Motor Insurance

Reader Question: Austin, I have seen on a few sites the reference to “motor insurance” is that like the motor under my hood? Can I buy insurance on the motor?? Is this the same as an extended warranty policy?

Rennee,

Denver CO

Hello Rennee,

I would assume that most people who use the phrase “motor insurance” are referring to car insurance….auto insurance, not an actual insurance policy on the engine to your car. I hear motor car insurance mentioned with British speaking visitors more than Americans but who knows maybe they are Britains now living here in the States.

Good question though. Thanks

Blessings,

Austin Davis

Source: Auto Repair Help & Car Insurance Questions

Florida car insurance with old DWI<s?

Nov 24, 2007 by katfred76 | Posted in Insurance & Registration

I recieved two DUI's in 1999 four days apart. (no criticism please, I've had enough). Due to changes in my house hold, I now need to find my own insurance (yes, divorce) . I recently purchased a policy through Geico, but I've since been informed that they can't continue my policy past Dec. 1st since they've run my entire driving record. Is there an company out there that will accept a driver with a perfect record for 81/2 years without filing an SR22?

The DUI's themselves should not be counted against you as tickets, accidents, etc. range from standard 3 years to as long as 5 years history MVR. The fact you are being required an SR22 is citing there is more going on that I do not have details. SR22 is a State of Florida requirement and not an insurance company requirement. They are simply provided due to mandate from the State of Florida because of an accident resulting in Bodily Injury (BI) and at the time of crash, there was no BI held on your insurance.

So you cannot run away from it but can only wait for the State to discharge it

Link to the definition of SR-22 via myflorida.com: http://www.hsmv.state.fl.us/ddl/frfaqcrash.html

and for the details on the Financial Responsibility Law (SR-22) http://www.lowestpricetrafficschool.com/handbooks/driver/en/2/4

Did you pay back restitution? This may be delaying your SR22 to be discharged

It is not necessarily a 3 year limit, but could be up to 20 years. Contact DMV and determine if there was a time limit listed on the SR22 responsibility or consult your case papers if a judge ruled the definition length of time.

SR-22s are required in relationship to the driver of cause and not to the policy itself or the necessarily the policy holder. So is this SR22 related to you directly or to another driver listed on your original policy? If it was not related to you, then the MVR done by the insurance carrier (Geico) may have yielded incorrect information. To resolve that, contact your local DMV office and inquire how you may correct the records so you are no longer affected. Sometimes, people are released from the SR22, but the slowness and incorrect data entry can cause wrong information to be relayed to an insurance carrier.

Once you can prove you are no longer required for SR22, then you should be able to have Geico lift the non-renewal notice if that is the reason they are non-renewing and not for other reasons you may have misunderstood.

This is the link for DMV to contact or locate a local office http://www.hsmv.state.fl.us/

If you cannot resolve the SR-22, at least determinime how long you will be mandated. Progressive is about the only reasonably rated company for SR-22 mandates. Many others do not want to "fool" with the paperwork requirement. Also SR-22 people have a stigma of irresponsibility and susceptibility to claims. I am not saying you have that, but the average statistics says it does. Unfortunately, you are lumped sum in the group. After you have completed the SR22 mandate, I still recommend you maintain the Bodily Injury (BI) limit, minimum $10,000/$20,000 ($10,000 per person not to exceed $20,000 per accident). Many companies have $25k/$50k at not much more cost than $10k/$20k and at the cost of medical care especially resulting from an accident, I am a fan of no less than the 25/50 limit to protect your assests to the best of its ability.

BI is injury you cause to others in an accident, whether in your car or anywhere else not necessarily in a car.

Other advice? Keep comprehensive at $250 deductible if available. Cost difference between $250 &$500 is usually nominal and keep it no matter what and how old your vehicle. The State mandates windshield replacement is deductible free if you have Comp (average windshield replacement = $400) and it pays for itself once you use it. Also, since we are in Florida (Comp is for any vehicle damage not collision related), flood waters and tree falling on cars are examples of total car loss. The average cost for comp coverage is $24-$38 every 6 months depending on vehicle and age.

Some companies will want to use credit history as a factor in premium cost (this does not lower your beacon scores as credit companies recognize it is an insurance company inquiring for history record purposes and not for you to obtain more credit). ALL companies use Motor Vehicle Records(MVR) as a premium influence factor but again many use the either 3, 5 years, or both as a rating factor.

Use a company that participates in the CLU program (this is the central claims sharing data base) which will pay-off into the future because then when your SR-22 is discharged and you keep your overall MVR clean like you have been doing (GOOD JOB very proud of you for 8-1/2 years. Not an easy feat!) then this will allow you more opportunities to shop for the best preferred programs.

Many people do not realize that even among the same company name there are tier program levels. There are the ones with the least favorable rates for the bad drivers and/or bad credit history, one for middle fo the road drivers, who have a bit of bad marks on their records, or the PREFERRED which are for those who have shiny gold stars on their record. You want to shoot for the Preferred because it can mean as much as a $1,000 difference every 6 months from the derogatory program

Insurance companies cannot haphazardly discriminate on a radomized bases because the mood suited them. They must maintain consistency as that is State of Florida Law. They are obligated to follow how the process data as they filed it with the State of Florida's Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (FLOIR) approval knowns as Rules and Rates. So what they do to one, they must do the same to others. If they filed a ruling that they will not process SR22s and it results in non-renewal, then they must do the same to everybody else in the same category as you. Again, I do not think it is the DUI that caused this because of the lenght of time passed is too great. This is related to the SR22 or something else that unexpectedly popped up under the 36-60 months rule range Good luck!

What are the American Car Hire Insurance Regulations (specifically florida)?

Aug 20, 2007 by Rick_D | Posted in Orlando

Hello All,

I am going to the states (Florida) in a few weeks and have arranged a hire car through Dollar. I have just found out that the rate I have been quoted does not include insurance. Can anyone tell me how the car insurance system works over there? With UK car hire it is included as it’s compulsory to be insured, is this the case in the states or are the rules different? Do I need to arrange for a 3rd party to insure me/the car while on holiday?


Thanks In Advance!

Sorry but you are going to need full insurance (not sure of the price nowadays). It is a common practice that the people that sell cheap or free car hire will then charge the earth for insurance.

Take a look at this website www.uscarhire.co.uk

We always use them and have never found a better deal. Absolutely everything is included insurance wise, so the price they quote is the price you pay.

Contact your agent or Dollar to see how much insurance would be then check out the site above and you will probably find it is cheaper to use them than pay for insurance.

Another tip is to join Dollar Express (you can do it throught the site above). It is free to join and much quicker to pick up your car at the airport.

Hope this helps you.

how do i get car insurance in florida when moving to canada with an international licence(not US?please help?

Feb 17, 2008 by Nebojsa S | Posted in Insurance & Registration

I am not an US citizen and are moving to Canada from Flroda, i have returned my FL licence and still have an internationl licence, how do i get a car insurance in Florida that can get me to Canada?thanks

If you have turned in your Florida licence, you are no longer a licenced driver. There is no such thing as an international licence, it is a permit, a multi-lingual translation of your licence, which is of no use by itself. You cannot drive in the US without that Florida licence to support the IDP, and you cannot use only an IDP to get a licence when you arrive in Canada.
You need to keep your original Florida licence, AND insurance, until you legally import your vehicle into Canada, then you register and insure your vehicle in Canada and turn your Florida licence in IN CANADA when applying for your new licence. The DVL in whichever province you move to cancels your Florida licence when they give you a new licence.
If your IDP was based on a driver licence from another country, I presume you turned it in when you got your Florida licence. If you didn't, it likely isn't valid, since you established Florida residence to get the FL licence. Why would you turn it in and make your life so complicated? You are going to need it as part of your paperwork to cross the border into Canada!

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