Why do we buy auto insurance coverage for our cars and trucks? Some people buy it for many different reasons. Where most people buy an auto insurance policy to protect their vehicle investment and the property of others, others buy it because every state like Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Ohio requires its purchase for anyone driving their registered car or truck on his or her state’s surface roads.
Here are some very important items to remember when you buy a new car or truck. When ever you sell or trade the older vehicle you were previously driving; never advise your auto insurance agent or company to add insurance coverage to your new car and remove the auto insurance coverage insuring the existing car. Merely add the needed coverage to the new car. If you plan to sell the older car, it’s vital you continue to maintain auto insurance coverage on that car until it’s sold and the vehicle’s title is legally transferred out of your name.
If you don’t follow these simple guidelines, you will find yourself in trouble.
I was recently speaking to a claims adjuster at Progressive Insurance Company. She was telling me a sad and unfortunate story about one of their customers.
A newly married young couple had just returned from their honeymoon and decided they would go shopping to buy a new car with their wedding gifts. Although they found the car they wanted to buy; the Nissan dealership would not give them the trade-in amount the couple felt their older car was worth. They decided not to trade their car. While at the dealership, they called Progressive underwriting to add new auto insurance coverage for the new Nissan, and to remove the coverage from the car they decided not to trade in. They thought since they were no longer going to drive their older car until the sold it. They were attempting to avoid paying the extra auto insurance premium for the for a car they were no longer going to drive.
Very excited, the couple drove both cars home and placed their older car in the newspaper to sell. During the first month about a dozen people came to see and test drive the car. About 6 weeks after that, a gentleman came to look at the car and really loved it. He spent over an hour going over the car and told the couple he wanted to buy it. He then asked if he could take the car for a quick test drive around the block. Since he told the couple he was going to buy the car, they allowed him to drive the vehicle without either one of the owners in the car.
After not returning for two hours, they called the police. The police asked them if they wanted to report the car stolen. The couple felt this was not necessary. About an hour after the call; a State Police Officer appeared at their front door. He informed the couple their car had been involved in a high-speed accident 15 miles away on a busy state road. The drivers and passengers of both car were taken to the hospital and both cars were towed from the scene. The driver of their car was at fault and ticketed for speeding and failing to stop at a stop sign. Although the police officer was aware the driver of their car was test driving it; he could not find current proof of insurance and needed it for the record. The couple explained to the State Police Officer they had dropped the auto insurance coverage when purchasing their new car a month and a half before.
What happened next was a horror show. The couple was served with lawsuits from the not-at-fault driver’s insurance company and tickets from the State Police for allowing their car to be driven without auto insurance coverage, believe it or not; the test driver of the couple’s car retained an attorney and sued the couple as well. On top of all that; their car, worth about $12,000, but, of course uninsured, was totaled.
Although the accident would likely have happened regardless; if the couple would have retained the auto insurance coverage on the car until the car was sold and the title was transferred, the majority of the problems they had would have been avoided.
If you are being surcharged for auto accidents, tickets, even a DUI; give us a call. The carriers we represent have the lowest filed auto insurance rates than any other auto insurance carrier in the United States. Not only will we save you money today; once your record clear up; we can re-write your auto insurance with one of our preferred carriers which are owned by such companies as Allstate, Nationwide, Farmers, Travelers.
-Mike
