How a driving conviction hits car insurance

Insurers are turning their backs on drink-drivers with many simply refusing to cover those convicted of driving under the influence.
As we enter the festive period when incidents of drink driving can increase, latest analysis of insurance quotations has shown that those convicted of the offence could be blacklisted by insurers, or else could face swingeing hikes in their insurance premiums.However, other insurers will not return a quote at all to drivers if they admit to receiving a DR10 penalty for drink driving.

And some will not insure drivers if they have been handed a driving ban in the last five years.

Steve Sweeney, head of motor insurance at moneysupermarket.com said: 'On top of a massive hike in insurance premium costs, any convicted motorist is likely to find themselves with the difficult task of trying to find a provider who is prepared to insure someone with a drink driving conviction.'

According to a recent survey carried out by the Home Office, a staggering one in eight drivers - or 12% - admitted to having driven after drinking what they believed was an 'over the limit' amount of alcohol in the previous year.

Steve Sweeney added: 'A conviction could lead to a £1,000 fine, a 12-month driving ban on their licence, and even a possible prison sentence.

'It is simply not worth taking the risk – the results of doing so can be costly and very damaging.'




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Man charged over car insurance claim

A MORLEY man is due to face court on a fraud charge after allegedly lying about the date of a car bingle so he could up his insurance cover before making a claim.
Police allege the man had only third party insurance cover on his car when he crashed it into another vehicle at a suburban service station in April this year.

It is alleged he asked the owner of the other vehicle to report the crash a day later, to give him time to change his insurance policy to full comprehensive cover.

He then allegedly made a claim giving a false date for the prang.

Fraud squad detectives later discovered the crash was recorded by the service station’s security cameras, which also recorded the date.

The man was charged with attempted fraud and is due to appear in Perth Magistrates Court tomorrow.


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You can have economical car insurance in New York

Ask any old New Yorker of this and he/she will tell at once of the serene city life that was the greatest asset of New York once. There is hardly any doubt that this largest city in New York State and in the United States; situated in southeastern New York is changing with the passing of each day almost. One of the main reasons behind this is the improving financial scenario and the industry, due to the same, has generated hordes of difficulties and one of them is the overwhelming traffic.

If you are a car owner in the city, you have surely got the taste of the problem. Is there any way to avert the crisis? Well, there are two ways. You have to be a conscientious or careful driver so as to navigate the streets of Manhattan or any other busy thoroughfare in the city. However, at times, this also becomes an impossible task and you may finish up in an accident. In this context, a New York City car insurance is effective and with the help of it you can deal with the situation with more mastery.

There is simply no alternative to New York City car insurance if you want to drive home or office safely on a daily basis. There is also the presence of cheap car insurance in New York City in large numbers. You can have that only if carefulness and steadfastness are applied.

Well, this is not any simple task and make sure, at the beginning, that the New York City car insurance company you select is licensed to do business in the state. Never forget to ask this to the company you communicate with to have a quote.

Try to comprehend the minimum required coverage beforehand. This will make you realize the needs and how to cope with it. Make a good research in the internet and lots of websites may offer you the cheap car insurance quotes. Try to appraise the apposite one for you; take the help of any veteran during hours of need.


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Auto Insurance - Finding the Best Auto Insurance Rates

Car insurance is a must to protect yourself and others from bodily injury or property damage if you’re involved in an accident. Most states will not allow you to register your car until you show proof of insurance.

Figuring out how much auto insurance you need to protect your family will be the biggest decision you make. Each state has a minimum amount of auto insurance you can carry which can be a starting point for you but you will have to decide on the types of auto insurance coverage and the amounts you feel comfortable having. Error on the side of having to much car insurance coverage, you will be better off if you do have an accident.

Types of auto insurance include collision insurance, which pays for damage to your auto and any other auto or object you have an accident with.  If your auto is financed with a bank the bank will require you to maintain a certain level of coverage to protect their interests just in case of damage  to the vehicle.

Comprehensive auto insurance pays for damage or loss to your vehicle from other sources other than a collision. Banks will also require you to have comprehensive coverage if your auto is financed. Medical insurance coverage pays for a limited medical expenses for you or a passenger is injured in an accident.

You can also purchase insurance coverage for towing expenses and rental car expenses during the time your car is being repaired. Car insurance policies will pay a certain daily dollar amount for a rental car for a certain amount of time, usually for a month. Since the additional insurance costs for towing and a rental car isn’t much I recommend getting both types of insurance coverage.


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Health insurance and car insurance: Obama's false analogy

There was a lot for people to like in President Obama's health care reform speech to the joint session of Congress last evening, despite the fact that Obama's proposals have not yet been reduced to writing or introduced as a detailed single piece of legislation which could be scored by OMB and CBO to see whether it is really deficit neutral as Obama promised it will be. Why did he have to spoil the moment by arguing for adoption of his proposals based on a false analogy between health insurance and car insurance?

Obama's present proposal, contrary to promises he made earlier in the presidential campaign and in the Congressional health care debate, will include mandates on both individuals and employers forcing them either to provide health insurance coverage or pay steep fines for not doing it. In order to justify this new federal tax on the unwilling, to help pay for the insurance company mandate to eliminate preexisting condition exclusions from health insurance policies, the president compared health insurance to car insurance:

"That's why, under my plan, individuals will be required to carry basic health insurance -- just as most states require you to carry auto insurance. Likewise, businesses will be required to either offer their workers health care, or chip in to help cover the cost of their workers."

A fleeting moment's thought points to the obvious falsehood in President Obama's analogy. In our cities, millions of people live their whole lives without owning cars or even having driver's licenses. They ride the bus or subway to work, walk to the store, bike to church, take taxis when they need to. Consequently, they are not required either to have or to pay for car insurance. Driving is a privilege, not a right, and it is that fact which makes it legal for states to impose the condition of having minimum required insurance coverage in order to exercise the privilege.

Unlike driving, life is a right, not a privilege. America's Declaration of Independence sets it out plainly: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness - ... " How can President Obama and Congress propose to condition a citizen's unalienable right to life on the purchase of a government mandated health insurance policy?

Well, there is no easy answer to that question, and I predict that if a mandate for individual coverage is part of final legislation, then there will be constitutional challenges to the legislation, and the President's precious program will be tied up in the courts for years to come. Does anyone believe the cost of paying government attorneys to defend the constitutionality of health care reform legislation including a mandate for individual coverage will be included in OMB's and CBO's scoring of the legislation?


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Want to Save Even More Money on Your Car Insurance?

Believe it or not, there are even more ways to save money on car insurance. As you have heard already, when you look around, you can find ways to save money on just about everything. It is also important to know that you probably have not heard them all, either.

As you know, rates on many things are often reduced if you belong to a particular membership, or club. Philip Reed at Edmunds.com, says that this is also true about automobile insurance, too. Although there is a membership cost, it usually will enable you to lower your insurance costs enough to offset the price of the membership. One such membership that cones with this type of benefit is AAA. Another group may even be your alumni association or another professional group you belong to.

Membership in this type of club may also give you other discounts, too, such as reduced rates in hotels and restaurants. Belonging to such a group could save you as much as 15% for a hotel - according to Philip Reed. This sounds like an excellent and possibly fun way to get discount car insurance and save money.


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Consumers Could Pay More for Car Insurance with New "Cash for Clunkers" Program, According to InsuranceFusion.com

Auto buyers participating in the new 'Cash for Clunkers' program should be aware of the financial impact to their auto insurance premiums" says Tom Costa, spokesperson for InsuranceFusion.com, an online auto insurance marketplace. He explains, "The new legislation recently signed into law by President Obama and referred to as the 'Cash for Clunkers' bill and now official known as CARS (Car Allowance Rebate System) will affect auto insurance costs. It's important to know how to make sure you're getting the best deal on car insurance in these difficult economic times." The CARS program lets consumers with older, gas-guzzling vehicles earn up to $4500 in rebate dollars. The catch is that consumers do not get the trade-in value of the vehicle, only the rebate, and only if their new car gets better mileage than the old one. Costa continues, "Consumers that opt to participate in this program and get a new more fuel-efficient vehicle may think that their auto insurance premiums are sure to go up. It's important that consumers do their homework because there are insurance discounts of up to 10% if a consumer buys a hybrid vehicle and many insurers also offer 'Safe Car' discounts of 5% or more". Visit the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety to compare car insurance quotes from many different companies and find out which vehicle and which company has the lowest insurance rates." He concludes, "Even if a consumer chooses to stick with their current vehicle, they can still save money. Review your policy to see if you have driven less than in previous years, if so contact your insurance company. You may be eligible for a lower premium based on the number miles driven annually. Also know that insurance costs vary dramatically from company to company and from year to year. Since insurance rates are cyclical, it's smart to shop every year to make sure you're still getting the best price on car insurance."


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