Reader’s Question:

Is my Manchester, New Hampshire car insurance valid in other countries around the globe?

Monique

Manchester, NH

Hey, Monique! Your Manchester, NH auto insurance coverage is usually not considered effective if you’re driving outside the U.S. and Canada. However, there are rental car companies that make it easy for you to buy insurance when you rent a car. And if you’re not sure of the insurance requirements of the country you are visiting, you can start looking for answers with the rental car company.

Basically, you should purchase car insurance from the foreign car rental company that is similar to your auto insurance coverage in the United States. If you’re going to tour different countries, make sure that the rental car company provides you with a car insurance that complies with auto insurance regulations in all the countries where you planning to drive.

I would also suggest that you book your rental car reservation early. There are some companies that give out discounts for early reservations there in Manchester, NH. You can also ask different questions about auto insurance coverage abroad, driving conditions in a particular country or city, and generally what to expect and how to prepare, especially if accidents might occur. And if you have the time (and money), it’s also wise to shop around for your car’s auto insurance coverage abroad.

Tags: auto insurance, car insurance, rental car insurance

Reader’s Question:

Hi, I’m from California. I have a car in my parking lot and is never moved or turned on. Can I keep this car until I purchase a car insurance? I live in Berkeley, CA

Frank

Berkeley, CA

Generally speaking, the state requires all vehicles to be registered and thus insured. However, it depends on the state whether you can or cannot keep an unregistered and uninsured vehicle in a parking lot. It may be possible to store the car there until you obtain a registration and purchase an insurance. It may also be illegal and may be towed if the
vehicle is found to be without registration or to have expired registration

It may also depend upon where the car is parked. If the vehicle is parked in public, registration and insurance are probably to be required. If it is in private, it would likely depend upon signage that there is at the lot of the owner and also the law of the state.

If your car is inoperable, you may get a special status from the DMV. In California, the state’s law requires vehicles to have current registration if they are stored, driven, towed, parked on public roads or highways or parked in an off-street public parking facility. If your car is inoperable and would not be in any of the mentioned status, you could get an application for non-operational status and pay a non-operation (PNO) fee. Once the non-operational status is on your vehicle’s record, this will remain until you decide to operate the vehicle and pay the full registration renewal fees.

You can also check with your state’s DMV to learn what the state allows for in your situation.

Tags: auto insurance

Reader’s Question:

If I choose to lower my deductible, what will happen to my car insurance premium in Aurora, Illinois?

Viktor

Aurora, IL

Normally if you choose to lower your deductible amount your insurance premium will increase in Aurora, Illinois. If you increase your deductible amount on the other hand your car insurance rates would go down.

If you have Physical Damage coverages of comprehensive and collision coverage on your car insurance you can request higher deductibles for your Comprehensive and Collision coverage. The amount of money you have to pay before your insurance carrier starts paying the rest is your deductible.

If you choose to lower your deductible and it increases your car insurance cost then be sure you talk with your auto insurance agent to be sure you are obtaining all the car insurance discounts available to you. If you are obtaining new car insurance discounts for safety features, theft deterrent devices, etc this may help balance out the increase to the car insurance policy you are incurring from lowering your deductible amount and getting cheap car insurance.

Tags: auto insurance, car insurance cost, car insurance quotes, car insurance rate

Reader’s Question:

We have four vehicles in the household and all are insured and registered in Columbia, South Carolina. My children have separate car insurance policy and they are not added as an occasional driver on my policy. My question is, if they drive my cars and get into an accident, will they be covered?

Pete

Columbia, SC

In general if you permit a friend or your adult children to borrow your vehicles from time to time, your car insurance coverages will be extended to them. If your children regularly operate your automobile or reside with you, then your insurance provider may require you to list them to your car insurance policy in Columbia, South Carolina for them to be properly covered while operating your automobile.

Since insurance provider’s rules and guidelines can vary you will have to speak with your insurance company to determine for sure if your children would be covered under your car insurance policy to operate your vehicles in a way that they do. If they will be covered, keep in mind that in case of an accidents it is the owner’s car insurance policy that is primary usually and the secondary will be the driver’s insurance or used as excess in an accident if the car insurance claims go beyond the limits of the owner’s car insurance policy.

Tags: auto insurance, car insurance

Reader’s Question:

I am planning to move out from my parents house in Michigan next year and I am wondering if I could still stay on their car insurance policy even if I no longer live with them. I am planning to move to Greeley, Colorado.

Harper

Greeley, CO

Most insurance carriers will not allow to continue to insure you under your parent’s car insurance policy if you move out of your house. There are some exceptions though such as if you are going to college.

If the child is under their parent’s car insurance policy, they are allowed to drive their parent’s vehicles however if you move out of your house and will live in Greeley, Colorado then you will no longer be considered as a household member and so will not cover you or your car.

If you are going to be away to attend school then some insurance companies will cover you even if the vehicle will be garaged out of state.

If you are going to move out you would have to get an automobile insurance policy so you and your cars will be covered . If you do not own a car you may look for a non-owner’s policy. There are some exceptions though and car insurance guidelines varies so I would suggest that you contact your parent’s car insurance company to check if you will be covered under your parent’s policy if you move out.

You may also be able to obtain instant Greeley, Colorado car insurance quotes so you will know how much car insurance cost to expect when you move out of your parent’s house.

Tags: auto insurance, car insurance cost, car insurance quotes

Reader’s Question:

If you are in an accident and nobody called the law enforcement officer and you just exchange insurance information with the other driver and then later what happens is that they come back and told you that they have damage that they did not? I live in Jackson, Mississippi.

Allan

Jackson, MS

All accidents should be reported to your insurance carrier even if the law enforcement are not called. In this manner, they have a record of your side of the accident. This also protects you from situations such as the one you said wherein the information later changes.

If you have not contacted your insurance provider, you should do so and explain to them what happened. At this point, it will be determined by the claims adjuster to whether or not an insurance claim can be made against your auto insurance policy. The same would apply for the other driver.

You will be able to know how auto insurance claims and accidents can affect your car insurance rate in Jackson, Mississippi by obtaining a direct insurance quote here.

Tags: auto insurance claims, car insurance, car insurance cost, car insurance quotes

Reader’s Question:

Do you know any insurance companies that give credit for completing the national safety council defensive drivers course in Dearborn, Michigan?

Christine

Dearborn, MI

The National Safety Council (NSC) defensive drivers course (DDC) is a comprehensive driver improvement program. This is usually a 6 or 8 hour curriculum that provides practical knowledge. The course includes techniques to avoid accidents and to choose responsible, safe, and lawful driving behaviors.

After an individual completes the course they will receive a NSC DDC Certificate of Completion. In most states this makes you eligible for ticket dismissal or point reduction. The NSC site states that insurance providers in 34 of the 50 states allow for a reduction on car insurance premiums to DDC certificated graduates.

You may contact the Insurance Division for the state of Michigan and ask them if they have the list of the specific insurance providers in Dearborn, MI that permit for credit or rate reduction to those that complete the NSC DDC.

Tags: auto insurance, car insurance cost, car insurance rate

Reader’s Question:

How do Wisconsin DMV points affect your driving privileges and how does it affect your insurance rates? I live in Appleton, Wisconsin.

Richard

Appleton, WI

In Wisconsin, if you accumulate 12 or more demerit points in a twelve month period a suspension of your driving privilege will result. To verify what the Wisconsin laws are contact your DMV in Wisconsin.

As for auto insurance rates, how they are determined varies from insurance provider to insurance provider. Some might consider the amount of points or the severity of your offenses as part of the factors they use to decide car insurance rates in Appleton, Wisconsin. You can verify with your state’s insurance regulatory body to see how your insurance carrier does their rating system since they much be filed with this entity.

Tags: car insurance rate

Reader’s Question:

Does your auto insurance rates go up once you reach the age of 65?

Rob

Chicago, IL

No, insurance rates do not necessarily increase once you reach age 65. It will depend upon insurance company guidelines and state laws if auto insurance rates will be raised after a motorist turns a certain age.

Some insurance carriers offer lower rates to those between 50 and 65 years of age,because this group has lower accident rates. After the age 65 rates do start to rise again though and those over age 70 may have difficulty looking for an insurance company to accept them as a new policyholder since accidents for this age group tend to go up.

There are car insurance companies though that give senior driver discounts for drivers of a certain age with clean history or discounts to seniors who attend an approved driving course.

Reader’s Question:

What is the difference between car insurance premiums and car insurance rates ?

Monica

Hartford, CT

The terms premiums and rates are virtually interchangeable.

A meaning of “rate” is a fix amount of premium to be charged per unit of insurance. Some agents use car insurance rate to refer to the amount you will be charged and premium as the amount you have agreed or paid. For instance, they will say this is your “insurance rate” and when you pay that is your “insurance premium.’

The meaning of “premium” is consideration paid for a contract of auto insurance. Another meaning is the price of insurance an insured individual pays for a specified risk for a specified period of time.

Your insurance provider may speak of your rate or your premium or even your premium rate.

Either term is referring to the amount you will pay for your auto insurance coverage for the specified period time listed on your policy, normally a six or twelve month interval.