InsaneJournal

Finding Car Insurance The Intelligent Way
Annoyingly, car insurance is required to drive in almost all of the US states, and many other developed countries. Because so many accidents occur on the road, most governments deal with injuries and deaths by requiring that each driver have a certain amount of coverage. Not having this coverage can leave you open to all sorts of negative ramifications, including nasty lawsuits.

It is definitely one of the less fun things to do with your time, but buying a policy is a smart thing to do. If you take the time to do a little research beforehand and make sure to only get what you need, you can avoid paying more than you should. Most people find the small investment of their time to be well worth it.

To start with, the first two numbers on the policy are generally referred to as liability/bodily injury, and are separated by a slash mark. These numbers denote the mandatory part of a policy, and a certain minimum coverage is required by your state or other governing body. Liability/bodily injury coverage pays out when people are injured or killed, or their property damaged, in an accident that is decided to be your fault.

There are generally two numbers to liability/bodily injury, or sometimes three. The biggest number denotes the total amount the company will pay towards all of the parties injured or bereaved by the incident. The second number denotes the maximum payment to an individual, for a single incident. This means that two people may each receive the maximum individual payment, up to the maximum total payment, but neither could receive more even if there was only one injured party.

Optional portions of your policy include comprehensive, collision, and uninsured motorist coverage. Uninsured motorist coverage is not required, but is definitely recommended for everyone. This part of the policy pays out if you are involved in an accident that is not your fault, but the other driver is not insured.

Comprehensive and collision coverage, on the other hand, should be considered carefully. The former covers damage done to your car that is not related to other vehicles, such as theft or vandalism. The latter covers damage done to your vehicle if it is run into while parked, or during an accident that is your fault.

Comp and collision, as they are often called, should be considered carefully because they usually only provide a benefit up to the value of the car, and generally also have a deductible. The difference between the deductible and what your car is worth determines whether it is a financially sound decision to maintain this coverage. Older cars that aren't worth a lot are generally best left without this coverage.

Once you know what you should be looking for, you can go online and get some quotes for various companies. Don't stop at just one, even if it is a company that was recommended to you by friends or family, because the prices for basically the same car insurance can be vastly different between companies. If you prefer to buy from an agent, that's fine, but it's always best to know what you are looking for before going in, so that you don't end up purchasing something you don't need.