to the negligence or actions of others.

Some people believe that price is the most important factor when considering car insurance. Although the price of the policy is an important factor, it is not necessarily the most important factor. What you pay as a rate is based on the risk assessment that the insurance company performs during underwriting. The assessment involves a process of evaluating you as a driver and making a determination of the probability that you will cause a loss.

Insurance is a contract of indemnity. What this means is its purpose is to indemnify, or restore you to your original value at the time of loss. The principle of indemnity means that the policy covers the insurable interest you have as policy owner, namely the vehicle you drive. Without this insurable interest, there would be nothing to insure. For example, a person that is involved in an automobile accident who is in no way related to you does not create a situation where you are exposed to loss. Therefore, no insurable interest exists and there is no need for insurance.

Based on the concept of indemnity and risk assessment, the insurance company wants to know some things about you. How old are you? What is your driving record? What are your driving habits? How far and how often do you travel by car? All of these factors, as well as others are important for the insurer to consider as they consider your premium rate. They are also the most common rating factors used to calculate your premium.

Insurance companies employ actuaries whose job it is to mathematically determine the probability of loss. Another concept regarding insurance is that it is an aleatory contract. This word is derived from a Latin word ‘aleator’ which literally means ‘dice thrower’ or ‘chance.’ This means that your premium is a hedge against a probability or the chance that a loss may occur. It also means that if that loss occurs, as long as you have met all of the conditions of the contract, the insurance company must pay the claim.

The more times that you are exposed to loss, the higher the chance that loss will occur. It is like determining the likelihood of drawing a queen out of a standard deck of 52 cards, which is a 1 in 13 or 8% chance. If you were going to draw a queen out of a deck of two cards, that probability jumps to 50% or 1 in 2. The greater the probability of something happening, the less ideal it becomes as an insurable risk. The more you drive, the longer you drive, coupled with having a lot of speeding tickets indicates that you are a larger risk to the insurance company – a 1 in 2 as oppose to a 1 in 13 – and will be charged more premium. There are other factors that go into premium calculation, but understanding loss exposure gives you an ideal as to why an insurance company charges what it does.

About the Author:

Insuring An Imported Car

June 23, 2009

If you have purchased or planned to purchase an imported car, getting the vehicle insured is a priority. However, insuring an imported vehicle can be difficult, frustrating and expensive. But, it?s not impossible. Just be prepared to work hard, ask questions and possibly contact several insurance providers.

While you can get a great deal on the purchase of an import by buying it abroad, you can lose those savings when you pay higher insurance premiums. That is why it is helpful to research insurance before you even buy your import, and to get several quotes to be sure you get the most competitive rate. That’s especially true if you are importing a sports car. The rates for sports cars are always higher because of the higher frequency of sports car crashes.

Most insurers will offer you a policy for your import provided they can locate the vehicle identification number (VIN) or car registration numbers. If they cannot find the registration number in their databases, then you need to see if the insurance company can find your exact model in their look-up table. If that does not work for you, you will have to inquire of another insurance provider.

Some insurance companies will only insure popular import models and will only insure the vehicles for the market value. Other insurance companies will insure modified imported vehicles as long as the modifications aren?t substantial. If they are substantial, then you will need to find an insurance provider that specializes in substantially modified import cars. Substantial means different things to different people, so this is yet another reason to obtain several quotes from different insurance providers. One provider may rate the modifications substantial, while another provider may not. It is important to ask questions when obtaining an insurance quote.

Also, some companies will not insure imported vehicles that are European versions of a UK car, with a left-hand drive, the idea being that if you wanted that model, you should have bought it with a right-hand drive to drive in the UK. That is another thing to keep in mind as you import your vehicle and get your insurance.

It is very important to check your import?s security fittings. This could impact the vehicle?s eligibility for coverage, as well as the cost. Not having proper security fittings can either raise the insurance premiums dramatically, or cause the provider to refuse to insure the vehicle. Make sure you get detailed information on the vehicle?s security fittings prior to having the vehicle imported.

It’s true that finding the right policy for your imported car is usually a chore, but it is not impossible. Research, and ask questions. Get your dealer to give you advice. Ask your insurance provider if joining a club or organization of imported car owners will get you a lower rate?often times insurance companies may special deals with organizations of imported car owners. Make sure you get all the breaks that due to you. Finally, make sure you purchase comprehensive insurance for your vehicle. It’s an expensive investment, and you want it fully covered.

About the Author:

Having Your Automobile Give Better Performance- Consider These Four

June 23, 2009

Developing of an effective modem of transport is what gave way to the making of the automobile. But demands for luxury and sporting have spun the needs to a whole new level. If you own a car, then you know that upgrades go without saying right? But there are four parts that you need to first consider first when giving your automobile a performance make-over. These four will give you better results than the other many that will meagerly change the output. These include headers, throttle body, exhaust and the cold air intake system.

If you want to enhance your vehicle’s performance, you should consider upgrading your air intake system. It is not a very complicated thing to do. Air intake systems are freely available in any aftermarket shop and it is not very expensive, and can be installed very easily. BBK Performance makes a good BBK cold air intake. Basically enhancing the performance of any vehicle involves getting more air into the engine to burn fuel faster, so the quicker the air moves in and out of the engine, the better the output of the engine is, in terms of horsepower, mileage etc. BBK cold air intake achieves just that. There are three types of air intake systems, open element intake systems, sealed intake systems and ram intake systems. All three work very well in getting cool air where it is required efficiently.

An air intake system consists of three main components, the filter, a mass flow sensor, and of course the throttle body. These days’ vehicles come equipped with a silencer to muffle the engine sounds emanating from the vehicle. Silencers block the passage of oxygen and this takes away a lot of the power; so many speed lovers remove the silencers. Cars come equipped with tubing cut at a certain length to allow the air to resonate at a set frequency to aid the airflow reaching the combustion chamber. Quick to sense a demand, vehicle component markets have manufactured much larger air filters and throttle bodies.

The aim of doing, this in the simplest terms is to drive more oxygen into the combustion chamber and that translates to speed. Faster combustion means more power output and thus better overall results in the performance of the automobile.

All the air emitted in the process of combustion is eliminated through the exhaust- that we all know. But you should know that the header is a similar reference to the air emitting system. Due to the issues of space and weight this system is not at its best when the car is being manufactured. To counter this fault you should get a BBK header system which increase performance effectively. A BBK header system include exhaust head pipes that recollect the emissions from each cylinder and direct them to a collector.

The BBK headers allow room for more air but that alone will not produce the best results. That is why a BBK throttle body should be a part of the equation because it primarily aids in gas economy and horsepower increase. It helps in the process of mixing oxygen and fuel to yield power. It allows room for air passage which is then able to reach the engine more quickly. This way the engine can concentrate more in producing power which translates to better speeds.

About the Author: