Allstate Insurance
Allstate Insurance
2775 Sanders Road
Northbrook, IL 60062
- (800) Allstate
State Farm InsurancePersonal Injury Protection - Covers More than You Think?
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) pays for covered expenses regardless of who caused the accident. Not only does it cover medical expenses, it covers lost wages as well as injuries sustained as a pedestrian and bicyclist.
Washington law requires that PIP coverage be offered with every car insurance policy and it must meet certain minimum requirements:
| Personal Injury Protection | |
|---|---|
| Medical Expenses: | $10,000 |
| Funeral Expenses: | $ 2,000 |
| Wage Loss: | $10,000 |
| Essential Services: | $ 5,000 |
Many people think that they have a total of $10,000 in coverage. But this is not the case, besides the $10,000 available for medical expenses, you are also covered for $10,000 of lost wages and $5,000 for ‘essential’ services that you can’t perform due to your injuries.
In another article we will look at why you should carry $35,000 PIP. (Hint: can you make your house payment and buy groceries on $200 a week?)
NHTSA Passes EDR (Black Box) Regulation
On August 21, 2006, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) passed a regulation requiring car makers to inform customers if the car contains an Event Data Recorder (EDR). According to Wikipedia
An Event Data Recorder or EDR, is a device installed in some automobiles used to record information related to accidents. These devices can be collected after a crash to help authorities determine what the vehicles were doing before, during, and after the accident. The term generally refers to a simple, tamper-proof, read-write memory device, similar to the black box found on airplanes, rather than the tape recorders and video cameras common in police vehicles and many commercial trucks.
Unlike airplane “black boxes”, voices are not recorded, but instead “speed, steering wheel movement, how hard the brakes are being pressed and the actual movement of the car itself.” If you have a newer vehicle it probably has an EDR. According to NHTSA, about 64 percent of 2005 vehicles were equipped with EDRs. You can use this is a list of vehicles equipped with crash data recorders to double check for model years 1994 through 2006.
According to a CNNMoney article the new NHTSA rule requires that all EDRs record a uniform set of data and consumers must be told if their vehicle does contain a “black box”.
Data from the recorders is used by law enforcement and attorneys to recreate events directly leading up to an accident. Data is also used by car companies to research how cars and drivers perform in actual crashes.
Some privacy advocates have expressed concern that the data, which can be used as evidence in court cases, is being collected without the knowledge of vehicle owners and drivers.
The devices are virtually impossible to disable because their functioning is so tightly integrated with vehicle safety systems such as airbags and anti-lock brakes.
Insurance Information Institute
Insurance Information Institute
Provides tips and FAQs on home, auto, business, fire, accident, other kinds of insurance; directory of insurance companies, state insurance agencies, related organizations and resources; glossary; overview of insurance topics; annual and semiannual insurance industry forecasts and financial reports since 1999 nationwide, by state or by issue; statistical data organized by insurance type; studies.
A.M. Best Worldwide Insurance Directory
A.M. Best Worldwide Insurance Directory
Industry Resources offers databases, subscription products, reports on ratings and analysis of insurance companies in the United States and worldwide.
Fitch Ratings
Insurance Ratings Group provides claims-paying ability and debt ratings for more than 600 life, health, property, casualty, title, bond and mortgage insurers. Access to the ratings and analysis requires free registration.
Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America
[Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America](http://www.iiaa.com]
aka the “Big I”
Can search member directory by agency name and location; provides consumer surveys and issue-specific guides; legal resources and articles; industry links.
National Association of Insurance Commissioners
National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC)
Association of state insurance regulators. Provides industry news and releases, model laws and regulations, information on Internet filing system, and directory of insurance regulators. Consumer resources include alerts; fact sheets; publications; database of insurance company information searchable by company name, state and business type that includes closed complaints against the company, the states in which the company is doing business and company financial information.
Hot Wheels - Pimp that Ride
Newsweek has a story about how much money college kids are spending to customize their cars.
There are still plenty of college kids who are happy to drive a junkmobile. And at city schools, students rely on bikes or even—gasp!—the subway to get to class. But on many campuses today, college kids want the wicked whips they’ve seen in popular movies like “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift” and hit shows like MTV’s “Pimp My Ride.” Nearly nine out of 10 college students today own a car, according to a survey by Harris Interactive. They’ve become a $15 billion auto market and now purchase nearly one in 10 new cars, according to automotive researcher J.D. Power and Associates. And many aren’t satisfied with stock. They’re spending $4.2 billion a year customizing their cars, according to the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association. They’re outfitting their rides with ground-shaking sound systems, nitrous-injected engines and 20-inch rims (called dubs in street parlance). “Just like their ringtones, their clothes and their dorm rooms,” says SEMA’s Peter MacGillivray, “their vehicles reflect their personalities.”
No longer do Honda Civics rule the student parking lot. As a matter of fact the article says that the Civic isn’t even in the top 10.
The top five, according to J.D. Power, are the Scion tC, Acura RSX, Mazda3, Volkswagen GTI and Hyundai Tiburon. The common characteristic: all these models are easy to modify. California Polytechnic engineering student Erick Li spent $4,000 customizing his black Scion tC by lowering it, beefing up the suspension and adding red “underglow” interior lights and high-intensity headlights for carving turns in the California hills. “A lot of cars can outpower me,” he says, “but I can outmaneuver them.”
If you do have a ‘pimped’ rig - make sure you have it insured correctly. Many policies limit or do not cover ‘aftermarket’ equipment that was not stock from the factory. Call your agent. Better safe than sorry.
Who is Covered to Drive My Car?
A common question is: “Is anyone who drives my car covered?”
In most cases, yes. They must have the permission or reasonable belief from the insured that they can use the vehicle.
There are some exclusions, so you will need to examine your particular policy to make sure. Remember, anyone in your household with a license must be listed on your policy if they are to be covered. If a friend lives with you uses your car, she may not be covered if you did not list her on your policy. Whereas, if you live at separate addresses, she would be covered.