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Bodily Injury Liability – This protects you if you’re at-fault for an accident, or someone you let drive your car is at-fault for an accident, and physically injure someone else. Simply stated, you hit someone and they’re hurt. This coverage will pay for the other person’s injuries, up to your policy limits. It will also pay for your legal defense if they sue you. This coverage is required by Arizona law and does not cover the driver of your car.

Property Damage Liability – This is similar to Bodily Injury Liability above but instead of paying if you injure someone, it pays when you damage things from your at-fault accident. This pays for the damage you cause to another person’s car, house, motorcycle, wall, light pole, etc. This is required by Arizona law and does not cover damage to your vehicle.

Uninsured Motorist – This pays you and/or passengers when someone hits you and is at-fault for the accident and they have NO insurance or it is a hit and run accident. This is for your Bodily Injury claims only and does not cover your car.

Underinsured Motorist – Similar to Uninsured Motorist above, this pays you and/or passengers when someone hits you and is at-fault for the accident and they don’t have enough Bodily Injury Liability coverage to pay for your damages. This is for Bodily Injury claims only and does not cover your car.

Medical payments – This pays for reasonable medical and funeral expenses up to the policy limit regardless of fault. It covers you and any persons in, entering, or exiting your vehicle. Basically, someone gets hurt in your car, regardless of fault, the policy will pay for their medical bills up to the policy limit.

Collision Coverage – This pays for damages to your car, truck, motorcycle, etc. from collisions. If you run into a car, a tree, a house, etc. then this is usually the coverage triggered to repair your car. You have to pay the deductible and the insurance will cover the rest up to the actual cash value of the car. You can increase your deductible and lower your premium. Or, you can lower your deductible and increase your premium.

Comprehensive (aka Other than Collision) Coverage – This pays for damages that are not caused by a collision: hail, wind, fire, theft, falling objects, vandalism, collision with an animal, acts of God, and others perils. You pay the deductible and the insurance will pay the rest up to the actual cash value of the car. You can increase your deductible and lower your premium. Or, you can lower your deductible and increase your premium.

Full Glass Coverage Option – This is an option to add to your Comprehensive coverage that eliminates you paying the deductible for a "glass only" claim.

Rental Reimbursement – This pays for a rental car when your car is damaged and covered by a collision or comprehensive claim. The insurance company will pay for a rental car while your vehicle is being repaired up to the policy limits.

Towing/ Emergency Road Service – In the event your vehicle becomes disabled, the insurance company will pay to have your vehicle towed up to policy limits.

As I said originally, this is a very breif description of policy coverage options. I simply want to provide an easy to read, plain English answer to common questions. If any of this doesn’t make sense or you have more questions, leave a comment or give our office a call.

Now for the legal disclaimer – All coverage descriptions here are not intended to, and do not, describe, summarize or represent the actual language, terms or conditions of any auto insurance policy you may purchase. The auto insurance policy you purchase will define and describe the coverage, terms and conditions of your policy. Each insurance company is different and each state’s coverage options are different. Always Read Your Policy and discuss with your agent .

The other day IIHS announced its list of 2009′s "Top Safety Pick" cars and trucks. Here’s their list by class:

Small cars:
2009 Honda Civic with optional electronic stability control,
2009 Mitsubishi Lancer with optional electronic stability control,
2008-09 Scion xB,
2009 Volkswagen Rabbit

Midsize cars:
2009 Volkswagen Jetta and 2009 Volkswagen Passat

Large luxury car:
2009 Lincoln MKS

Midsize SUVs:
2009 Ford Flex and 2009 Honda Pilot

Small pickup:
2009 Toyota Tacoma

Midsize convertible:
2009 Volkswagen Eos

You can see the list and their criteria for evaluation at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s press release website or visit them at www.iihs.org .

As an independent insurance agent it’s very interesting to see the price difference in car insurance or home insurance from one company to the next.

Here’s an example:

I recently quoted one family for their three cars and home insurance . They also have a 16 year old teenage driver.

• With three of our insurance companies the car insurance alone was around $4000 for the year ($333/month).
• With two other companies the rates were $2200 & $2800 for the year ($183/month).
• They’re currently paying around $3600/year with an ‘on the corner’ insurance company.
• All are ‘A’ rated companies.

So, why is there a $2000 difference in price?

Well, every insurance company has a different taste for what they consider an acceptable risk. While you may be a good driver with no tickets and accidents, if you live in zip code 85207 instead of 85215 (they’re right next to each other) it could be a huge difference in pricing. They may also take into account your age, age of home, types of cars, credit rating, security discounts, prior insurance history and more when determining your rate .

So, if you haven’t shopped around in a while you may want to consider it now. You may be surprised at how much you can save, or how much more you can get for your money. The insurance market is like a third world country marketplace. If you don’t watch your pockets you won’t realize how much has been picked out until it’s too late.

As an independent agency we always have the luxury of being able to shop some of the best companies for you to make sure you’re getting the best price available .

Give us a call at 480-699-7222 or fill out our easy one page online quote forms.

A friend, and client of our firm, was having their car washed before heading out of town last week. In the windshield there were two dime size rock chips. Naturally, the friendly windshield repair company that rents the opportunity space from the car wash quickly runs over and says, “We can replace that windshield while you wait and if you have full glass insurance it won’t cost you anything. We just need to call the insurance company with you and we’ll get it done.” (If you’ve been to any car wash you’ve seen the nice smiling young kid running up to your car and running his finger over spots on your windshield with scientific precision.)

Well, my client agreed. While talking with the insurance company the adjuster said they wouldn’t pay to replace the windshield but if the glass company would repair the chips they would gladly pay for it. Of course, the glass company only wanted to replace the windshield so nothing was done at the time.

Now you may be screaming about the injustice of the insurance industry and what a scam it is to pay for all this coverage and the insurance company won’t even pay for a simple and obviously damaged windshield. And, you will be partially right but read on…

Auto manufacturers engineer cars and trucks with safety designs you would never consider. The windshield is part of the structural integrity of your car/truck. When you replace a windshield you’re replacing a huge safety mechanism designed within certain specifications. This can alter the way a car absorbs a crash and the effectiveness of airbags. It’s considered to be the third most important safety feature right after seatbelts and airbags. Keep this in mind…

I contacted the insurance company to ask why they declined coverage and find out how to help our client get this fixed. There answer was, the dime size chips were repairable and the glass company is not on their approved list because they habitually replace 97% of the windshields they want to repair.

A glass company makes a lot more money when they replace a windshield instead of repairing the chip. This glass company has a bad history with insurance companies and has been through many name changes. They’re also known for the use of lower quality glass and glue. The two important parts of replacing a windshield.

If you don’t have to replace the windshield, don’t. Get it repaired. A good glass technician can repair a windshield so you would never even know there was a chip or crack.

If you ultimately need to replace your windshield contact your insurance company to start the claim process. If you don’t know a reputable glass company the claims department can refer you to a couple on their approved vendor list to choose from.

In my opinion, this is safer for your family and more convenient too. The glass company will repair or replace your windshield at your home or office. This beats sitting for an extra 30-60 minutes in an uncomfortable and smelly car wash.

With the price of gas over $4 a gallon right now, I’m not surprised to find more people trading in their gas guzzling SUVs and buying hybrids, motorcycles and scooters. I’m also not surprised to find more people changing their grocery and clothes buying behavior too. I don’t know why it surprises me to have the large amount of people using the price of gas to shop for insurance.

Don’t get me wrong, it makes sense. You have to drive to work. You need to drive to the grocery store. You need a home to live in. And, you have to insure these things to keep your license plate and to qualify for the mortgage on your home.

They’re also telling us they called because we’re an independent insurance agent and can save them time by shopping multiple companies for them with one phone call. (Again, that makes me happy because I love hearing the truth.)

So, if you’re fed up with high gas prices and want to put a few bucks back in your pocket, give us a call (480-699-7222) or fill out one of our online insurance quote forms . Like the sign on the dentist office down the street, "We’re taking new clients!" So, what do you have to lose?

I often think most stay because of “The devil you know may be better than the devil you don’t know” attitude.  It’s kind of like election time.  You always hear how nobody likes any candidate but they’re voting for the person they dislike the least, the lesser of the two evils.

Well, when you finally do decide to switch insurance carriers, you must remember to cancel your old policies especially if you switch at anytime other than your renewal.  If not, you’ll continue to receive billing notices and the previous insurer will think you still want coverage.  Generally they’ll continue to provide coverage for about another month before they cancel you.  And, if you ignore their bills and don’t pay for their coverage you can end up in collections.  Not a good thing.

If you switch at your policy renewal it’s a bit different.  Most policies will continue to provide coverage only if you continue to make your payments at renewal.  So, if you don’t pay, they’ll flat cancel the policy effective the renewal date.

However, your best choice is to always notify the previous insurance company and give them the exact date you want it cancelled.  In our office we do it for you to make the transition easy.  Most agencies let you take care of this on your own and don’t walk you through the entire process.

I heard a quote once from someone I think applies.  “The will to survive is not the strongest will in humans.  It’s the will to do what’s familiar.”  (If you know where it came from, let me know)  Maybe that’s why so many people don’t actually look around.  It’s familiar and easy to just keep paying those same payments and assuming all is well.

At the National Insurance Crime Bureau website they list the top 10 cities by number of vehicle thefts per capita for 2007 (2006 ranking is in parenthesis).  They are:

1. Modesto, CA (#5)
2. Las Vegas/Paradise, NV (#1)
3. San Diego/Carlsbad/San Marcos, CA(#11)
4. Stockton, CA (#2)
5. San Francisco/Oakland/Fremont, CA (#12)
6. Laredo, TX (#22)
7. Albuquerque, NM (#13)
8. Phoenix/Mesa/Scottsdale, AZ (#4)
9. Yakima, WA (#9)
10. Tucson, AZ (#10)

If you live in a suburb like Queen Creek, South Chandler, Surprise or Buckeye your car insurance rates can be drastically less than someone who lives in Phoenix.  One factor that plays into this is the number of accidents in a zip code.  So, if you live in downtown Phoenix where thousands of cars travel every hour there’s a much greater chance of accident than in the fringe of the East or West Valley where only a thousand cars pass every day.

With your home insurance it can be the same too but for different reasons.  When you live in the center of town, the homes are generally older.  Insurance premiums are more for older homes.  In the suburbs most of the homes are less than 10 years old.  Insurance companies love ‘safer’ new homes.

If you’re considering moving and debating between buying two homes, call your insurance agent to get quotes.  I’ve seen differences as much as $900 per year for auto insurance rates.  Would that make an impact in your budget?

I love the human ability to try to find wiggle room.  Here’s the best, most clear way, I know how to say it…

ATVs, boats, jet skis, motorcycles, etc. aren’t covered unless you have a separate policy for them…period.

It’s that simple.  There are some very small exceptions in a home policy for certain items but 99% of the time, you won’t fit the exception.  Maybe your cousin Billy’s-friend’s-sister’s boyfriend’s ATV was covered when it was stolen off his farm in Wisconsin.  But that’s not you or your situation.

If you don’t want to pay for coverage, that’s fine.  Just don’t cry to your agent when it’s stolen, or you’re being sued for hitting a jet skier with your boat.  And, don’t complain to your friends how the insurance industry isn’t fair and they’re cheating you.  It’s your responsibility.