Automotive Guruz

If you have a teenager that is going to be driving your car you’ve probably wondered at some point if you need to contact your insurance provider to let them know, and in that case whether or not there will be additional charges associated with adding a son or daughter onto your car insurance policy. In short, the answer is yes – your son or daughter (once they have their own license) needs to either take out an insurance policy in their own name, or you can add them as a secondary driver under your policy.

The second option of adding them as a secondary driver on your car is much less expensive as insurance rates for teenagers are usually much more expensive that rates for adults simply because of the associated risks they carry. The main reason for these risks is that they are inexperienced and simply don’t warrant enough driving hours to justify having a similar insurance rate to someone who has been driving for many years and has proven to be a good driver.

If your teen is driving someone else’s car (aunt, uncle, grandparents) they still only need to be covered under their own insurance policy or yours for the most part, but if you have any questions are in doubt then you should be sure to contact your insurance provider. When searching for an insurance provider be sure to use an aggregate tool like the one found at www.autoinsuranceselect.com – as they will quickly show you the best insurance options available to you.

The age old argument of who are the better drivers: men or women will never go away, but if car insurance costs and government statistics are anything to go by; then there’s only one winner.

Statistically; male drivers are responsible for the vast majority of driving offence convictions in the United Kingdom – in fact they are accountable for 92% of them, while 98% of all dangerous driving convictions can also be attributed to male drivers, so why should women bare the brunt of higher insurance costs as a result?

On average, men pay 71% more than women for their insurance policies; but there are reasons behind this, such as:

• According to the department of transport, men travel on average 4000 miles per year more than women
• 20% of the UK’s young male drivers are uninsured
• Men are more likely to be involved in expensive write offs rather than minor bumps and scrapes
• Male drivers are more likely to make fraudulent claims such as “crash for cash” scams
• Men under 21 are ten times more likely to be involved in a crash than those over 35
• Men under 21 are five times more likely to have an accident than women of the same age group
• Drivers under 25 are responsible for 20% of deaths from car accidents.

In recent years, there has been a rise in the number of specialist car insurance groups who offer cover specifically to women, however just because they offer cover to females this doesn’t mean they are always the best and cheapest options so follow these tips to save on your womens car insurance.

Find the right car for you

Generally, women don’t drive fast, petrol guzzling cars; they tend to opt for the sensible, fuel economical, small cars instead. Pick a car with a low insurance group, sites such as Parkers provide all kinds of information such as insurance groups, fuel consumption and tax bands so you can get a rough idea of what you’ll be looking to pay each year.

Use the competition to your advantage – shop around

As mentioned earlier; female specific insurance companies don’t always offer the best deals, so use comparison sites such as moneysupermarket to find the cheapest & most suitable option.

Comprehensive v TPFT cover

Third party, fire and theft used to be a lot cheaper than comprehensive cover, however now the tables have turned and you can usually get fully comprehensive insurance for a similar price or sometimes even cheaper than TPFT insurance. There are also shorter term policies available (usually 9 or 10 months) offering comprehensive cover in which you can build up your no claims bonus quicker.

Take a look at what extras are included in your policy; sometimes options such as car hire and breakdown cover are thrown in, so removing these can reduce the cost of your cover. Double check everything before you sign up to any insurance policy.

Parking & Security

If you park your car in the street at night, don’t tell your insurance company that you leave it in a locked garage, as should you have to make a claim your policy may be invalid and you may not be able to receive a payout. Always be honest about where you leave your car in the daytime and at night to ensure you are not liable for the full cost of repairs to a car that is stolen or damaged.

Don’t tempt thieves by leaving any valuables on display such as coats, phones, sat navs or laptops – and remember don’t leave them under your seat as this is the first place most thieves will look. If you have used a sat nav, remember to clear any smear marks off your windscreen – an opportunist may break in to your car just to check the glove box if there are marks on your window that indicate you use a sat nav.

Agree on mileage

Women make shorter journeys than men, so are deemed less of a risk to insurers as a result. Work out how many miles you do each year and let your insurer know; but try and keep the figure down. If you go do more miles than expected; call your insurance company and tell them to change your policy so it does not become invalid.

Drive safely!

If you commit a motoring offence that gives you points on your licence, you won’t just pay the fixed penalty – you’ll see your insurance costs rise year on year for the duration that the points are on your licence, so think twice before answering your mobile, speeding or skipping red lights that have just changed; it really isn’t worth the risk.

Insurance companies can charge more for those with points on their licence as they have shown that they are not sensible drivers; so stick to what you were taught when you were a learner driver and watch the cost of your insurance drop.

In the winter, driving is a very big hassle as it can get pretty dangerous with slippery roads which are quite often covered with snow. Hence, it is important to understand what to do in case of an emergency. Well, if you are looking to save on your auto insurance costs in winters and not pay more on the policy because of an at fault accident, then it is vital that you take care of a few things during the winter months.

One of the first things you can do before you leave your home is to watch the news or listen to the radio or talk to someone so that you can know about the weather and the road conditions. If you have to drive cross country on some work and it starts snowing heavily, it is suggested that you wait for the snow plows to salt and clear away the roads. Always ensure that you carry a car charger for your mobile phone as you may need it in times of an emergency. Make sure that you program emergency assistance numbers into your mobile phone. In case you do not have a car charger, then this is the right time to buy it.

Since accidents can lead to paying more on your auto insurance policies, it is suggested not to drive fast when on wet and snowy roads. Always make sure that you have sufficient time to drive to your destination in order to avoid accidents. Ensure that you always wear your seat belt and that you are driving well within the driving limits. While driving during winter nights, be very careful since black ice is an extremely dangerous road condition to be in.

These are some of the guidelines and that will help you have a safe driving experience during the winter months, thereby helping you save on auto insurance policies in the winters.

Autumn’s arrival brings the latest car models. Some updates involve little more than a tweak here or a little more horsepower there. But for car enthusiasts, perhaps the most excitement is attached to the arrival of completely new models.

Three newcomers for 2011 are worth a closer look: the Chevrolet Cruze, the Nissan Juke and the Honda CR-Z.

Chevy’s new Cruze is a compact car aimed at longtime successful imports such as the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Nissan Sentra. An onslaught of advertising has introduced the car to the American market.

The Cruze, a four-door model with front-wheel drive, matches a sporty look with a 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine that produces 138 horsepower at 6,300 rpm in the LS model. The base model is equipped with a 1.4-liter four-cylinder that yields 138 horsepower at 4,900 rpm.

Inside, the Cruze is ready for the tech-savvy buyer with Bluetooth support, a USB port, and GPS from the OnStar service.

“USA Today” termed the appearance of the interior “classy,” praising its “premium” look. Such descriptions aren’t often applied to compact cars.

The Cruze achieves 22 mpg in city driving and 35 mpg on the highway. The car’s pricing starts at $16,275.

Nissan’s Juke is targeted at younger buyers. Its distinctive look prompts instant like or dislike, depending on your taste. This small “crossover” is available in front-wheel and all-wheel drive.

The Juke is powered by a 1.6-liter, four-cylinder engine that yields 188 horsepower at 5,600 rpm. Buyers can choose automatic or manual transmission. “Car and Driver” magazine says the Juke goes from 0-to-60 mph in 7.8 sec and completes a quarter mile in 16 seconds from a standing start.

The Juke is available in three trim levels, S, SL and SV, and options include USB ports, GPS, Bluetooth, a rear-view camera, and push-button starting.

The front-wheel drive model achieves the best fuel economy, at 27 mpg city and 32 mpg highway. Pricing starts at $18,960.

A third newcomer, the Honda CR-Z, may turn the most heads with its “sport-hybrid” technology. The carmaker says the sporty two-seater, with a look that brings to mind the long-gone CRX model, is intended to match performance with great fuel economy.

The front-wheel drive, gas-electric hybrid uses a 1.5-liter, four-cylinder gas engine that produces 113 horsepower. The car’s battery-powered motor cranks out 13 horsepower. The maximum combined output is 122 horsepower.

What does that all mean at the pump? The manual-transmission version of the car gets 31 mpg in city driving, 37 on the highway. With the automatic transmission, city driving efficiency goes up 4 mpg, while highway performance is unchanged.

When “Car and Driver” put the CR-Z through its paces, the results were 0-to-60 mph in 9.6 seconds and the quarter-mile in 17.2 seconds. The fuel-economy champ Toyota Prius was a bit slower in both tests.
The CR-Z took 183 feet to stop from a 70 mph start.

The CR-Z offers a three-mode driving system. The default mode is normal, engaged whenever the car is started. Sport mode uses the electric motor more aggressively to develop faster acceleration. Steering also becomes more responsive. “Econ” mode is the choice for the highest fuel economy.

GPS, Bluetooth, and a USB audio interface are available. The CR-Z starts at $19,200.

Buyers of new car models take some risk as any weaknesses in design and manufacturing may have yet to emerge. In addition, car insurance premiums may prove hard to predict since insurers lack experience in rating the newcomers.

However selfish or generous someone is they have a responsibility towards other fellow humans. Simply put, a responsibility to live and let others live. Some road users do not exhibit this consciousness, but all the same they have a responsibility, indeed the duty, to drive safely and let the freeways, highways and local roads remain a safe place for everybody else. Heavy as that may sound it is really easy to implement it. As a road user, you need to have respect for life and deem human lives valuable; this is primarily seen in having a current plan of auto insurance from a good auto insurance provider.

There are developments coming in every so often in the field of auto insurance and auto insurance providers are making decisions that affect the long-term as well as the current dynamics of the auto industry. In recent news, Kanetix has just announced an auto insurance partnership with the heavyweight insurer AMA in the province of Alberta. Now Alberta drivers can receive auto insurance quotes from AMA when they conduct their online comparison shopping expedition.

One may be surprised to hear that the changes in the auto insurance industry affect a lot of other parameters such as the manufacturing and sales of automobiles and also consumer morale toward the automobile industry. The utility of having personal transport is eloquently served when no one comes to grief by virtue of such use, to say the least. This is primarily what auto insurance plans provide.

Providers such as Kanetix intuitively design and offer plans that different types of road users need. AMA and Kanetix collectively formulate plans that offer not just financial coverage in case of an untoward accident but also promote traffic safety and consumer protection. Above all else, they have goals of offering security and peace of mind to their members and customers in their daily lives.