A majority of people these days have no idea what car insurance in Virginia is all about although they have purchased it for themselves. It is because of this particular ignorance that they do not understand the basic privileges that they are entitled to. Moreover, this is the reason why they get duped by auto insurance companies. There is a plethora of thing that drivers all around VA need to know about. Knowing these things is not only going to help them deal in a better manner with car insurance companies, but would additionally allow them to acquire affordable auto insurance coverage in VA.
Cancel the old one and purchase a new one
As a car insurance holder, you have the right to purchase a new insurance and cancel out on your old one anytime that you want. Auto insurance laws in Virginia basically deems it necessary for your car insurance companies to abide by your request. The insurance companies often forgot to mention that because they don’t like such deals. This can come handy if you find a better and cheaper coverage and you want to get rid of your old insurer. If that is the case you have every right to do so and no insurer has the right to legally do something about it.
What are the fees of your agent?
It is extremely important for you to acquire details about the fees that you would have to pay to your agent. There are a plethora of auto insurance agencies out there that basically permit their agents to charge their clients with additional fees for services like faxing, mailing, photocopying. It is necessary for the agent to give you a schedule of fees in his office. If you think that he is overcharging you than you probably need to look for another insurance agent. But, prior to moving on, make sure that you consider the fees of the other agent as well. That way you can be 100% sure that your agent is overcharging you or not. In addition to that you can also check if the insurance company has some additional fees that are not included in the annual premium for which you are not aware of that can increase the sum that you need to pay.
Have you lately been in any car accidents?
A majority of car insurance companies tend to turn down drivers that have lately been in car accidents and/or traffic violations. However, that does not mean that you won’t find one that will accept you as a client. The reason for that is because many companies with low premiums have underwriting standards. If you keep on trying you will eventually find one. It’s highly likely that some of the companies that have higher premiums will have you as their client. In case you still can’t find any company to make you a car insurance policy you can ask for a policy from the Virginia Automobile Insurance Plan. Any licensed insurance agent that works on the territory of the state of Virginia can ask in your name for such policy. This policy should be your last resort because it costs much more than the ones made from the private companies.
Your right to remain silent
When you go to an insurance agent you are not obligated to tell him if you have some traffic violation or car accident that is really old. According to an act in 1974 you have the right not to mention that, that is if a long period of time has passed since then. There is no reason why not to take advantage of that act, especially if you have some traffic violation that you did as a teenager. There is no reason why to pay now for your teenage mistakes. That can help you keep your premiums to a more reasonable level. On the other hand if the insurance agent knows about it you better be prepared for high premiums.
Limited right to a lawsuit does not mean no right to a lawsuit. Most of the people understand the word limited as no right even so it means that there are cases when you can sue the party that caused the accident. Limited right to a lawsuit means that you can sue someone only in some of the following cases: loss of body part, loss of fetus, significant scarring, significant disfigurement, permanent injury or death.
Defensive driving courses and the discounts you would receive
Every insurer is obligated to award you a discount if you have passed the defensive driving course. All you need to do is to provide a written proof that you have passed the course and you can have lower premiums. Also, the Virginia law says that every person of 55 years of age or older that passes the motor vehicle accident prevention course automatically should be given a reduction in premiums. How much the reduction will be is determined by each insurer. Once you pass the course you can have reduced premiums in the next three years. Therefore, knowing that you need to ask around if you want to know which insurance company in the state of Virginia gives the biggest reductions.
Frequent claims and their impact
Frequent claims can skyrocket your premiums as well even if it’s not your fault for the accident. They won’t speak about that openly but that’s exactly what they will do. They will look to you as an increased risk and you can say good bye to your low premiums. The fact that you have clean driving record, that it’s not your fault for the accident, that your car is equipped with the latest safety features, that you passed the defensive driving course won’t do you much good. Your premiums will be still pretty high compared prior to your claims. The best way to deal with that is not to make claims for every little thing. If you want to keep your premiums low you need to pay for some smaller damages from your own pocket.
One more thing that most insurance companies rarely tell their clients is that they can get free quotes from a great number of companies and that it can be easily done. If you truly wish to acquire the cheapest car insurance in Virginia just enter your zip above on this page and wait a while. For only short period you will be able to choose from great deal of offers from some of the best insurers in the state.
