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The Motor City Detroit and Car Insurance That Protects

Written by Michele Wilmonen. Posted in Research Last Updated: 05/23/2013

The unique Detroit car insurance is the strictest in the entire nation.

detroit car insurance

Also known as Detroit, Michigan

In 2011, there were 284,049 traffic accidents across the state of Michigan. Compared to the estimated population of 9.8 million people for the state in the same year, those accident statistics aren’t all that bad. Comparably, Wayne County (where Detroit is located) has similar accident numbers statistically, so it is no more dangerous to drive in and around Detroit than it is anywhere else in Michigan.

Still, this doesn’t mean that you should feel free to drive around without Detroit car insurance. For one, it’s illegal to do so. And two, you never know when you will end up as one of those accident numbers.

Required Detroit Car Insurance

Detroit car insurance requirements are exactly the same as Michigan’s car insurance requirements as it’s the state that takes control of that sector of driving. However, state car insurance laws are enforced by Detroit police officers just the same as any other city traffic laws on the books. So don’t think that the city cops will let you slide because insurance requirements are a state thing.

To be able to legally drive in Detroit and anywhere else in Michigan, you have to be carrying all three of the following car insurance coverages:

  • Personal Injury Protection
  • Liability coverage (property damage and bodily liability)
  • Property Protection (different than property damage liability coverage)

Detroit Personal Injury Protection

The personal injury protection coverage is something that is seen in only a handful of other states that are “no fault” states just like Michigan is. Personal injury protection is a coverage that will pay for all of your medical bills and the medical bills of anyone else in your vehicle in the event of an accident; regardless of who caused the accident.

Detroit Liability and Property Protection

The liability coverage is exactly the same as it is in other states, Michigan just lumps it together as one insurance coverage. It still consists of liability coverage for injuries you may cause to another person or damages you may cause to another person’s property in a car accident. Michigan requires drivers to carry no less than $20,000 in coverage per person and $40,000 total coverage for all injuries, as well as no less than $10,000 in coverage for property damage.

The difference in the Michigan liability coverage is that the property damage section of this coverage is only for property damage that you may cause with your vehicle outside of the state of Michigan. Any damages to property that you may cause in Michigan are covered under the required property protection coverage.

The property protection coverage is a coverage unique to Michigan and is not found in any other state. This coverage provides up to $1 million dollars in coverage for any damage you may do to another person’s vehicle, property, state property, etc. within the state of Michigan.

This may seem to be a lot of Detroit car insurance to purchase just to be able to drive, but if you are ever in a car accident you will be grateful you have the insurance company paying these expenses instead of them coming out of your pockets.

Why Do I Keep Getting Rate Increases if I Have a Perfect Driving Record?

Written by Michele Wilmonen. Posted in Ask An Insurance Question Last Updated: 05/21/2013

 

Sometimes rate increases have nothing to do with you personally.

When there is a rate increase on your insurance premium there is a reason for it, even if you don’t think there is. Usually these increased insurance premiums are the result of a car accident or a ticket you may have had in the last coverage period.

Other times, increased insurance premiums are the result of things completely out of your control. For example, rate increases can happen because the insurance company needs to bring in more money to cover increased employee costs. Other times rate increases happen because the insurance company is going under and they are trying everything they can to stay in business.

If you have seen increased insurance premiums and nothing on your side has changed, you need to contact your insurance company or insurance agent to find out why. It could just be because the company decided on a rate increase to bring in more money; which may be a sign to you that it is time to start shopping around for other insurance coverage.

 

Promoted Mayor Has No Affect on Charlotte Car Insurance

Written by Todd Clay. Posted in Research Last Updated: 05/20/2013

Charlotte car insurance and using common sense are your two best assets while driving in Charlotte.

charlotte car insurance

If you want to keep your Charlotte car insurance, leave the speeding to the race track.

Charlotte recently had the distinction of having their mayor Anthony Foxx be selected by President Obama as the next possible transportation secretary. Even though this is quite a distinction for the city, it has no bearing on the current traffic and insurance laws for drivers in Charlotte. Drivers in Charlotte still need to carry the minimum required insurance coverage and they still need to use common sense while behind the wheel.

Charlotte Traffic Laws

You would think that most traffic laws are common sense to most motorists, but there is always that select group of drivers that have a different definition of what common sense is. So just to be clear to the whole class, here are some Charlotte traffic laws to keep in mind while driving through this part of North Carolina:

Don’t pass a car that is stopped to allow a pedestrian to cross the street

“The driver of a vehicle emerging from or entering an alley, building entrance, private road or driveway shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian, or person riding a bicycle, approaching on any sidewalk or walkway extending across such alley, building entrance, road or driveway.” (Charlotte Department of Transportation)

“It shall be unlawful for any person riding upon any bicycle, motorcycle, coaster, sled, roller skates, or any toy vehicle to attach such or himself to any streetcar or moving vehicle upon any roadway.” (Charlotte City Ordinance 14-4)

Beware the speeding cameras

Don’t mess with the parking meters and don’t try to use a fake coin substitute in them either

Required Charlotte Car Insurance

The car insurance requirements in the city of Charlotte are the same as they are in the entire state of North Carolina. Both liability coverage and uninsured motorist/underinsured motorist coverages are required to be able to drive. However, if a driver has just the basic liability limits on their vehicle then they only have to carry uninsured motorist coverage. But, if a driver carries more than the minimum required liability limits, then they have to carry both uninsured motorist and underinsured motorist coverages.

The minimum liability coverage you can legally drive with in North Carolina is:

  • $30,000 in bodily injury liability coverage or one person
  • $60,000 in bodily injury liability coverage total for the entire accident
  • $25,000 for liability coverage to pay for damages you may cause to another person’s property

If you are confused as to what is required for Charlotte car insurance coverage, your agent will walk you through the whole procedure at the time you purchase your policy.

Fort Worth Car Insurance- Protecting Everyone on the Road

Written by Michele Wilmonen. Posted in Research Last Updated: 05/19/2013

Fort Worth car insurance does more than just protects others from you; it also protects you from your own bad driving.

fort worth car insurance

Fort Worth, Texas

Driving in Fort Worth, Texas is not a whole lot different than driving through the other large cities in the state. Fort Worth has the same insurance requirements and laws, as well as most of the same traffic laws. But drivers also need to be aware of the lesser known local laws that are enforced just as strictly as the statewide laws.

Car Insurance for Fort Worth

Because it’s the state that actually determines what kind and how much insurance is required for Texas drivers, there are no specific Fort Worth car insurance requirements. However, the Fort Worth Police Department does enforce the state insurance laws and will not hesitate to ticket you if you are not carrying at least the minimum required car insurance.

To avoid a no insurance citation, make sure you have no less than:

  • $60,000 in bodily injury liability coverage that will cover the total costs for all medical bills if you injure two or more people in a car accident.
  • $30,000 in bodily injury liability coverage that will cover the costs for the medical bills of a single person.
  • $25,000 in property damage liability coverage for the damage you may do to another person’s property with your vehicle.

While these limits are actually decent compared to what other states require their drivers to carry, the state actually encourages their drivers to think about getting more than these minimal coverages to protect themselves in case they are sued for more than the amount of coverage they have. They also encourage drivers not to just stop with liability insurance, but to also carry other Fort Worth car insurance that would protect themselves and their vehicle.

Fort Worth Car Insurance Proof

When you buy Fort Worth car insurance, your insurance company sends you a proof-of-insurance card and electronic verification of coverage to the state. Your proof of insurance must be provided whenever you:

  • Are pulled over and asked for it by a police officer
  • Are in an accident
  • Register or renew your car’s registration
  • Get or renew your driver’s license
  • Have your car inspected.

Penalties for not Having Fort Worth Car Insurance

If you do not purchase Fort Worth car insurance you will be in violation of Texas’ financial responsibility laws and will face the following penalities:

  • A fine of $175 to $350 for your first offense
  • Fines of $350 to $1,000, suspension of your driver’s license, and impoundment of your
  • A $2,000 maximum fine, 180 days in jail, or both if you are caught without both car insurance and a driver’s license.
  • A $4,000 maximum fine, one year in jail, or both if you cause a car accident and have no car insurance.

Traffic Fines in Fort Worth

In Fort Worth there is a traffic fine for just about everything, so driver beware. Keep your nose clean, your eyes ahead, your cell phone off and avoid doing any of the following:

  • Fail to set your brake and leave your vehicle
  • Start your vehicle “improperly” from a parked position
  • Follow an ambulance
  • Tow another vehicle or trailer without having mud flaps
  • Have transparent material on your side or rear windows
  • Drive below the minimum speed limit on the freeway
  • Use your cell phone in a school zone
  • Allow a child to ride in the bed of your truck

Fort Worth Construction Zones

Per the Star Telegram, four out of five people that are killed in a construction zone are the motorists themselves and not the construction workers. Last year 134 people were killed in construction zones, with the Texas Department of Public Safety attributing these accidents to speeding and inattentive driving.

Drivers need to realize that the traffic tickets in construction zones are much higher than they are in non-construction zones. Fort Worth drivers also need to understand that even though it is not illegal to use your cell phone in a construction zone, that you are putting your own life, as well as the construction worker’s lives in danger when you pay more attention to you cell phone than your driving.

Say Yes to Columbus Car Insurance and No to Texting

Written by Michele Wilmonen. Posted in Research Last Updated: 05/18/2013

Columbus car insurance is just one of many things that are required when driving in this city.

columbus car insurance

Columbus, Ohio

Columbus car insurance is required not only to protect others from your driving, but also to protect you from financial ruin from the expenses that can arise from a car accident that you cause. Other laws such as how wireless devices can be used while behind the wheel and being responsible after you cause a car accident are also there to protect others, as well as you from yourself.

Wireless Device Use in Columbus

Drivers of regular passenger cars and bus drivers in Columbus, Ohio are allowed to drive and talk on their cell phones. They can talk with or without using a hand-free device also. The only group restricted from talking on wireless devices is drivers under the age of 18.

Texting, however, is banned for all drivers.

Failing to Stop After a Car Accident in Columbus

Causing a car accident is bad enough, but to cause one and then leave the scene without accepting responsibility for your actions is even worse. In Columbus, like most other places, leaving the scene of an accident is illegal and can leave you with a first degree misdemeanor on your record.

To prevent this from happening use your common sense, and make sure you know what is expected of you in Columbus after an accident:

  • Stop your motor vehicle and remain at the scene of the accident until you have exchanged contact, vehicle and insurance information with the other driver. Or have contacted the police in the event that one of the parties cannot exchange information.
  • If you have hit another person’s property and the other person is not around, make every effort to contact the other person or leave your contact information in plain sight for the other person to find.

As well as being charged with a misdemeanor for not following the above laws after an accident, your driver’s license will also be suspended. If you kill or seriously harm a person and then leave an accident you will no longer be charged with a misdemeanor, it will instead be upgraded to a felony.

Columbus Car Insurance

All drivers in Columbus are required to follow the same insurance laws that are set for the entire state of Ohio, as the state of Ohio sets and regulates all insurance in the state. To be in compliance drivers must carry $12,500 in bodily injury liability coverage for a single person, $25,000 in bodily liability coverage total that will be paid out for two or more people, and finally $7,500 in property damage liability coverage.

And honestly, the required coverages for the state of Ohio are so bare minimum that you will be lucky if your accident expenses are completely covered by these coverage limits. To make sure that you are protected from the high costs of another person’s medical bill and car repair costs, talk to your insurance agent about what would be the best coverages to have in your financial situation.

It’s best to have more Columbus car insurance coverage than you actually need, instead of being stuck with years of payments to pay off the expenses you are responsible for from a car accident.

Car Insurance Guidebook Unravels the Car Insurance Mystery

Unless you work in the car insurance industry, the topic is probably a mystery to you. The words deductible, comprehensive, collision, liability, premium, loss of use and bodily injury are all gibberish when they reach your ears.

Unfortunately, insurance is something that you are required to have by law if you want to drive. Because of how confusing it is many people go around in almost an insurance daze while they get car insurance quotes from the auto insurance companies that they have heard of. In reality, they are completely lost as to what they are actually buying.

Instead of looking at what each insurance company offers in the terms of protection for both themselves and their car, they are instead looking for cheap car insurance. Finding the cheapest car insurance coverage makes having to buy the required product all that much less painful, but misses the whole point of having insurance.

Learning about insurance through your insurance agent or websites like Car Insurance Guidebook will give you the upper hand when you looking for car insurance. You can take your knowledge and not only find the best price for insurance, you can use it to find really great insurance to protect you and your assets. Then you aren’t stuck settling for just average car insurance that can hurt you financially if you ever need it because there isn’t enough protection.

For example, when looking for insurance the car insurance rates are just the first of many factors that need to be taken into account when you are shopping around for car insurance. You also need to take into account the type of vehicle that you are driving. Many people don’t know this.

Are you driving around a vehicle that is a new sedan and can be protected under any blanket insurance policy? Or do you have an old car that you fixed up that needs special protection and could be better covered under classic car insurance?

Don’t just assume that when you compare car insurance that it will be a one-size-fits-all policy. This is where the insurance knowledge will come in handy; you will know what you need to protect yourself and your vehicle.

You will understand what your insurance agent is talking about when they use insurance terms and you will actually be able to make an informed decision. This is much better for you instead of the “nod and smile” approach people take in their insurance agent’s office.

Also just like your life changes your insurance needs will change. This year you may just need to learn about the best deductible to have. Next year you may need to educate yourself on car insurance for young drivers. As the years pass, motorcycle insurance may be something you will need to know.

Many wise people say that you never stop learning, so take their advice and educate yourself on the insurance that you spend a lot of money on and can’t get away with not having.