Car Insurance - An Explanation of UK Third Party Motor Insurance

Third party car insurance offers you cover for any claim made against you, your driver if somebody else was driving or the registered owner of the vehicle. The road traffic act specifies that you are required to have a certain minimum amount of cover. All UK car insurance policies providing "third party cover" or more, will provide greater protection than the law requires. Whether you just have "third party only", "third party fire and theft" or "comprehensive" you will have this section.

If you are to blame for causing an accident your insurer will pay for all sums of money that are awarded to those people (the third party) that you have killed or injured, or whose property you have damaged etc. This includes any legal costs incurred by either the victim's or your own solicitors.

This whole question of third party cover becomes somewhat more complex when you are a passenger in your own vehicle and it is being driven by someone else. Provided that the driver is allowed to drive it, then it is the other person who is protected by this part of the policy and not you. Your insurance policy will list those who are insured to drive the vehicle, for example, named drivers, passengers, employer . Thus if you, as the passenger, were to be injured owing to the bad driving of the person driving your car, you have the legal right to claim compensation from the driver. Thus, in this situation, your third party insurance policy would 'indemnify' the driver, not you. You would end up claiming (and almost certainly winning) damages from the driver on your own third party policy. Don't forget that this works both ways. In the above scenario if the driver were killed or injured whilst driving on your policy then there would be no liability on your insurance company.

Sadly, immaterial of who was behind the wheel, you cannot claim for accident damage to your vehicle under this section.

If a thief takes your car and causes an accident (an all too often occurrence) this part of the policy will protect you, as the vehicle's owner, against any claim for injury or damage caused by the thief. This seems so unfair - after all it was the thief who was to blame, yet we'll lose our no-claims bonus because of something totally out of our control. Remember, we are concerned here with the law. The intention is to make sure that we can compensate innocent victims who suffer damage to their property or physical injury caused by a stolen car. Which car thief has the money to pay for such damage? Thus it is feasible, in actuality, for the victim to claim against your policy.

Do You Want To Be A "Green" Racer?

For the more environmentally conscious of us, those who make the effort to recycle, walk instead of use the car where we can and so on, help is at hand.

You are now able to source insurance for your car that will actually help the environment. The best part is you won't be labelled a "tree hugger", as no one will know unless you choose to tell them. You can have that warm cosy feeling that you're helping the environment, accompanied by the peace of mind that this brings.

The scheme works by offsetting the carbon emissions from your car. To simplify what this means, imagine the following; your car produces carbon dioxide when running, this causes global warming, the company calculate your yearly CO2 production and invest enough money with environmentally friendly schemes (designed at cutting CO2) to balance out the amount you have produced. This effectively means you have cut your CO2 production to zero with this vehicle as you have just offset it.

"Will this form of motor insurance be expensive?" you ask. The answer may be yes for some of you but others may find little difference. The cost of your premium might be a little more expensive but the advantage to the environment and your conscience far outweighs this.

If you take a little time to look into the projects the money is invested in, you'll find it's all very interesting. Schemes such as Forestry projects, whereby new tress are planted and existing forests managed help to absorb CO2 and produce oxygen. Renewable energy source schemes are given grants to help development and placement of these products. Even the common light bulb is taken into consideration and schemes funded to maximise usage and lower demand from CO2 producing power stations.

There are also many other ways to lower you carbon emissions; keeping tyres at correct pressure, regular services and reducing your speed by 10mph on motorways, to name but a few.

Of course many of us, when looking for car insurance, try to find the cheapest policy we can apply for. This is something you can do and still help the environment by recycling, trying to use the car less and driving at an overall slower speed, amongst many other environmentally friendly actions.

The question you have to ask yourself is; "Am I willing to do my bit to help the environment?"

Why Purchase Auto Insurance Coverage?

Auto insurance cannot prevent automobile accidents from happening, but it can
help offset some of the financial loss or burden that might result from an
accident. Various coverages are designed to protect an insured's investment in
the value of owned automobiles, to pay medical expenses when injury occurs, and
to cover an insured's legal liability to others who may suffer injury or
damages. This does not mean that all possible expenses or losses will be
covered.

Limits of insurance apply to insurance coverages, and each insurance policy
has exclusions and limitations. Auto insurance is designed to reduce many of
the financial losses that could otherwise result from owning or operating an
automobile. Without insurance, a person would have to bear the entire cost when
accidental injuries or damages occur.

Having auto insurance can also help protect you in case of a non-fault
accident. There is coverage designed to protect against uninsured drivers in
case of an accident. This coverage is called Uninsured Motorist coverage. This
coverage can protect yourself and your passengers as well as your vehicle in
case you were to be struck by an uninsured motorist. Like other coverages, there
is limitations to this coverage.

The cost of auto insurance offsets the protection it can provide in case of a loss. Depending on which state you reside in, auto insurance coverage can be fairly inexpensive.

Feel free to quote this coverage as well as other auto insurance coverage as
it is relatively inexpensive. You may obtain a free online
auto insurance quote by simply clicking on the link.

How to Find Affordable Car Insurance in Oregon

Nobody like to pay more for car insurance than they have to, and this is especially true in Oregon, which has some of the highest automobile insurance rates in the country.

There's really no trick to finding affordable car insurance in Oregon. It's simply a matter of shopping around and comparing as many different companies as possible.

Thanks to the internet and a variety of free quote services, getting comparisons is not as difficult as it used to be – but it is still tedious and time-consuming.

To save time it is advisable that you have all of the necessary information in front of you before you log onto a car insurance quote site. Having everything at your fingertips will save you a lot of time and headaches.

First, have your driver's license in front of you. You will need to supply all the "standard" information: name, address, birth date, gender, and martial status. They will also ask for your driving record for the past 5 years. This will include a list of accidents, claims against your present insurance company, and any tickets you have received. Be truthful – they will double-check your answers.

They will also ask about your occupation and the number of years you have been employed, as well as ask questions about your credit history; drivers with good credit get a break on their auto insurance rates.

They'll want to know how many people will be driving the car and their ages and genders, and they will ask if you rent or own your own home (homeowners often get a slightly lower rate).

In addition they will need information about the car you will be insuring. They will need your vehicle's year, make, and model, as well as any anti theft devices or safety devices the car has. They will also ask if you own your vehicle or if it is being financed. You will also need to have your vehicle's VIN number. The VIN number can be found on the driver's side dash board under the windshield or in the glove compartment on the right hand side.

They'll want to know if your vehicle is used primarily for business or pleasure and approximately how many miles you drive each week.

Finally they'll ask about your current insurance and then ask what types of coverages you want and what deductibles you're considering.

Even though it seems like a lot of information, most of it is fairly standard information that you will know off the top of your head. The rest you will need to gather.

The payoff for the effort you're making will be affordable car insurance month after month, year after year – and for most people that's worth an afternoon of online comparison shopping any day!

Are You A Car Insurance Pinocchio?

You may think telling your insurance company a little white lie does no harm but the reality of this can be somewhat different. In a recent report carried out by Admiral it has been highlighted that in actuality you could find yourself without an insurance policy if you are caught out.

"What constitutes lying to my car insurance company?" you ask.
Well, for starters, something as seemingly insignificant as reporting your annual mileage to be much less than it is can be seen as a "lie" by your insurance company. This could result in a price hike on your policy or even end in your insurance policy being cancelled. This may seem pedantic but as the report states; "An insurance policy is a legal contract so it is vital your honest".

The most common details falsified by policy holders are details such as; motor convictions (i.e. speeding fines), previous claim history, modifications, etc.
In researching information for this article, I came across a "lie" that quite surprised me.
For many a new car driver, cheap car insurance can be quite elusive and as such they may resort to insuring a car in their parents name and add themselves as a named driver. You may think this is acceptable but it would appear this is not the case. It is viewed as fraud by the insurance companies, as you will be the main driver of the vehicle not you parents. In the event of a claim you may find the insurance company will not pay out if they are able to ascertain this fact.

Thousands of policies are cancelled every year by these companies when it is found out a policy holder has lied to them. Even the smallest falsification can lead to the policy being claimed invalid by the supplying company.

So, what can you do to prevent this from happening to you? For starters, make sure you inform the insurance company of any claims you have had in the past three years, even if you were not at fault. If you receive a motoring conviction part way through a policy term, you are still under obligation to inform the policy issuer, even though they may not impose a charge. If you are in any doubt over an issue that may affect your premium, you should seek advice form the insurance company. Another thing to be wary of is applying for insurance online. Ensure that any details you are not asked for are reported to the company by phone after getting your initial quote. An example of this might be if your car has received after market modifications, such as, engine tuning chips, body kit, etc.

To draw conclusion from this article I would say that when applying for any type of insurance, you should always be as honest as possible and not omit any facts that may affect your premium.

Frozen Pipes & Sleepless Nights

It's cold. But then, if you live in the midwestern or northeastern US you probably already know that. I can't even imagine what Canada must be like right now. For those of you who've never experienced this kind of bitter cold (-10° F/-24° C), consider yourselves lucky!

I've been huddled in front of my fireplace most of the night. The cable tv went out for several hours, along with my internet connection. I decided a nice, hot shower sounded good - but soon learned that the drain pipe in my bathtub had frozen. Now it is almost 7 am and I have yet to sleep. I put an electric heater in the crawl space under the house and I'm not entirely comfortable with the thought of sleeping with it turned on. But at least my internet works now!

As much as I despise my current job, this is one of those rare moments when I'm glad I work indoors. I used to work on a dairy farm. Winters like this were brutal. At least I'll have warmth when I go back to the casino on Tuesday, after my days off.

If it is this cold where you live, remember to take a moment to check on any elderly friends, relatives or neighbors. You never know when they may need you.