5/30/09

Mantra behind Getting Cheap Auto Insurance

What is the phone number for USAA auto Insurance
USAA Auto Insureance can be reached at 1-800-531-USAA (8722). ChaCha for now!

Auto insurance plans are available for all at same prices. However, the main difference comes in deductibles and discounts offered by agents. Deductibles are the special discounts you got on the insurance premium amount if you do not need any of coverage. Now question comes how you can get these discounts. These discounts depend entirely upon you. Here are some tips, which may be able to help you increasing the amount of discount you can get.

First thing, the most important thing is try to maintain your vehicle. Take care of your vehicle as much as you can. Have its services at proper time. Change its parts like breaks, tire if required. It will increase your vehicle life and increase its millage. This will decrease chances defaults and its repair costs. If your vehicle maintained is good then you can get good discounts even if your car is old, as chances of getting defaults in car decreases. Therefore, insurance company has to pay fewer amounts of repair bills.

Second thing is drive safely. If you drive safely, chances of accident will decrease. Fines like speeding, reckless driving etc. will not be charged. If you are drunk then do not drive car. It increases chances of accident. Always follow traffic rules. If your previous record of driving had fewer accidents then also you can avail discounts.



Third thing is not to claim for small amounts. If amount of damage is small and you can very easily afford that then do not claim for that amount. Because there is some initial amount that you need to pay and rest amount will remain very less. If you claim for that it will increases number of claims that you have made. Only claim for bigger amounts. Less number of claims more is the discounts you get.

Try to deduct coverage´s that is not beneficial for you like if do not have any A.C. in your car then coverage against A.C. will go in waste. It can be used as deductibles. Various unwanted coverage can be deducted.

If you have more than one vehicle than take group auto insurance. It will give you large amount of benefit. You should purchase all insurance form same agent. Search up the market and find if you can get lower insurance premium for the same package that is currently availed by the agent. There can be festive offers or other offers available that can provide discounts like free insurance on buying new car etc.

Where the Worst Drivers Live

The worst drivers in America live in New York. Of course, you knew that. You've been in the Holland Tunnel. But now, we have proof.

GMAC Insurance has released the results of its National Drivers Test for 2009. The test, which measures basic knowledge of driving laws, was given to more than 5,000 drivers from all 50 states and the District of Columbia -- and New Yorkers finished last. Last year's loser, New Jersey, improved its score just enough to leap over New York. Hawaii, California and Georgia rounded out the bottom five.

Idaho and Wisconsin drivers tied for the highest average score, with an 80.6.

The point of the test, of course, is not just to confirm what anyone who's tried to merge onto the Thruway already knew. It's to measure how much we know about safe driving. And the news isn't good.

In a press release, GMAC explains, "Results from the 2009 GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test released today found that 20.1 percent of licensed Americans - amounting to roughly 41 million drivers on the road - would not pass a written drivers test exam if taken today." Most of us have trouble, according to the results, with "questions about yellow lights and safe following distances."

The survey has been given for five years. The average score has fluctuated up and down during that time, but this year it is down - 76.6 percent versus last year's 78.1.

GMAC notes, "In general, geographical regions ranked similarly to previous years, with the lowest average test scores in the Northeast, while the states in the Midwest held the highest averages. When comparing genders, men are still more likely to pass the test than women, but the gap is considerably smaller in 2009 (81 percent of males versus 79 percent of females) than in 2008 (87 percent of males versus 80 percent of females)."

And, "The older the driver, the higher the test score." Drivers over 35 were more likely to pass than those under 35, while men over 45 posted the highest scores, and "the age group with the highest failure rates was young adults (18 to 24 years old)."

Curious how you'd do? Take the test yourself at nationaldriverstest.com. When you're finished, GMAC will even let you play a video game that teaches you how to avoid elderly people and aliens in the roadway (no, we're not kidding).

State Rankings

Note: Many states tied for the same position in the rankings.
1 IDAHO
1 WISCONSIN
3 MONTANA
4 KANSAS
5 SOUTH DAKOTA
5 NEBRASKA
7 UTAH
8 WYOMING
8 IOWA
8 OREGON
8 MINNESOTA
12 ALASKA
12 NORTH DAKOTA
14 VERMONT
15 COLORADO
15 MISSOURI
17 OKLAHOMA
17 WASHINGTON
19 NEW MEXICO
20 NORTH CAROLINA
21 VIRGINIA
22 INDIANA
22 MICHIGAN
24 ARKANSAS
24 TEXAS
26 ALABAMA
26 NEVADA
28 WEST VIRGINIA
29 ILLINOIS
30 ARIZONA
31 MAINE
32 DELAWARE
33 NEW HAMPSHIRE
34 OHIO
35 KENTUCKY
36 PENNSYLVANIA
37 LOUISIANA
38 TENNESSEE
38 MISSISSIPPI
40 SOUTH CAROLINA
40 MARYLAND
42 CONNECTICUT
43 FLORIDA
44 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
45 MASSACHUSETTS
46 RHODE ISLAND
47 GEORGIA
48 CALIFORNIA
49 HAWAII
50 NEW JERSEY
51 NEW YORK