MA Auto Insurance Coverage Archives - Massachusetts Auto Insurance

Happy New Year Massachusetts!

Massautoquote.com celebrates our 16th year providing free, no obligation Massachusetts auto insurance quotes.

Some popular New Year’s resolutions include:

Get in Shape
Lose Weight
Quit
Spend More Time with Family & Friends
Smoking
Enjoy Life More
Quit Drinking
Get Out of Debt
Try Something New
Help Others

To this list, we recommend Massachusetts residents add: compare your insurance!

The biggest problem we see is:

Not enough coverage.

There has never been a better time to shop and compare different companies premium and coverage programs.

Click, call, fax or e-mail a copy of your auto insurance coverage page … we’d love to take a look.

MassAutoQuote Quotes Massachusetts Insurance

At MassAutoQuote, we quote insurance every day …

At MassAutoQuote, we quote insurance every day. The first thing we try to get is a copy of your present MA auto insurance Coverage Selections Page.

On the Coverage Selections Page is most of the pertinent things our MA insurance agency looks for in order to provide you comprehensive, comparative rates with numerous MA auto insurance companies.

Top Review Items on your MA Auto Insurance Coverage Page:

What is your Part 5, Optional Bodily Injury Coverage? Although not compulsary, this coverage is perhaps the most important coverage on your MA auto policy. This is your liability, or law-suit protection, if you injure someone in an accident. State minimum-type limits are: $20,000 per person/$40,000 per accident. We recommend you consider limits of, at least, $100,000 per person/$300,000 per accident.
What is your Part 4, Damage to Someone Else’s Property Coverage? We believe you should carry limits of at least: $100,000 per accident. We’ve seen many policies with online writers with $25,000 (or less) coverage. Usually you can improve this coverage to $100,000 for just a few dollars.
Does your Parts 3 & 12 Coverage match your Part 5 Coverage? They should. Parts 3 & 12 protect you & guest occupants from other uninsured or underinsured drivers. These Parts are not very expensive to increase & should match your Part 5 limits.
Does your vehicle carry Parts 7 & 9, Collision & Comprehensive Coverage? If so, what is your Collision deductible? If $500, you may want to consider increasing to $1,000. Usually the savings pays for such things as improving your Parts 3, 4, 5 & 12!

Other items to consider: are your receiving a mileage discount? Does your insurance company offer a AAA discount? Are you getting a good student or student away at school credit? Are you age 65 or over? Are you receiving your senior citizen discount? Have you packaged your auto insurance with the same company as your home, condominium or apartment insurance? Does someone review your coverage with you annually?

Call or click us for your free, no obligation MA auto insurance review.

Massachusetts Insurance Substitute Transportation Coverage

You drive to and from work every day. You take your kids to the ballgame. You go shopping. Have you ever wondered if your car were in an accident, how you would be able to survive without a car? We have the answer. It’s Substitute Transportation Coverage to the rescue. The good thing about car insurance is that you can buy a number of endorsements for additional protections and rental car reimbursement is one of them.

What Is Substitute Transportation Coverage?

Substitute Transportation Coverage is Part 10 on the Massachusetts Personal Auto Policy. Substitute Transportation Coverage provides financial protection for you if you need a vehicle when your car is damaged in an accident covered by your Comprehensive or Collision coverage. Some policies cover car rentals when your vehicle undergoes mechanical repairs. Rental reimbursement is generally available only with policies that include collision and comprehensive coverage.

How Do I Know If I Purchased the Coverage on My Massachusetts Car Insurance Policy?

The first several pages of your insurance policy are called the declarations pages. These pages contain the declarations of the coverages you have purchased for each of your vehicles and include the specific description of your vehicle(s). Look for a line item listed as “Rental” or “Extended Transportation,” with a dollar amount listed to the side of it. You have purchased this insurance only if there is a dollar coverage amount next to it and there is a policy premium amount listed for the insured vehicle. You may purchase the coverage for one vehicle but not for another, at your option.

How Substitute Transportation Coverage Works

The optional rider offsets the daily cost of a rental vehicle for a specific time period and up to the specific daily limit you purchased. You can generally purchase limits of $15/day $450 total (costs about $14 annually) and $30/day $900 total (costs about $54 annually). The first number indicates the daily maximum coverage and the second is the maximum coverage for 30 days. For example, if you purchase 30/900, the policy would pay up to $30 per day for up to a maximum of 30 days or $900, whichever comes first.

Most insurance carriers have pre-arranged agreements with several car rental agencies that may include direct bill and pre-negotiated rates. Remember, if you exceed your policy limits, you are responsible for the difference. You should select a rental rate based on the type of car you need. If you have a family SUV, you should select a daily rental rate for a comparable vehicle.

How Do I Know When I Am Covered?

The time to find out if you have this coverage is BEFORE an accident. So call your independent agent. If you purchased the coverage, you are insured while the vehicle is in the shop being repaired, up to your coverage limits. If your vehicle is not drivable, you may be able to get a rental vehicle before your vehicle is being repaired, but always check with your agent first. If your vehicle is stolen, call the insurance company or your agent immediately after calling the police to report the car stolen since most have a clause in the policy that does not cover a rental vehicle for the first 48 hours after the reported loss. If your vehicle is totaled you will have a limited time frame in which to replace it and that may be less than the maximum that could be paid out under this coverage.

MassAutoQuote.com Can Help!

As your online independent insurance agent, MassAutoQuote can help you select the appropriate Substitute Transportation Coverage limit for you. Contact us when you are purchasing your auto insurance and we can help you find the right insurance company.

Is a Disappearing Deductible a Magic Trick?

A disappearing collision deductible discount is not a magic trick. It can be a way for you to save money on your car insurance premium, if you qualify …

A disappearing collision deductible discount is not a magic trick. It can be a way for you to save money on your car insurance premium, if you qualify. Essentially, the vanishing deductible is an incentive that rewards “safe” drivers by reducing the amount of their deductible, or out-of-pocket expenses if they do file a claim.

Insurance companies know that safe drivers have fewer car accidents and get fewer speeding tickets. Safety conscious car drivers tend to follow the rules of the road. They make fewer insurance claims. This can save insurance companies a significant amount of money every year. Insurance companies like to have safe drivers as policyholders for just this reason.

Vanishing Deductible Saves Safe Drivers Money on Deductible

Some big insurers offer “safe” drivers a special incentive, called the vanishing deductible discount. While each insurance company’s specific safe driver program varies, the programs generally subtract some of the cost of the deductible for each year a driver qualifies as a safe driver. Auto insurance companies also tend to reward driver loyalty.

It is important to realize that your insurance company does not take this safe driver deductible discount off the cost of your car insurance premium. Rather, this money is money saved out-of-pocket on the amount of your deductible if you have a car accident and file a claim.

How Does The Vanishing Deductible Work?

Let’s say that you have an insurance premium that includes a $1000 deductible. This means that in the event of a car accident in which there is $10,000 worth of damage to your auto, you will have to pay the first $1000 out-of-pocket. Your insurance provider will then cover the remaining cost of repair.

Typically, if you are in a vanishing deductible discount program, each year that you do not file a car accident claim, your insurer will drop your deductible by $100. If you went for ten years without an accident, depending on the maximum vanishing deductible credit your insurance company provides, you could, theoretically wind up with a zero deductible.

What Makes a Safe Driver?

Each insurance provider has different criteria for qualifying as a safe driver. The most important factors that insurers may consider include your driving history, history of traffic violations, car accidents, and other factors. Even if you have a less than stellar driver’s record, it may still pay to ask your insurance agent if you qualify or how you can qualify in the future.

Do You Qualify for the Vanishing Deductible Discount?

To learn whether your insurance coverage includes the disappearing deductible discount, give us a call or fax or e-mail us a copy of your Massachusetts Auto Insurance Coverage Page.

Get in touch with an agent who will take the time you need to understand your options. Call or click Massautoquote.com.

MA Auto Policy Review: Part 12, Underinsured Motorist Coverage

Considering the potential damage from an accident with an underinsured motorist, you should seriously consider buying as much coverage as you can afford and is allowable by the insurance company …

Millions of auto accidents occur every year. Given the high speeds and low weight of cars on the road, many crashes result in serious injuries. While medical advancements can do amazing things to treat injuries, treatment comes at a high cost. Medical bills for even minor injuries can run thousands of dollars.

If you’re hurt in an auto accident, you’re going to want treatment and rehabilitation that restores “normal life” to you and your family. Underinsured motorist coverage can provide the financial help needed when the at-fault driver’s car insurance runs out.

Underinsured motorist coverage is similar to Part 3 on the MA auto policy, uninsured motorist coverage.

Both types of coverage apply only if you are injured in an auto accident where another driver is at fault. Whereas uninsured motorist coverage applies if the at-fault driver either does not have liability insurance coverage or cannot be found, underinsured motorist coverage applies if the at-fault driver has liability coverage but does not have sufficient limits to fully compensate you for damages.

If you’re hurt in an accident and someone else is at fault, the coverage will pay if the other driver’s does not.

How Important Is Underinsured Motorist Coverage?

How many people do you think carry sufficient liability coverage to pay medical bills for serious injury? Many states only require $25,000 in liability limits, which is amazingly little when you consider the potential for serious injuries. In reality, bills from even a short hospital stay can surpass the limits of many drivers’ liability coverage, and your underinsured motorist coverage may be needed to pay the difference. When you consider the relatively low minimum auto liability limits required by most states, it’s easy to see that your potential costs from an accident with an underinsured motorist can be very significant.

How Much Coverage You May Need

The rule of thumb is that underinsured motorist limits, if provided separately, should be the same as the liability (and uninsured motorist) limits on the policy. The legal damages from an injury or a death in an accident can include areas like loss of income and other costs of recovery. These can exceed the direct bills from the doctor and hospital. A death claim can also include potential future earnings and loss of care and services to survivors.

Considering the potential damage from an accident with an underinsured motorist, you should seriously consider buying as much coverage as you can afford and is allowable by the insurance company.

Protect Yourself if Someone Else Is at Fault

Massautoquote would love to earn your Massachusetts auto insurance business. We welcome the opportunity to review your coverage and discount programs. Call, click or stop by today to help determine your insurance needs.

Understanding Your MA Auto Insurance Coverage

Part 5, Optional Bodily Injury to Others, is, perhaps, the most important coverage on the Massachusetts auto insurance policy …

Part 5, Optional Bodily Injury to Others, is, perhaps, the most important coverage on the Massachusetts auto insurance policy.

In this independent MA auto insurance agent’s opinion, it’s the heart of your coverage.

What is Bodily Injury Liability?
Bodily injury liability coverage to others provides coverage if you are in ant at-fault accident and another person is injured. Coverage will pay for injuries up to policy limits, and, in addition, provides legal defense.

Part 1, Bodily Injury to Others, in Massachusetts, are compulsory limits of $20,000 per person/ $40,000 per accident. You cannot increase or lower Part 1 coverage on the MA auto policy. Coverage is limited to Massachusetts and does not apply to private driveways or parking lots.

Part 5, Optional Bodily Injury to Others, is the coverage you purchase to protect your assets and to protect you where the MA Part 1 coverage is limited.

What does Bodily Injury Liability cover?
Bodily Injury liability limits are typically shown like this: $100,000/$300,000.

This reflects the “per person” and “per accident” policy limits.

In this example there would be $100,000 available per person and $300,000 available per accident (if more than 1 person is injured).

MA auto insurance consumers purchase high limits of Part 5, Optional Bodily Injury to Others, coverage to protect against the catastrophic-type auto accident which could jeopardize their financial stability.

How much coverage do I need?

In an ideal world, consumers want their liability limits to, at least, equal one’s assets, including property and future earnings.

When choosing your Bodily Injury liability limits, you should consider all of your assets, including your home and future earnings.

Once consumers have purchased limits of $250,000 per person/$500,000 per accident, most insurance companies recommend additional coverage in the form of a Personal Liability Umbrella policy.

Umbrella policies start at $1,000,000 of coverage typically going up to $5,000,000. Coverage “sits-over” your auto and property liability limits.

Call or click us at MassAutoQuote to find out more about your MA auto insurance coverage.

MA Auto Insurance

It is important to understand your Massachusetts auto insurance coverage.

Each year at renewal time, visit, phone, or exchange e-mails with us. We are here to help …

It is important to understand your Massachusetts auto insurance coverage.

Each year at renewal time, visit, phone, or exchange e-mails with us. We are here to help.

Become an engaged insurance consumer!

Some questions to ask us:

Do we carry adequate liability limits? Limits should equal, at least, your net worth.
Should we carry Umbrella coverage?
What is the value of our vehicle? If the value is low, should we still carry collision coverage?
If our car loan is paid off, should we remove the lienholder on our policy?
Are we getting all available discounts?

Call us for your annual insurance review, explanation of coverage, and discount double-check.

MA Auto Policy, Part 4: Property Damage

Let’s take a look at the Massachusetts Private Passenger Auto Insurance Policy:

Part 4. Damage to Someone Else’s Property …

As a Massachusetts auto insurance shopper, it is important to compare “apples to apples” coverage between insurance companies.

In our effort to help educate the MA Auto Insurance consumer, let’s take a quick look at the Massachusetts Private Passenger Auto Insurance Policy:

Part 4. Damage to Someone Else’s Property-

Under this Part, we will pay damges to someone else whose auto or other property is damaged in an accident. The damages we will pay are the amounts that person is legally entitled to collect for property damage through a court judgement or settlement. We will pay only if you or a household member is legally responsible for the accident. We will also pay is someone else using your auto with your consent is legally responsible for the accident. Damages include any applicable sales tax and the costs resulting from the loss of use of the damaged property.

MA auto insurance compulsary limits are $5,000 per accident.

http://www.Massautoquote.com recommends you carry, at least, limits of $100,000 per accident.

You may want to consider limits of $250,000 per accident.

Let’s go to our MA auto insurance comparative rating software:

In a previous blog article we quoted a client, living in Charlestown, MA with an annual premium of $1,656.

This coverage includes $100,000 per accident, Part 4. Damage to Someone Else’s Property.

If our client chose $50,000 per accident of coverage (which her previous carrier sold her), the annual savings would be: – $3.00. (minus three dollars annually). Absurd.

For a valuable coverage which will pay for damage if you hit someone’s Ferrari, or house, or telephone pole, or automobile carrier filled with BMWs, or oil truck, it seems to make all the sense in the world to carry $100,000 (vs $50,000).

If our client decided to carry $250,000 per accident of coverage, the annual premium would be: + $4.00.

Do yourself a favor, take a look at your Part 4. Damage to Someone Else’s Property coverage. If you don’t carry, at least, limits of $100,000 per person call your independent, MA auto insurance agent and ask them how much it would cost to improve your coverage.

Until our next MA Auto Insurance blog entry: Drive Safe Massachusetts!

Massachusetts Personal Liability Umbrella Policy

Contact MassAutoQuote to find out more information on Massachusetts Personal Liability Umbrella Coverage.

A Massachusetts Personal Liability Umbrella Policy “sits-over” your home and auto liability limits.

Coverage limits start at $1,000,000 and provide protection from lawsuits.

Coverage is relatively inexpensive to purchase.

With one of our companies, for example:

$1,000,000 of Personal Liability Umbrella Coverage sitting over two autos and one home, annual premium: $180.

Umbrella Policies require underlying motor vehicle liability limits of $250,000 per person/$500,000 per accident and $100,000 of property damage coverage.

In addition to coverage limits, insurance companies provide legal defense.

So, in essence, when you purchase higher limits you are also purchasing improved legal defense.

Please call or click if you would like to discuss Massachusetts Personal Liability Umbrella Coverage.

MA Auto Insurance : Part 5

As an independent, MA auto insurance agency owner, when someone has me take a look at their auto insurance, the first thing I do is look at their Part 5. Optional Bodily Injury to Others coverage.

It’s the Big Kahuna of coverage. It’s your lawsuit protection.

It’s the amount of coverage that’s available to another party if you injure them in an auto accident. It’s the amount of coverage available before the injured party (parties) can sue you for additional damages (assets).

In addition to coverage limits, insurance companies pay legal defense.

Let’s take a look at the MA Auto Policy:

Part 5. Optional Bodily Injury to Others

Under this Part, we (insurance company) will pay damages to people injured or killed in accidents if you or a household member is legally responsible for the accident. We will also pay dmages if someone else using your auto with your consent is legally responsible for the accident. The damages we will pay are the amounts the injured person is entitled to collect for bodily injury through a court judgement or settlement.

The MA Auto Policy continues with exclusions for business use, unlisted operators, and some other things but overall, this is the heart of your MA auto insurance coverage.

How much liability coverage do you have?

Is it enough?

Give us a call or a click (auto quote) and will offer you our suggestions.