Reader’s Question:

I am purchasing my own car real soon that I need to have insured here in Jacksonville, Florida. What type of vehicle do I need to get in order for me not to have high insurance premiums and how else can I save on auto insurance?

Abram

Jacksonville, FL

Before you purchase a new vehicle in Jacksonville, Florida, you need to make some research about the different types of vehicles and the probable cost of insurance for it. The insurance industry groups rate each vehicle model according to the claims history of collision, injury, theft, etc. If a particular vehicle has higher rating, that means that the auto insurance premiums are lower. In the same way, a flashy sports car that has lower rating could considerably mean higher insurance rates since car insurance carriers relate that type of vehicle to be of more risk because of higher possibility of theft and the owner tends to drive recklessly.

There are also other means for you to save money on your auto insurance such as taking precautionary measures. A lot of auto insurance companies give discounts on drivers who take steps to give protection for their vehicles against damage and robbery. By choosing to install antilock brakes, front and side airbags, alarms and some other safety features on your vehicle, you are more likely to have considerable savings on your auto insurance premiums.

Tags: auto insurance companies, auto insurance premiums, car, car insurance discounts

Reader’s Question:

I try my very best not to spend too much for certain things including my car insurance here in Jacksonville, Florida. Can you tell me the factors that determine my car insurance rates and how they can impact my car insurance?

Garland

Jacksonville, FL

Certainly, Garland, I can help you understand the things that affect your car insurance rates in Jacksonville, Florida. Let me tell you first that it’s generally who you are that figures out how much you pay for your car insurance. There are things that you have power over and some things are out of your hands. The factors that you could not alter would be your age and gender. According to statistics, elderly (65 years up) and younger people (16-25 years old) are more probable to have accidents. When it comes to gender, they say that female drivers are safer motorists than the males.

For the things that you have power over to change include the place you live in, your driving record, the type of your car and your credit score, among other things. The area that you are living in is important because this may tell whether you are more likely to have accidents because of the population in the area. Your driving record, whether you have a clean one or not, will be counted on your car insurance rates. Regarding the type of vehicle that you drive, if you own a low-profile vehicle, you’re more likely to have lower car insurance rates. In terms of your credit score, several car insurance companies think that those who have poor credit and even those who don’t have credit history are in the higher risk category.

Tags: car insurance, car insurance rates

Reader’s Question:

What is an SR-22? My son had to get one due to a violation here in Jacksonville, Florida. Also, what will happen there is a “lapse” in maintaining an SR-22?

Don

Jacksonville, FL

An SR-22 is a form that is submitted by your car insurance provider to Florida’s Department Of Motor Vehicle as proof that you have enough financial capacity to properly compensate for damages or injuries in case you cause a car accident. In other words, it is proof of your car insurance there in Jacksonville and you will need to maintain this form (meaning, you will need to have continued car insurance coverage) for a period of about two or three years.

If your son was required to get an SR-22 it could mean that he was caught driving without any auto insurance to show for, has had one too many traffic violations, caught Driving under the Influence (DUI) or has been proven at-fault in a car accident. This is the state’s way of making sure that your son is capable of paying for damages and liabilities in the event of another car accident or violation in the future.

It is highly advisable that your son maintains continuous auto insurance coverage for the duration of the SR-22. Any lapse in coverage, such as failing to maintain his insurance policy or violations causing his insurance provider to terminate the insurance agreement will only make it harder for him to reinstate coverage in the future. He may also be fined very high fees and penalties and may end up paying for even higher auto insurance premiums or rates in the future for losing his SR-22.

Tags: advice, auto insurance, car insurance, car insurance company

Reader’s Question:

My brother races a lot with his sports car here in Jacksonville, Florida. Will his car insurance company provide coverage in case of any accident when he is racing?

Gayle

Jacksonville, FL

Most auto insurance providers label race car drivers as the worst drivers. In other words, the accidents are worst and that would be the reason why your brother’s car insurance company in Jacksonville, Florida won’t give coverage while he is racing or even at high-performance driving schools. It would be so risky for car insurance providers because the crashes are rather huge. As a matter of fact, a high-speed crash would generally end up as a total loss of the vehicle.

Before, nearly all auto insurance policies will not provide coverage for damages caused from drag-racing, organized racing or even timed event. However, high-performance driving schools frequently don’t clock the race and they promote their events as the training for the motorists–not racing. But in the most recent years, a good number of car insurance providers began to keep out coverage for driving at any spots that are intended for racing, regardless the events are timed or not. Motorist who have been joining some races for a number of years using their own vehicle are now faced with a problem–that forces them not to use their own car or pray that no accident would happen.

Tags: car, car insurance, car insurance company

Reader’s Question:

I have only recently got my driver’s license here in Jacksonville, Florida, but it seems like I’m being charged a higher Insurance rate (I compared it with my parent’s). I don’t get it? I practically have no driving records yet that will show any violations!

Martine

Jacksonville, FL

There are a lot of people who are also wondering why car insurance protection costs so much for teenagers and first time drivers. Car insurance companies are hardly to blame though, statistics show that teenagers and first-time drivers, along with senior citizens, have the highest rates of car accident involvement. This is due to lack of experience while on the road, raging hormones and skills issues are just a few of the factors that contribute to first-time drivers being considered as high-risk drivers. The higher the risk you pose the higher your insurance will be as the car insurance company’s means of compensating for the additional risk. Having no driving record to show for is just as bad since you have nothing to show your insurance provider that you are a safe and responsible driver.

So is there anything we can do about it? Yes there are! Although not that much there are still ways that you can lower down car insurance premiums there in Jacksonville, Florida, here are a few tips:

1. Drive an Older vehicle - it costs less to insure and you can even drop comprehensive collision coverage.
2. Driving School - accredited defensive driving classes can give you valuable skills staying safe while on the road as well as qualify you for discounts towards your rates.
3. Follow the rules - goes without saying but still worth a mention. Build a good driving record by avoiding traffic violations. You’ll be happy you did a few years down the line.

Tags: auto insurance, auto insurance online, car insurance company, car insurance quotes

Reader’s Question:

I am a newly-wed and I just bought my new car for my family’s personal use here in Jacksonville, Florida but we are not residents of Florida. Do I still need to insure my car, and if yes, what will be the coverage of my automobile insurance?

Beck

Jacksonville, FL

Like you, there are many temporary residents in Florida that usually visit the state during the winter season. However, I suggest that you still get your car insured because in Jacksonville or anywhere in Florida there is a state-imposed minimum requirement for Florida automobile insurance. Hence, if you are driving in Florida without automobile insurance you can be reprimanded and the consequences are grave. You may lose your car’s license plate and registration for three years. You are also forbidden to drive any car for any reasons within the time your license is suspended.

The required coverage of your automobile insurance policy are, to wit: 1) personal injury protection, which covers you and your passenger’s bodily injuries caused by roadway accidents; 2) property damage liability, which covers any physical damages to the other party’s property; and 3) bodily injury liability, which covers other party’s death or bodily injury and also shells out for your legal processes fees.

You may have all those coverage for your policy and when you leave Florida, you may suspend your coverage after two months so that you may not be obliged to pay your policy premium for the whole year. This, however, requires you to give back your car registration.

Tags: auto insurance, temporary insurance

Reader’s Questions:

Hi, my son is off to college next fall and he might be bringing the car we have here in Jacksonville, Florida with him. How can this affect our car insurance rates?

Frances

Jacksonville, FL

Congratulations regarding your son getting into college. We agree that college is a very crucial time for the family and not a lot of people can afford any major financial setbacks (such as those caused by car accidents) during this time. Depending on where your son will be attending college and where the car will be driven or how far it is from home, the number of times the car will be used and if it will still be covered under the same insurance policy, it may or may not affect your insurance coverage that much.

If he is off to college that is located in an area that has a high number of car accidents, vandalism or car theft it is possible for your insurance provider to increase your rates to compensate for the added insurance risk. Normally, most will provide a discount if your son goes to college without the car and is more than 100 miles away from home.

If you choose to remove him from your policy and he decides to get her own it will obviously save you money but it may be more expensive for him to get insurance on his own. If the car will be driven more frequently expect your car insurance to rise proportionately.

It will be highly recommended that you get in touch with your car insurance provider there in Jacksonville, Florida so you can give them the details and they can tell you accurately how your son bringing the car to college will impact your insurance rates.

Tags: auto insurance premium, auto warranty deals, car insurance, car insurance company

Reader’s Question:

I’m in search for auto insurance company here in Jacksonville, Florida that will give me coverage. Aside from recommendations from the people I know, how else can I be sure that an insurance company is dependable?

Blaze

Jacksonville, FL

To make sure that the company that you will go with for your car insurance in Jacksonville, Florida is dependable, take into account its financial ratings. You may go online and visit the Websites of AM Best Company and Standard & Poor’s. These companies provide ratings and financial data on the insurance industry. They assess an insurance provider’s capability to pay out a claim. However, they don’t have anything to do with how an insurance provider deals with its consumers.

Since majority of the renowned insurance companies are probably a harmless consideration, taking time to look at the ratings could be just a formality. Additionally, independent evaluators will probably not endorse an insurer with doubtful financial standing. Nevertheless, if you would like to go to a smaller, unknown insurance provider, you may consider this study worthwhile. Insurance providers time and again give these details on their Websites, but in case it’s not available, you can always visit the Websites of AM Best as well as Standard & Poor’s. For AM Best’s evaluation, make sure that the insurance provider has at least B+ rating and for Standard & Poor’s ratings, only take into account those insurance providers which have at least a BBB rating.

Tags: car insurance, car insurance company

Reader’s Question:

I am not sure if what I heard is true, but will the color of my car matter on how an insurance company here in Jacksonville, Florida determine my automobile insurance premiums?

Nolan

Jacksonville, FL

Automobile insurance providers definitely don’t use the color of your vehicle to find out your insurance rates. A number of individuals propose that insurance companies use the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to find out the color of the vehicle and employ that in some way to establish the premiums for the vehicle. However, the color of the vehicle is not one of the items in a VIN. Your auto insurance provider in Jacksonville, Florida won’t have any idea on the color of your vehicle, unless they ask you for it. The color of your car won’t matter on how they determine your premiums.

Since the color of your automobile won’t matter, there are certain things which insurance companies examine on your vehicle to determine your rates. These are the age of the vehicle, make and model, the body type, the size of the engine, etc. Various insurance companies could use these factors to regulate the premiums that they will quote you. But things like your driving history and where you live are foremost essential on your premiums that the kind of vehicle that you drive. No matter what the color of your vehicle is, if you are a safe driver and keep your driving record clean, you are most likely to maintain low insurance premiums.

Tags: auto insurance, car, car insurance premium

Reader’s Question:

Would I need to add my kid to my car insurance policy when he gets a learner’s permit here in Jacksonville, Florida?

Stanley

Jacksonville, FL

Hi Stanley, Depending on the specific provisions in your agreement with your car insurance provider there in Jacksonville, Florida, you may be required to immediately report, and add, your kid under your policy as soon as he/she starts driving the insured vehicle. Some insurance providers would automatically update your record as soon as they become aware that your kid will be driving, GEICO, for example, will automatically add your kid under your policy even if you just called them up to ask about it, then you would have little choice but to pay the typically higher insurance associated with a new driver under your contract, so refrain from asking your car insurance provider about this just yet.

So even with just a learner’s permit, as soon as your kid hits the road, it is your responsibility (as mandated by the financial responsibility laws of your state) to provide adequate insurance coverage or financial capability in the event your kids cause any car crashes or kills a bus load of nuns. Your kid won’t probably be able to afford, or even get, his own insurance until at least he gets a proper driver’s license so it will be much more cost effective for you to add him/her under your policy as a named or occasional driver. I highly recommend reviewing your copy of the insurance agreement to get a better understanding of how your policy handles additional young drivers.

Tags: auto insurance, car insurance, car insurance rate