Are Auto Insurance Companies Caught in the Middle or Taking Advantage?

By John Bellafonte

Auto insurance is a necessity, not only for you, but go zll those around you. Many states require that insurance be purchased for a vehicle before it ever goes on the road. The amount of coverage though, is left up to the owner, as long as it meets the state required minimum as many require that just liability insurance be on each vehicle in operation.

One of the ways to cover damages to the vehicle itself it to have collision coverage in place in case of an accident. An accident report will be required by any insurance company when filing a claim, as this lets them know all the details. These details can include, damage to the vehicle itself and who is at fault.

Insurance claims can tend to become more convoluted when one of the drivers has no coverage in place. This means that their end of the costs of damages needs to be paid by someone and very few people have that kind of money just sitting in a bank account waiting for this situation. Many providers have a rider on their policies to cover uninsured motorists and some states even require it.

Auto insurance premiums will therefore be higher if this rider is in place to help absorb the cost of an accident with an uninsured motorist. While the act of operating a motor vehicle without insurance is a very irresponsible one, the costs still have to be provided for. This puts the burden on the responsible motorist that has insurance in place by adding to their monthly premiums.

With many people on the road, operating a motor vehicle without insurance, the providers must have a way to recover their losses when an accident occurs. The increased premiums allow them to do just that. Uninsured and underinsured drivers make up a small portion of people on the road today.

According to independent studies, approximately one out of every six vehicles on the road does not carry any type of insurance. Auto insurance premiums have risen about 1.5% to help cover the costs incurred when accidents happens involving one of these vehicles. Over the past few years, the number of uninsured motorists has decreased, however, making it much more likely that if involved in an accident that both drivers will be covered by at least liability insurance.

While purchasing the uninsured motorist rider for a vehicles' coverage may increase the premium slightly, the knowledge that you are well covered brings added peace of mind. Insurance companies cannot simply raise rates to cover these costs, they need to provide added services and much better coverage to remain competitive. In order to bring in even more business, many providers have turned to online advertising and sales, to bring in even more customers.

In summary, the auto insurance industry needs to stay competitive while maintaining or increasing profits. Because of increased competition, you should find the insurance companies have found they can no longer raise rates just to increase profits. They have to justify increases with a better product or increased service but, either way, the consumer wins. - 31488

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