Car Insurance Tips

South Africa has over the years witnessed a rapid increase of motor vehicles on the roads.With so many vehicles on our roads these days, the chances of being involved in a car accident are higher than ever before. Getting a good insurance policy is therefore of the essence. Below are some essential insurance tips.

Decide How Much Coverage You Need – To find the right auto insurance, start by figuring out the amount of coverage you need. Once you know what’s required, you can decide what you need. Your decision will depend on your own degree of comfort in assuming a certain level of risk.

Review Your Current Insurance Policy – Read through your current policy or contact your auto insurance company to get the information you need. Jot down the amount of coverage you have now and how much you are paying for it. Take note of the yearly and monthly cost of your insurance, since many of your quotes will be given both ways.

Check Your Driving Record -You should know how many tickets you have had recently. If you can’t remember how long that speeding ticket has been on your record, check with your state’s department of motor vehicles. If a ticket or points you earned are about to disappear, thus improving your driving record, wait until that happens before you get quotes. Nothing drives up the price of insurance like a bad driving record.

Find Competitive Quotes – Set aside at least an hour for this task. Have at hand your current insurance policy, your driver license number and your vehicle registration. You can begin with online services. If you go to an online site to get a quote for an insurance rate, you can type in your information and begin to build a list of companies for comparative quotes. Keep in mind that not all insurance companies participate in these one-stop-shopping sites, however. If a recommendation from friends and family or other research points to a company that you think might be a winner, you can go directly to its Web site or call its toll-free number to get a quote.

Assess Insurance Companys Track Record -You now have most of the price and coverage information that you need to make a decision. You can see which company’s coverage is least expensive, but it’s important to keep in mind that cheap isn’t the only basis for choosing an insurer. Its key that you check for company track record.

Review the Policy Before You Sign -When you’re done your research and zeroed in on a company, read over the main points of the policy. In addition to verifying that it contains the coverage you’ve requested and priced, it’s a good idea to find out if the policy states that “new factory,” “like kind and quality” or “aftermarket parts” may be used for body shop repairs, it’s best to know details at the outset.