Fronting Up

Author: admin
June 15, 2010

In recent years car insurance has increased in cost by as much as 20% a year. These costs are due to a number of factors: more powerful cars, more congested roads leading to higher accidents, and greater numbers of uninsured drivers which forces insurance companies to raise the cost of premiums to cover themselves for the risk that these uninsured drivers pose.

One of the groups hit most severely by these raises have been young and newly qualified drivers, and young men in particular. Last summer, for the first time, the average cost of a third party insurance policy became more expensive than the average cost of a comprehensive policy for the first time, reflective of the fact that it’s cheaper for young drivers to get third party coverage.

That average cost for third party coverage was £1,300, and for a lot of newly qualified drivers it’s a lot more expensive than that.

Research conducted by Co-Operative car insurance recently found that hundreds of thousands of parents are willing to lie in order to save their children money. Through a practice known as ‘fronting’ parents name themselves as the main drivers, thus benefiting from reduced premiums even though their children are actually the ones driving the car.

A surprising 41% of parents revealed that they are currently fronting and 61% said they would consider it in the future.

These numbers are of great concern to the insurance industry, not least because it places them at greater risk should the child of a parent who has fronted be involved in an accident. The insurance industry argues that the cost of insurance policies accurately reflects the risk of young drivers, and if the young drivers are not paying those costs themselves, then the insurance companies are the ones losing out.

Fronting is, also, illegal. Some industry experts have compared it to stealing, but whilst this might be going slightly too far it is fraud. The repercussions can be serious, not only if the insurance company discovers that you have fronted a policy (because they won’t pay out if there’s an accident) but because you may find yourself incapable of getting insurance in the future.

At the end of the day everyone should do their best to find the cheapest deal they can, but the costs of insurance accurately reflect the risks that young drivers pose. So, if you do your research and look around you can find some great deals, but they’ll still be quite expensive when compared to a policy for an experienced driver. If you’re looking for a good deal on your car insurance take a look at some of the deals that Co-operative Insurance is offering at the moment.

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Buying a New Car

Author: admin
April 30, 2010

Buying a new car is one of the largest purchases most people make in their lives. Therefore, it is worth taking care and making sure the deal you get is the best possible.

Financing

If you need to obtain credit to fund the purchase of the car, you should be aware that the financing offered by the dealer is often not the best deal you can get. If you shop around for loans you may get financing at a much better rate. You should compare the annal percentage rate (APR) as well as the length of the loan and the amount of monthly repayments. Always look at the total amount repayable and compare this to the price of the car to see the cost of the finance.

Sometimes, dealers will offer you a very good financing rate on specific models that qualify. It may not be possible to negotiate on the price of these models and you should check to see if this is cheaper than buying another model that can be negotiated.

Make sure you have a copy of the contract and before you leave the lot, evaluate whether the repayment terms in it are affordable. If the dealer asks you to buy credit insurance, you should add this into the price and see if the car is still attractive. You should also check your existing insurance policies as you may be covered already under another policy.

If you are considering a trade in, bring it up only after you have already negotiated the best possible price for the car you want. You should also research the value of your old car so that you know what it is worth. This information will help you see what the dealer is effectively offering you for your old car and if it is a fair price.

If you are considering a service contract you should be clear on what it offers. They have many exemptions and you will already have some cover from the manufacturers warranty which is included in the cost of the car. You should certainly ask the following questions:

  • What does it offer over and above the warranty?
  • What repairs are covered?
  • Is routine maintenance recovered?
  • Will they pay for parts, labor or both?
  • Who performs the work?
  • How long does the contract last and what are the cancellation and refund policies?
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  • Why This Lawyer Says You Should Buy Car Insurance From An Independent Broker

    I don’t sell car insurance, but as a lawyer practicing in the field of personal injury I frequently see people suffer because they have the wrong insurance coverage. Often, this happens because they purchased directly from an insurance company instead of an independent broker.

    Many of my clients who have been seriously hurt in a car accident were struck by someone who had no insurance or only the minimum liability insurance coverage, which is $25,000 in New York and much less in many other states. Unfortunately, many of my clients were sold insurance policies with liability limits of $100,000 or $300,000, but were not sold matching uninsured and underinsured coverage.

    Just this week, yet another new client had this problem. My client was a pedestrian crossing the street when she was struck by a car which fled the scene. The driver was caught shortly after leaving the accident, but the owner of the car only has the New York State minimum liability insurance of $25,000 and my client has serious injuries consisting of many broken bones including a fractured arm, leg and skull.

    My client owns a car with liability insurance limits of $300,000, but she purchased the insurance from GEICO whose salesperson didn’t sell her underinsured coverage. GEICO does not use independent insurance brokers, but sells insurance directly to consumers through in-house sales agents.

    For a small fee, my client could have purchased underinsured coverage of $300,000 which would have allowed her to recover $300,000 for her injuries instead of $25,000. Ironically, she did not need the $300,000 liability coverage to protect her assets. However, since you cannot buy underinsured coverage higher than your liability coverage, I would have advised her to purchase $300,000 liability coverage for the sole purpose of being able to purchase $300,000 underinsured coverage.

    I have had many clients in this situation who lost their jobs because of serious injuries and incurred substantial debt. If they had matching underinsured coverage, the additional money available to pay their claim would would be a big help to pay their bills and get their life back together.

    Underinsured motorist coverage will pay you money from your own automobile insurance policy if you have been hurt in a car accident by someone who was negligent for causing your injury and who had less liability insurance coverage than you did. Uninsured motorist coverage will pay you when the other car did not have any insurance coverage or the identity of the other car is unknown.

    Underinsured and uninsured coverage is inexpensive and usually available in limits that match your liability insurance coverage. It is not available in amounts greater than your liability insurance coverage.

    Underinsured and uninsured coverage is so important that a couple of states now require coverage limits matching your liability insurance limits, unless you decline the coverage in writing. Several years ago, I suggested to several New York State senators that they enact a similar law in New York.

    I have also seen many clients who were not sold the maximum medical payments insurance, which costs me only $2.01 per month on my car insurance policy. This is particularly important for people who do not have a good health insurance policy. It is also beneficial for passengers who do not have health insurance.

    Why should you buy car insurance through an independent insurance broker? The courts have defined the reason. There have been several “malpractice” lawsuits against insurance companies for failure to offer underinsured and uninsured motorists coverage limits matching the liability limits. However, when the insurance company sells directly to consumers, these cases have gone in favor of the insurance companies. The courts found that when a consumer buys insurance directly from an insurance company, rather than an insurance broker, the consumer is only buying insurance and is not paying for advice.

    When you buy auto insurance from an independent insurance broker who represents several different insurance companies, you get the advantage of an insurance professional who can evaluate your needs and advise you accordingly. Additionally, only an independent insurance broker can provide you with a choice of insurance companies and premiums, so you get the best coverage at the lowest price.

    Whether you buy your car insurance directly from an insurance company or through an independent insurance broker, always make sure that you purchase matching uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage and the maximum medical payment benefits.

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    October 24, 2009

    Right now there are many companies all trying to get you to buy their particular insurance plan for your car. From quacking ducks to talking lizards, there is an overabundance of advertisements, all done with the intent to get you sign up for their company.

    But which one is right for you?

    One of the better solutions that I found is to go online and compare the different automotive insurance policies. That way, it is easy to find one that fits your particular situation. In addition, I have found that utilizing the Internet is the best way to save money.

    Before you go out and buy from the first company that offers you a car insurance policy, it is important that you understand which items are important for protecting you and your assets.

    As you probably know most insurance policies look the same. So it is important to understand both the company and your unique situation.

    First you should decide the maximum amount that you can use to pay for your insurance. This step means a careful analysis of your budget. It is a question of how much you can afford.

    This leads to our second item for consideration. How much do you need to cover? For people that have a lot of assets, it is vital that they get enough insurance to personally protect their money in case of a catastrophic accident.

    Many penny pinchers elect to get the lowest coverage. While it important to save money, it is equally important to prevent one accident from wiping you out. The funny thing is that even if you do elect for lower coverage, you wind up not saving that much money.

    The next step is to check out the individual car insurance companies. As a result, it is vital that you get quotes from at least five different auto insurance companies. The method that I use is to go online and compare some of the top companies that show up. Here is a brief list of companies that offer top-rated car insurance:

    21st Century Insurance
    Geico
    USAA
    Safeco Insurance
    MetLife Auto
    Liberty Mutual
    AllState
    Unitrin Direct
    eSurance
    Progressive
    State Farm
    AIG Auto Insurance
    GMAC Insurance
    Nationwide
    Eastwood
    Amica
    AAA

    Once you find quotes from different companies, you should create a strategy of the various costs involved with purchasing car insurance. This includes deductibles, collision, comprehensive, and the total costs. For each company, try to get quotes on different levels of coverage. That way, you can develop an accurate portrayal of the price for each car insurance quote.

    The final step is to understand how much each company will cover. While you might save money from one particular company, they might offer little to no coverage in case you get into an accident. While you might save some cash in the short term, the long term consequences could be disastrous.

    When you have done your analysis, you will have a list of companies that offer quality insurance at an affordable price. With a little effort and research, you can properly cover yourself within your budget requirements.

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    October 24, 2009

    All about saving on you insurance premiums..

    Look4insurances.co.uk
    helps you obtain Cheap Insurance Quotes Online:
    APPLY ONLINE for an Insurance Quote
    Getting a car insurance quote online in the UK can save you a lot of money on your auto insurance. The process is simple, quick, and extremely convenient. All you need to do is to fill out a simple quick quote provider form, submit it, and the online insurance company will do the rest and generate your car insurance quote within minutes.
    On top of that, you can also obtain multiple online quotes in the UK from various different insurance providers, allowing you to make comparisons between them, all these within the privacy and comfort of your own home. . . . . . . .

    It is an established fact that the reason most people in the UK and other parts of the world overpay on their insurance policies is due to a lack of shopping around. You should always Compare Car Insurance to find you the best deals as well as Cheap Car Insurance.
    Online car insurance quotes prevent this from happening. With online quotes, consumers also have the freedom to start, save and complete their insurance applications according to their convenience. In addition, a single application usually contains several free online quotes, so that you don’t have to be worried about the cost associated with receiving multiple car insurance online quotes in the UK.

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