Massachusetts Insurance Agents Big Event

The Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents hosted their annual conference, The Big Event, from November 8 – 11th at the Marriott Copley in Boston.

The convention had 1800 attendees including top insurance experts and leaders, over 75 education seminars, industry meetings, and an impressive trade show featuring 135 vendors.

For independent Massachusetts insurance agents it is a unique, annual opportunity to join fellow agents, company representatives, educators and industry vendors to compare notes, learn, renew relationships, network, and get an idea of what leading industry companies are up to.

This year’s Big Event boasted a sold-out trade show and was considered a huge success by everyone!

Is Your MA Auto Policy Cancelled?

Has your Massachusetts Auto Insurance policy been cancelled for non-payment?

If so, or if you have a poor driving record (at-fault accidents, moving violations, suspensions or revocations)  you may have difficulty obtaining MA auto insurance.

The MAIP (Massachusetts Auto Insurance Plan) marketplace is an option available to MA consumers.

The MAIP program requires 25% down-payment on new business.

If cancelled over the past 12 months for non-payment, MAIP requires (like many companies) 100% premium payment in full.

Unfortunately, it’s an all too common Massachusetts Consumer Auto Insurance Dilemma.

Contact us or a local, independent Massachusetts insurance agent.

Massachusetts Insurance: Post Hurricane Sandy

Compared to damage done by Hurricane Sandy to New York and New Jersey, Massachusetts residents have been relatively lucky.

Commonwealth insurers have been, however, inundated with Hurricane related claims.

Thankfully there is coverage for things such as trees and tree limbs crashing through homes and other structures, wind pulling roofs off of structures and rain pouring in, damaging interiors and personal property.

Coverage, however, is subject to your policy’s deductible and this might include a special wind deductible.

Wind deductibles can range from between 1%, 2%, 5% or even 10% of your Coverage A, Dwelling, amount.

Contact your Massachusetts independent agent to find out if your policy has a wind deductible.

If you carry comprehensive coverage on your MA auto insurance policy then you have coverage for anything that might happen to your vehicle besides a collision. This includes falling objects, water damage, or scratches or dents done by wind-driven rain or objects.

 

Does My Car Have Hurricane Coverage?

The day after Hurricane Sandy, our independent Massachusetts Insurance Agency has received many phone calls asking:

“Do we have coverage?”

If your vehicle is insured in Massachusetts and you carry comprehensive coverage (Part 9 on the MA auto insurance policy) then: yes, your car has coverage for damage done to it by a hurricane.

Your MA comprehensive coverage provides coverage for things like: falling tree limbs, broken glass, water damage, dents from flying objects, subject to your vehicle’s deductible.

On the Massachusetts auto policy it is not very expensive to lower your comprehensive coverage deductible.

The lowest deductible comprehensive most companies offer is $300.

Call your friendly Massachusetts insurance agent, or call or click us to find out more details.

Are you paying too much for your MA auto insurance?

Now, more than ever, it is important to have a set of independent insurance agent eyes review your auto & home insurance policies.

Your Massachusetts Independent Insurance Agent will shop your insurance with multiple companies to ensure you are receiving the best rate, the best coverage, with the best company.

Massautoquote.com harnasses the power of the MA independent insurance agent.

To your insurance agent, you are more than just a number: you are a client!

Advantages of using a Massachusetts independent agent:

  • Licensed professional with strong customer and community ties.
  • Gives excellent service and competitive prices because your agent can access the insurance coverage from multiple companies.
  • Assists you when you have a claim.
  • Is your consultant, working with you as you determine your needs.
  • Offers you a choice of Massachusetts insurance plans and programs.
  • Is a value hunter who looks after your pocketbook in finding the best combination of price, coverage and service.
  • Offers one-stop shopping for a full range of products – Massachusetts home insurance, renters, Massachusetts car insurance, business, life and health.
  • Can periodically help you review your coverage to keep up with your changing insurance needs.
  • Treats you like a person, not just another number.
  • Customer satisfaction is the key to a Massachusetts independent agent’s livelihood. So, serving you is a very important concern.

Get a free, no obligation MA auto insurance quote from us today!

Please either submit a quote request online or give us a call at:  781-246-8699.

Massachusetts Auto Insurance Companies

As a consumer service, www.Massautoquote.com offers the following, partial listing of insurance companies that write Massachusetts auto insurance:

Amica
1-800-24-AMICA
P.O. Box 9128
Providence, RI 02940-9128

Arbella
1-800-972-5348
1100 Crown Colony Drive
P.O. Box 699103
Quincy, MA 02269-9103

Commerce
1-800-922-8276
211 Main Street
Webster, Massachusetts 01570

Electric
1-800-227-2757
75 Sam Fonzo Drive
Beverly, MA 01915

Encompass
1-866-760-6050
51 West Higgins Road
South Barrington, IL 60010

Hanover
1-800-922-8246
(Allmerica Financial)
440 Lincoln Street
Worcester, MA 01653-0002

Liberty Mutual
617-357-9500
175 Berkeley Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02116

 

Metropolitan
1-800-422-4272
 PO Box 350
 Warwick, RI 02887

National Grange Mutual
1-800-258-5310
55 West Street
Keene, NH 03431

Norfolk & Dedham
1-800-688-1825
222 Ames Street
Dedham, MA 02026

 

781-332-7000
One Beacon Lane
Canton, MA 02021
 
Plymouth Rock
617-951-1620
695 Atlantic Avenue
Boston, MA  02111

Premier
1-800-222-4184
One Chestnut Place
10 Chestnut Street, Ste 300
Worcester, MA 01608

Quincy Mutual
617-472-8770
57 Washington Street
Quincy, MA 02169

Safety
1-800-951-2100
20 Custom House Street
Boston, MA 02110

State Farm
1-800-526-8210
1 State Farm Plaza
Bloomington, IL 61710

USAA
1-800-531-8080
PO Box 659464
San Antonio, TX 78265

Massautoquote Driving Tip of the Day: The Three Second Rule

www.Massautoquote.com recommends we all practice good driving in Massachusetts.

In order to get the best auto insurance rates in Massachusetts, it’s important to have a good driving record. If you have no at-fault accidents and no moving violations over a 6 year period of time, then you will be rated as a state best, 99 driver.

www.Massautoquote.com Driving Tip of the Day:

Use the “three-second rule” to help prevent rear-end accidents!

The “three-second rule” accounts for your reaction time to the movements of the vehicle ahead and your vehicle’s stopping distance.

You should add more time if the road is slippery, if you’re being crowded by a tailgater, if you’re towing a trailer or if you’re driving a large truck.

The three-second rule:

When the vehicle ahead of you passes a stationary object, start counting:  1,001 … 1,002 …

The first second is your reaction time; the next two seconds account for your braking distance

You should not reach the object before you count to … 1,003. If you do, you are following too closely.

At a vehicle speed of 55 mph, the three-second rule creates a gap of 243 feet between cars.

MA Uninsured Motorist and Underinsured Motorist Insurance Coverage

Often overlooked on the MA auto policy are Parts 3 & 12, Uninsured & Underinsured Motorist Coverage.

These limits are important. So important, we recommend coverage be equal to your Part 5 coverage which, hopefully, is at least $100,000 per person/ $300,000 per accident.

Uninsured & Underinsured coverage protects you and occupants from other drivers. Coverage also extends to you and household members involved in an accident as a pedestrian. 

A recent report from the Insurance Research Council (IRC) shows that there is a remarkable correlation between unemployed and being uninsured.

Please click or call to discuss your Uninsured Motorist and Underinsured Motorist coverage limits.

Massachusetts Comprehensive Auto Insurance Coverage

Your personal MA auto policy can include Collision coverage for damage to your vehicle in a crash or by an upset, such as rolling over.

Other than collision coverage – also called Comprehensive Coverage – protects against the things that can happen to your car when you’re not in a crash, such as:

  • Broken Glass
  • Damage caused by missiles or falling objects
  • Fire
  • Theft
  • Vandalism
  • Explosion 
  • Earthquake
  • Windstorm 
  • Hail 
  • Water, or flood damage
  • Riot
  • Contact with bird or other animal.

Comprehensive coverage is certainly worth having unless you drive a real clunker. If your car has little value, it’s probably not even worth it to carry Collision coverage, even though the premium may be low. Full Comprehensive Insurance Coverage in Massachusetts includes, first dollar, or “free” glass coverage. 

You’d be better off spending those premium dollars on higher Liability limits.

MA Auto Insurance Driving Records

Massachusetts Insurance Companies utilize the Safe Driver Insurance Plan (SDIP) to adjust insurance premiums based on the operator’s driving record.

As explained by The Massachusetts Department of Transportation – RMV Division:

The Safe Driver Insurance Plan is a point-based system. Each operator is assigned an Operator SDIP Rating based on the operator’s driving history record within the 6-year policy experience period.

Operator Surcharge Point Range: 00 through 45
An operator’s SDIP Rating is the sum of the surcharge points of the surchargeable incidents in the operator’s 6-year policy experience period.

The total number of surcharge points is 00 if there are no surchargeable incidents in the 6-year policy experience period, unless the operator is eligible for one of the following discounts:

Excellent Driver Discount Plus: Credit Code (99)
This discount is for operators who have been licensed and incident-free for 6 or more years.

Excellent Driver Discount: Credit Code (98)
This discount is for operators who have been licensed and incident-free during the most recent 5 years.

An operator may be eligible for the Excellent Driver Discount (98) with one surchargeable incident. Learn more in SDIP Incentives and Your Policy.

An incident-free year is a year in which your driving record contains no surchargeable incidents. This is different from a year that contains no surcharge points. For example, you may have a year with a surchargeable incident, but there are no surcharge points assigned to this incident because an SDIP incentive or forgiveness factor applies.

For the purposes of the SDIP, you are considered an experienced operator if you have been actively licensed for the 6-year period immediately preceding your policy effective date. Experienced operators with clean driving records benefit from SDIP incentives. To learn more about SDIP incentives, go to SDIP Incentives and Your Policy.