Ask any executive at a property and casualty insurance company and he will tell you that the majority of claims for auto damage occur in winter. Rain, fog, hail, ice and snow set up hazardous road and living conditions that adversely affect many drivers. As a result, it is common for people to have accidents (collision and non-collision) during this time. For this reason, drivers need to change the coverage on their auto insurance during the winter season. They need to "winterize" it in order to adequately cover their increased exposure due to the cold weather.
Worth Every Penny
Winterizing your auto insurance is easy, but expensive. For at least three months, you will have to pay a higher premium for auto insurance. However, it will be worth every penny. Just ask anyone who was ever blinded by heavy rain and totaled his car and another innocent party's vehicle. The only peace of mind that this driver had was the assurance that his auto policy would pay for everything.
Weatherproofing Your Coverage
So how do you get started? You can winterize your auto insurance by altering the coverage on it. Take the time to pull out your auto policy, review it and make sure it is up to par. Here are few tips. Just:
* Lower your collision and comprehensive deductibles. Two-vehicle accidents and hail damage are the norm in the winter. So you don't want to be blindsided by extremely high deductibles that are difficult to pay. So make sure that the ones on your policy are low. Determine them based on your monthly living expenses, holiday expenditures and the amount of money you usually keep in your checking account.
* Increase your limits of liability. The kinds of accidents that occur because of icy roads are often horrific and expensive. If you happen to be the unlucky driver who causes one, you will need enough liability coverage to pay for the damages of any vehicle involved as well as the injuries of all innocent parties.
* Add rental reimbursement onto your auto policy. It is coverage that will help pay for a rental car in the event that your personal vehicle becomes disabled due to a covered loss. Since the possibility of this event happening increases during the winter, it is best to have this coverage already set in place. Rental reimbursement will dramatically offset the cost of getting a rental car or pay for it altogether.
* Make sure towing is a part of your auto policy. Many insurance companies add it in automatically or offer it at an extremely low cost. One-vehicle accidents in which a driver slides on ice and right into a tree are more common during the winter months. Unfortunately, they usually require the service of a tow company. So make sure you have this coverage or a card with Triple A.
* Get medical payments or personal injury protection placed on to your auto policy. You should do this at the highest possible limits available and even if you have health insurance. Why? This coverage pays the medical bills for everyone in your car during an auto accident. Including passengers. Considering that many people do not have health insurance these days, you don't want to take a chance on injuring a friend and not being able to help pay for his medical bills. It will be an event that will surely ruin the holidays.
These tips will help you winterize your auto insurance and make it through the cold weather without suffering a major financial crisis (at least due to your car). So consider doing them. It will be worth your time and money.
Worth Every Penny
Winterizing your auto insurance is easy, but expensive. For at least three months, you will have to pay a higher premium for auto insurance. However, it will be worth every penny. Just ask anyone who was ever blinded by heavy rain and totaled his car and another innocent party's vehicle. The only peace of mind that this driver had was the assurance that his auto policy would pay for everything.
Weatherproofing Your Coverage
So how do you get started? You can winterize your auto insurance by altering the coverage on it. Take the time to pull out your auto policy, review it and make sure it is up to par. Here are few tips. Just:
* Lower your collision and comprehensive deductibles. Two-vehicle accidents and hail damage are the norm in the winter. So you don't want to be blindsided by extremely high deductibles that are difficult to pay. So make sure that the ones on your policy are low. Determine them based on your monthly living expenses, holiday expenditures and the amount of money you usually keep in your checking account.
* Increase your limits of liability. The kinds of accidents that occur because of icy roads are often horrific and expensive. If you happen to be the unlucky driver who causes one, you will need enough liability coverage to pay for the damages of any vehicle involved as well as the injuries of all innocent parties.
* Add rental reimbursement onto your auto policy. It is coverage that will help pay for a rental car in the event that your personal vehicle becomes disabled due to a covered loss. Since the possibility of this event happening increases during the winter, it is best to have this coverage already set in place. Rental reimbursement will dramatically offset the cost of getting a rental car or pay for it altogether.
* Make sure towing is a part of your auto policy. Many insurance companies add it in automatically or offer it at an extremely low cost. One-vehicle accidents in which a driver slides on ice and right into a tree are more common during the winter months. Unfortunately, they usually require the service of a tow company. So make sure you have this coverage or a card with Triple A.
* Get medical payments or personal injury protection placed on to your auto policy. You should do this at the highest possible limits available and even if you have health insurance. Why? This coverage pays the medical bills for everyone in your car during an auto accident. Including passengers. Considering that many people do not have health insurance these days, you don't want to take a chance on injuring a friend and not being able to help pay for his medical bills. It will be an event that will surely ruin the holidays.
These tips will help you winterize your auto insurance and make it through the cold weather without suffering a major financial crisis (at least due to your car). So consider doing them. It will be worth your time and money.
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