Powered by Johnson & Rohan Insurance
If you are a Massachusetts resident planning a trip to Canada don’t forget to ask you Independent Insurance Agent for a Canada Non-Resident Liability Insurance Card. Canada requires that U.S. vehicles provide evidence of liability coverage when travelling the provinces.
There is no cost for a Canada Liability Card.
If you live in Massachusetts and are in an auto accident, insurance companies are required to determine if you are more than 50% at fault by applying specific “standards of fault.”
If your MA insurance company determines you are at fault for the accident, they will send you a Surcharge Notice. This notice will include instructions for appealing the surcharge to the Massachusetts Appeal Board at the Division of Insurance.
If you believe you were less than 50% at-fault for the accident, follow the instructions on the Surcharge Notice to appeal. There is a $50 fee and you must file within 30 days from receiving your Surcharge Noitce; otherwise, you may lose your right to appeal.
If a surcharge is applied to your MA auto insurance premium, you must pay the additional premium while your appeal is pending or your policy will be cancelled. If you win your appeal, you will receive a refund or credit from your insurer for any increased premium paid as result fo the surcharge.
For more details about the at-fault accident appeal process:
Massachusetts Division of Insurance Board of Appeals: 617-521-7478
Most agree, MA “Managed Competition” auto insurance has been a good thing.
National insurance companies have come into the state, and MA insurance consumers now have more choices.
There is, however, a flip-side to all the discounts and improved insurance programs:
If you have a poor driving record (at-fault accidents, moving violations, suspensions or revocations) or a cancelled policy, 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.
Our independent MA Agency (Johnson & Rohan Insurance) recently lost a longtime, good client (although not a very organized bill payor) due to cancellation frequency.
Late on one too many Statutory Notices of Cancellation, he is now required to pay 100% annual premium in full.
In addition, he had an accident over the past 12 months and the annual premium has gone up.
Unfortunately, it’s an all too common Massachusetts Consumer Auto Insurance Dilemma.
The Massachusetts Private Passenger Auto insurance policy consists of 12 parts, as follows:
Part 1, Bodily Injury to Others – $20,000 per person/$40,000 per accident (compulsory)
Part 2, Personal Injury Protection – (compulsory, self & household deductible available): $8,000. No-fault coverage.
Part 3, Bodily Injury Caused By An Uninsured Auto – protects driver & occupants against other, uninsured drivers. We recommend you match your Parts 3 & 12 to your Part 5 (Optional Bodily Injury to Others).
Part 4, Damage to Someone Else’s Property – traditional coverage amount is: $100,000. Coverage can be increased (& lowered) to $250,000 with most companies for about $16 per year. Lesser limits are available but the savings isn’t very much.
Part 5, Optional Bodily Injury to Others Coverage – injury to others and lawsuit coverage. This is the coverage the other party will go to if you injure someone in an at-fault auto accident. This is your policy’s “first line of defense” to protect your assets. We recommend limits of, at least, $100,000 per person/$300,000 per accident.
Part 6, Medical Payments – first dollar (no deductible) medical payments coverage which is available to driver & guest occupants. Medical payments coverage can help supplement health insurance coverage.
Part 7, Collision Coverage – coverage protects the value of your vehicle. If at fault in the accident or if a “hit & run,” coverage is subject to policy’s deductible.
Part 8, Limited Collision Coverage – option if you have an older vehicle and you don’t want to carry collision coverage. Coverage allows consumer to collect through own company if not an at-fault accident.
Part 9, Comprehensive Coverage (fire, theft, vandalism) – coverage is available for damage done to your car by anything other than a collision claim. Coverage is subject to the policy deductible, first dollar (no deductible) coverage for glass claims.
Part 10, Substitute Transportation – available coverage amounts: $15 per day/$450 ($12 per year); $30 per day/$900 ($52 per year). Coverage pays for rental while vehicle is in the shop for accident related vehicle repairs.
Part 11, Towing & Labor – available coverage amounts: $50 per disablement ($8 per year); $100 per disablement ($16 per year).
Part 12, Bodily Injury Caused By An Underinsured Auto– protects driver & guest occupants against other, underinsured drivers. Drivers that carry less Part 5 limits than you. We recommend you match your Parts 3 & 12 to your Part 5 (Optional Bodily Injury to Others).
Our MA independent insurance agency gets quite a few questions about at-fault accident surcharges and accident appeals.
Hopefully you will never get in an auto accident.
If you do, the insurance company will determine fault to decide which insurance company has to pay for damages.
The MA Division of Insurance has 19 Standard of Fault for determining fault in an accident:
| Code | Standard | |
| 01 | Collision with a Lawfully or Unlawfully Parked Vehicle | |
| 03 | Rear End Collision | |
| 05 | Out of Lane Collision | |
| 07 | Failure to Signal | |
| 08 | Failure to Proceed with Due Caution from a Traffic Control Signal or Sign |
|
| 09 | Collision on Wrong Side of Road | |
| 10 | Operating in the Wrong Direction | |
| 11 | Collision at an Uncontrolled Intersection | |
| 14 | Collision While in the Process of Backing Up | |
| 15 | Collision While Making a Left Turn or U-Turn Across the Travel Path of a Vehicle Traveling in the Same or Opposite Direction | |
| 17 | Leaving or Exiting from a Parked Position, Parking Lot, Alley or Driveway | |
| 18 | Opened or Opening Vehicle Door(s) | |
| 19 | Single Vehicle Collision | |
| 20 | Failure to Obey the Rules and Regulations for Driving | |
| 21 | Unattended Vehicle Collision | |
| 26 | Collision While Merging onto a Highway, or into a Rotary | |
| 27 | Non-Contact Operator Causing Collision | |
| 29 | Failure to Yield the Right of Way to Emergency Vehicles when Required by Law | |
| 31 | Collision at a “T” Intersection |
Once fault has been determined, Massachusetts then issues an Accident Surcharge Notification.
Unlike the insurance companies, the state will take into consideration contributing factors in the accident. Things such as: road conditions (snow, ice, rain), weather, other driver negligence, vehicle malfunction etc.
In order to Appeal a Surcharge, you are supposed to file the appeal within 30 days of the surcharge notice date. The cost is $50 and appeal instructions are on the surcharge notice.
Massachusetts Appeal Board: 617-521-7478
Massachusetts Merit Rating Board: 617-351-4400
Although State Farm does not have agencies in Massachusetts, I smile every time I see their commercials. Besides being humorous, I feel as though they are advertising directly for our local, independent, Massachusetts Insurance Agency. Their commercials stress the person to person relationship that you hope to have with your agent. In each of their commercials, the client is in some sort of trouble and, rather than panicking, they know who to call: their agent.
This person to person relationship and the trust that goes along with years of working together is what our insurance agency, and all Massachusetts independent agencies strive for each and every day.
http://american.redcross.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ntld_main
An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its work.
Our Independent, Massachusetts Insurance Agency gets many questions about driving records and how accidents and moving violations affect insurance rates.
Motor vehicle violations and at-fault accidents are called surchargeable events.
If you have been licensed for, at least, 6 years and have no surchargeable events then you are a state-best: “99” driver.
When you first get your license you are a neutral “0” point driver. After 5 years clean driving experience you receive a credit and become a “98” driver.
For a minor (less than $2,000 paid out combined damage) at-fault accident, drivers are surcharged 3 points.
For a major (more than $2,000 paid out combined damage) at-fault accident, drivers are surcharged 4 points.
For the first motor vehicle violation (includes inspection sticker violations), the state will not surcharge you — HOWEVER — if you are a “99” or “98” driver, you lose your credits and become a “0” driver. For each additional motor vehicle violations drivers are surcharged 2 points.
Each surcharge point increases your MA auto insurance by, approximately, 5%.
The best way to save money on insurance? Drive Safely & keep your driving record perfect!
For Massachusetts Auto Insurance: It’s a brave new world.
Almost 3 years ago, Massachusetts welcomed “Managed Competition” auto insurance.
As a result, insurance companies entered the state.
Companies already doing business in Massachusetts were forced to sharpen pencils and improve technologies, in an effort to compete against the national and online insurance company infidels.
Insurance Agencies, too, have were forced to sharpen their pencils and embrace new rating technologies.
MA consumers? We’ve found we have choices!
Choices in premiums, choices in endorsements, and choices in insurance programs.
Now, more than ever, it’s important to have your Massachusetts Independent Insurance Agent review, shop and provide you with coverage and premium comparisons.
Call (781-246-8699) or Click us today!
MA Auto Insurance News:
The Massachusetts Division of Insurance proclaims:
“Since the Patrick-Murray Administration introduced managed competition auto insurance reform two years ago, drivers in Massachusetts have saved nearly a half-billion dollars, and many were able to maximize savings by shopping around for a better premium.”
The MA Independent Insurance Agent did most of this shopping.
Our Agency, Johnson & Rohan Insurance, has rated & re-rated, wrote & re-wrote, hundreds of our clients. Time consuming & costly, we consider this an important part of our service.
Give us a call, or click “get a quote.”
We offer free, no obligation, coverage and premium reviews.