So you look ahead. All this is going where? Into residence halls, frat and sorority houses, or rented accommodation off campus. None of these are the most secure of environments. It’s easy for things to get lost or walk away. So you review you homeowners policy to see what is covered. The good news is the majority of policies continue coverage for full-time students while at school. The limit is up to 10% of the home contents insured on the main policy. If there are individually expensive items like some of the state-of-the-art computers or, for your daughters, clothing and jewelry, it may be better to add a little extra coverage. As with all things connected with insurance, plan ahead. Make a full list of everything that is going. If there are serial numbers to go with the models, record them. Check out whether you still have the receipts as proof of ownership. If these are valuable, make permanent marks on them somewhere visible so they are easier to identify if stolen.

But the real issues come to the fore with transport. For those more unusual chicks bitten by the green bug, they may be leaving with a bicycle. The others will depend on the “vehicle”. So take out the policy. Does your child drive your vehicle and now leaves you with sole custody? If so, you should contact the insurer. During term time, you will be entitled to a reduction in the premium. But if your child has the use of a vehicle, in whose name is it? If you remain the owner, the vehicle will probably remain insured while in the same state. But, you should tell the auto insurance company “your” vehicle will now be kept at a different address. This may change the risk should that ZIP code have a more serious crime rate for theft and vandalism. Going out of state on a more permanent basis is a real change of circumstances, particularly if the mandatory minimum liability cover is set at a higher level. If the vehicle is already in your child’s name, going off to college and, if the news is good, a higher GPA may well justify a discount at the next renewal. Always tell your auto insurance company of any change as soon as it happens.

Why are commercial rates so high? It’s a combination of factors but the most important are that the scope of the coverage is wider and the amount available to meet claims is significantly greater. For these purposes, it does not matter whether you rent or buy a vehicle for use in the business, the moment you or an employee put wheels on the road, the scale of potential liability is automatically higher because you are not just looking at third party liabilities, but also at the loss of the vehicle within the business and possible injury to an employee. So, the sooner you make a complete disclosure to the insurance companies the better. They have policies based on the number of employees you have and the type of business you are in. This is no longer one careful driver. This is employees driving at all hours of the day and night in both seasonal and unseasonal weather. This can make major differences in the premium rates. Sales and marketing personnel may drive thousands of miles in search of business, or delivery trucks may be inching through city traffic with less than careful people loading and unloading big items, or the only use may be driving to and from work at off-peak hours. Then you may have installed every safety feature available from antilock brakes to GPS transponders to recover the vehicle if stolen. You may even have sent your drivers on courses to upgrade their skills.

There’s no factor too insignificant to bring into the calculation to ensure your auto insurance quotes come back at an affordable price. This is no different from the approach to buying a domestic policy except fewer insurance companies write commercial auto insurance policies. The mileages are higher, the drivers take less care when not driving their own vehicles. There are always more accidents and claims. Once third parties realize they have been injured by a “company” vehicle, the claims are always bigger. Always get proper advice to ensure you are covered against all liabilities otherwise your business will not survive more than two or three crashes.

Welcome to the world of Californian ingenuity. With an economy equal to several European countries rolled into one, California has been facing major deficit problems for the last ten and more years. It all comes from the massive rise in population from 24 million in 1980 to 34 million in 2000. This is the largest population increase in any US state and it forced government at all levels to expand public services from new roads to schools to healthcare services. This would not have been a problem except Californian voters vote for tax limits as in Proposition 13 reducing reliance on property taxes for government spending. This has left the state with major deficit headaches for years. So, if taxes cannot rise and voters want to see spending maintained on public services, creativity is required.

Welcome to Huntington Beach unless, of course, after reading this, you decide you would rather steer clear of this friendly place. If you get into a traffic accident inside the city limits, you will be presented with a bill of up to $3,000 to cover the response of the emergency services. There’s actually a price list. If you are trapped in your vehicle, that’s $2,000 to pry the metal apart to free you. If there’s a fire, it will cost you $750 for the fire services to put it out — that’s on top of the $405 an hour for every fire truck that attends the scene of your accident.

First, the good news. If you are a taxpaying resident of Huntington Beach you get rescued for free. The tax dollars you pay cover the cost of the services. But if you live outside the city, you are liable. Now the bad news. If your auto insurance does not cover this expense, the bill comes directly to you. So, if you are planning a visit to Orange County (yes, the list of cities following Huntington Beach is growing rapidly) check out your auto insurance policy to ensure you will not be even more out of pocket than usual should you get into an accident. It really does not pay to have an accident in Orange County.

Except we should ask whether this is fair. At some point, we are all learning to drive. Equally, we are all going to get old with poor eyesight and slowing reflexes. We can all be distracted at the wrong moment. Every vehicle can have a mechanical failure and deprive us of the ability to slow down or steer where we want to go. So, if the insurers wanted, they could put everyone in the same class as “drivers” and average out the cost of loss between everyone. This would set a “fair” premium. Everyone would pay the same for the right to drive on the roads. In this, the good drivers would be subsidizing the bad, the lucky drivers the unlucky, and so on. What could be more fair than that?

Ah, but you are now up in arms. This is socialism/communism! It’s redistribution! It’s punishing the good drivers by making them pay for the freeloading bad. You say the fair system takes every driver as an individual and asks what vehicle he or she drives, how many miles a year will be covered and at what times of the day, and so on. The individual takes responsibility for his or her driving and never pays anything towards anyone else’s liabilities. Actually, that describes self-insurance where you pay all your own liabilities out of your own savings. All insurance groups people together and shares the risk. That’s why grouped premiums are lower than an individual’s costs should there be a claim. So, auto insurance companies strike a compromise. They group similar drivers together and share the cost of loss between them for the general premium. Then the insurers increase or decrease the rate depending on the actual driving record. This means young drivers will pay the highest premiums of all groups, but the best young drivers will pay less than those who manage to hit trees or other moving objects.

• Registration fees
• Emission fees
• Leasing fees
• Extended warranties
• Extra options, like electronics
• Document preparation fees

The biggest of all of these hidden costs is auto insurance. You’ll be paying it for however long you plan on owning or leasing your vehicle. Fortunately, it isn’t very difficult to get a very good idea of how much insurance each car will cost.

It’s all in the statistics

Various agencies are in charge of tracking statistics, such as safety, collision, and theft, for every automobile in the United States. This means that insurance providers also know which cars are the biggest risk for them to insure.

Quick tips:

• Buy a 4-Door, not a 2-Door. Four door vehicles are stolen upwards of 90% less.
• Paint matters. Avoid red. Red cars seem to get into more collision. Must be the whole bullfighting thing.
• Avoid sports cars. They may look nice and drive wonderfully, but they will also cost you a lot in insurance, since they are stolen as much as 6 times more than the average vehicle. However, if you’re going to buy a sports car and won’t drive it in a dangerous area, you can save money by not getting theft coverage
• Choose cars that are top safety picks. Auto insurance companies know that those cars are lesser risks and charge accordingly.

To really get a good idea, you are going to have to research a little bit. Check with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the Highway Loss Date Institute to determine if the car you’ve got your eye on will crumple completely in a collision—which will cost you a lot of money in collision insurance—or if the fatality rate is extremely high. This information is a big part in determining what your insurance quote will be.

If you’re concerned about the theft insurance, the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) records all the data on stolen cars and makes it publicly accessible. Buick LaSabres are famous for almost never being stolen. Checking the NICB might be the difference between buying the coupe or the hatchback.

Though following the quick tips will give you a rough idea on the price, it is not as simple as buying a Volvo instead of a Porsche. In fact, some Porsches and many BMWs have very cheap auto insurance

The 5 least expensive vehicles to insure by class

Here’s my list of the five least expensive automobiles to insure in 2010. These choices are based on their safety rating, theft rating, and collision damage records.

1. The Kia Rio5 – One of the cheapest small cars to insure.
2. Kia Sportage – A good value and very reasonable to insure.
3. Chrysler Town&Country LX – A great bargain for your money.
4. Saturn Vue Hybrid – Reasonable list price, a great insurance rate, and decent milage to boot.
5. Mazda Tribute i 4WD – The two-wheel drive will save you some cash, but the 4WD isn’t much more to insure. If you live in a snowy area, it might save you money to get the 4WD in the end.

No matter what, it’s best to get as many quotes as you can before you purchase. Get car insurance quotes freely and conveniently online right now!

Know what you want on your policy

Every policy in the United States must include liability insurance. This is the coverage that pays for the damage to the other vehicle or person that you cause when you are responsible for a collision.

Many people end up paying big bills because they are getting a bunch of unnecessary coverage. Students can save money by only paying for the things they use.

• Theft Insurance – You might want to pay for this. Whether you’re at an urban campus or not, universities actually have a higher rate of auto theft than the rest of the country as a whole.
• Collision Insurance – With this, the provider will pay the damages on your vehicle, even when you are responsible for the collision. More often than not, students are responsible for collisions they are in. Think about it: you’re exhausted from classes, studying, your part-time job, and letting loose at a social event. Then, you have to drive home! If you’re worried about your car, it might be best to pay for this. However, if you drive an old clunker, you might be better off getting a different car anyhow. If that’s the case, don’t worry about getting collision insurance.

Make sure you know every bit of coverage on your insurance policy, then make sure you need it.

Your record

Your background has a lot to do with the quote you’ll get. If you’ve had lots of tickets and accidents while in high school, you’re going to have to pay a lot of money. However, if you have a clean record—traffic and criminal—you can save money. And if you have a clean credit history, you can save money. There are lots of tips here that can save you some cash.

• Pay all the outstanding debt that you can. You will build better credit and pay less for your auto insurance.
• Drive safely and smartly. The fewer tickets you have to pay, the less your insurance will cost.
• The Dean’s List Discount! If you get great grades, many providers will trust you more and charge you less. Worry more about studying and less about paying lots of money for car insurance.
• Be a woman! Okay, you don’t have much control over this, but women often pay less for insurance because they make fewer claims. Sexist? Maybe. But it could save you money.

Group and parent policies

• Find out if your student association has a group policy plan. Many students can find cheap insurance this way.
• Get on your parents’ insurance policy if you can. Your rate will be a lot cheaper, even if they won’t pay for it completely.

The best proven method for finding cheap auto insurance?

Shop online. You can compare hundreds of policies with a few clicks and find out who is charging the least. After you have found one, talk to a representative and see if you can take a defensive driving class to pay less or get a low mileage discount.

Why be suspicious? Because the force behind Prop. 17 is not a consumer advocate, it’s the Mercury General Corp. Yes, friends, we’re supposed to believe that an insurance company wants voters in California to pressure lawmakers so that the insurance industry can give millions of dollars in discounts to policyholders. There’s another of those idioms that comes to mind at this point. It’s something about pigs suddenly sprouting wings and taking to the air in the joy of flight. Indeed, so committed is Mercury to Pro. 17 that it’s paying millions of dollars in TV ads to persuade everyone to vote for it. Bless its little cotton socks. It’s trying so hard to do right by Californians.

So just what does Prop. 17 say? Well, it’s one of these deceptively simple suggestions. As the law stands, Prop. 103 says insurers can only offer continuous or persistent (sometimes called “loyalty”) discounts to their own customers. The idea is straightforward. Instead of trying to poach customers from each other by offering discounts, insurers should try to attract new business by offering low rates. This has the advantage that insurers are competing equally on premium rates for both established and new drivers. If passed, Prop. 17 would allow insurers to match the current persistent discount based on the number of claims-free years. This would lure established customers from competing companies. At first sight, this looks like a good deal for any experienced driver who wants to switch insurers. But the price is paid by the inexperienced new drivers. If persistent discounts are to be paid for, the premium rates for new drivers must increase. Indeed, the premium rates could be increased for anyone who does not have a continuous history of insurance coverage.

California is often a litmus test for the insurance industry. It voted to outlaw the use of zip codes as a key factor in setting premium rates. The idea of portable continuous or persistent discounts is going to be equally controversial. In one sense, it should not matter. If companies were genuinely competing with each other to offer cheap auto insurance, every driver would celebrate and pick the best deal. But the reality is that auto insurance companies soft pedal the competition. There’s more than enough business to go around. All the companies want to make a good profit without trying too hard. Yes, Prop. 17 will work to the advantage of the established driver with a continuous record of no claims, but everyone else could face significant premium increases. Hopefully, the voters will see this gift horse for what it is and leave it in the field. As an aside, the British market has always allowed drivers to move between insurers with their accumulated discounts, but the British market has real competition and, generally, premium rates are lower “over there”.

Because it’s a national resource, the quality of the information is usually quite reliable. When a search is made, your history over the last seven years is supplied. If you are worried about what data is stored about you, the Fair Credit Reporting Act gives you the right to a copy. Write to Consumer Disclosure, PO Box 105108, Atlanta, Georgia 30348-5108, or you can call (866) 527-2600 toll free. If you find any of the information is wrong, you are either allowed to have it put right or to have an explanatory note attached to the information explaining how the loss came to be made. Unfortunately, some of the insurers run private exchanges in individual states. It can be more difficult to police the accuracy of this information. That’s why it’s good news to see Attorneys General policing the system. In Massachusetts, for example, ten insurance companies have agreed to pay penalties for failing to correct records in their private exchange. The initial findings of at-fault were accurate, but the companies then failed to record when appeals reversed the findings. This left thousands of motorists wrongly recorded as at fault. So, if you have any reason to suspect your local insurance industry is relying on inaccurate information about your claims history, it’s vital you take action. Failure to have the record set straight can cost you thousands of dollars over the years. If the information in CLUE is correct, get your local state’s Department of Insurance to check into any local databases.

As with every computer system around the US, the quality of the information is only as good as the clerks who input the data. It’s so easy to make a mistake. A single keystroke on one variable — at fault/not at fault — can represent major increases in your premium rates. So, if you get unexpectedly high auto insurance quotes from your internet searches, you should check out the quality of the information stored against your name. Go to CLUE. Ask about state exchanges. No-one else is going to do it for you. Having the courage to challenge the system is what earns you cheap car insurance rates for the years to come.

Ignoring the obvious damage to the brand, the other question for all of us is what will happen to the premium rates on the models recalled. There is a simple answer: nothing in the short term. There is also a more complicated answer. The premium rates for any given make and model of vehicle are set by looking at the accident statistics over the years the vehicles have been on the road. These are already set and will not change significantly. The other factors include the cost of replacement parts which will also not change significantly. So, in principle, there is no reason for premium rates to change. Except there are two important left to discuss. The first is good news and bad news. The good news is that premiums are likely to fall. The bad news is that premiums will fall because resale values will fall as the brand is damaged. When you total your vehicle, you get the value at the time of the accident. If the motor trade mark down the resale value, you will get less. If the payout by the insurers falls, the premiums will be reduced to reflect this saving. The second issue affects your liability if you are involved in an accident. You now know of several problems with different makes and models. If your vehicle is called in for modification or repair, go immediately. If you neglect to go and are then involved in an accident because of the problem, you are partially at fault and your payout from the insurance company will be reduced. Your only remedy will be to claim from Toyota itself. This will be expensive and may only recover a part of your losses.

Dealing with the auto insurance industry is never easy and, when the vehicle manufacturers also get into the act with defective products, this just adds to your problems. For now, there should be no cause of concern so long as you pay the premiums on time and take the vehicle in for modification or repair as soon as you get the recall notice. Then, although it may be for the wrong reasons, you could use this site to look round for cheap car insurance. As the resale values fall, it may start to cost less to insure your Toyota.

You are rolling your eyes. All that hassle. Why bother? Let’s take Massachusetts as an example. Five of the largest companies insuring vehicles all managed to make the same data entry mistake. There is this wonderful “place” called the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange (CLUE). All companies pool information about the drivers they insure. One of the more important pieces of data is whether the driver is “at fault” in a traffic accident. If you are found the “guilty” party, this justifies loading your premium with an increase. What happened in this US state was the five insurers routinely recorded anyone making a claim as being “at fault”. There was no investigation, no court case with a judge deciding one party was at fault. The insurers simply wanted to justify increasing the premiums so assumed fault from the fact of the claim. Fortunately, the people of Massachusetts are well organized. They had a paper trail for every claim and, when they reported the behavior of the insurers to the State Attorney General, this resulted in fines paid by the companies and a recalculation of all the premiums with a full refund to everyone affected.

Sadly, auto insurance is a bear pit and, if you are going to come within range of the bear, you had better be prepared with full information. It does not matter whether you are on cheap car insurance, usually the mandatory liability minimum, or a comprehensive/collision policy with all the bells and whistles, document every aspect of your relationship with the insurer and every detail of any claim you make. If anything goes wrong, every state has a Department or Office of Insurance. Make a formal complaint if you think you are losing out. If you learn of others, complain to the State Attorney General. Failure to fight means the companies will trample on your rights.