Pennsylvania auto insurance

Car insurance is required throughout the United States, but the requirements vary from state to state. Pennsylvania has its own unique auto insurance laws that all of its citizens are required to follow. If a vehicle is to be operated on a public road, it must be insured. Farm vehicles and racing vehicles are nearly the only kinds that could fall into a "gray area," but they only represent a tiny percentage of vehicles. There are multiple forms of car insurance coverage available to drivers in Pennsylvania. They are liability, first party, comprehensive, under-insured, and collision. All of these can be understood quite easily when all of the facts and statistics are given.

Types of Insurance:

The absolute minimum auto insurance coverage required in Pennsylvania is liability coverage. With liability coverage, the insurance will only pay for damages done to another driver's car in the event of an accident. If the accident is the insurance holder's fault, he is required to pay for the repair work needed to his own vehicle out of pocket. This type of insurance is an economical option for those driving older, used but not yet classic, cars. It also works out well for first time drivers and for college students, due to the lower rates.

With liability insurance, the minimum amount of insurance should cover $30,000 for an entire incident and $15,000 for the individual affected by the accident. If a more serious injury occurs and exceeds the coverage purchased, the injured party may take legal action to sue for money or to seize assets in order to fully cover all of the injury and recovery costs. This is why some drivers purchase slightly higher amounts of coverage even with liability insurance. No one wants to lose his home and belongings just because of one bad car accident. That could drastically affect entire families and lifestyles.

In the event of an accident, the insurance company will pay all of the money needed to the injured party up front and then raise the monthly price of coverage on the policy holder. This is very similar to insurance rates being raised due to multiple traffic tickets and fines. Insurance companies would go out of business if they insured only bad drivers, so the lower cost is their incentive for every vehicle owner to drive to their best and safest ability. Money is a great motivator, and it has helped motivate many people to become better drivers.

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) is now referred to as first party coverage. First party coverage is separate from liability insurance but is also required by law in Pennsylvania. It is a very inexpensive coverage to maintain. It protects the individual driver with the initial medical bills and expenses regardless of who was at fault for the accident. First party insurance has a minimum coverage amount of $5000 for personal injuries, and optional amounts of this type of coverage can go up from there. It all depends on what the driver can afford and desires to pay.

Comprehensive insurance coverage is entirely optional, but many drivers still decide to purchase it. Comprehensive coverage covers a wide variety of instances where a vehicle is either damaged or stolen. Whereas most insurance types only cover accidents, comprehensive insurance can cover things such as a car being stolen or a hit and run in the parking lot of a grocery store. It's definitely a handy tool for all of the claims that are not as cut and dry as accidents. This type of insurance definitely fills a void for many different drivers. It's pretty cheap auto insurance also, with the yearly average costing just $121.

Collision insurance is another optional form of cheap car insurance in Pennsylvania. This handles all of the repairs needed to fix a vehicle in the event of a collision. Collision insurance works with a deductible. An insurance holder will pay the deductible, and the insurance company will cover what is left over after that. Monthly payment rates are adjusted according to the level of deductible. If someone wants a low deductible, then the monthly payment will be slightly higher than for someone with a higher deductible. A deductible may be required up front even when the policy holder is not at fault, however, this will almost always be refunded to them when all of the proper paperwork has been finished. An average auto insurance quote for collision in Pennsylvania is $305, which is also pretty cheap car insurance.

Under-insured coverage is the final and most unusual form of car insurance. Like collision and comprehensive insurance, it is completely optional and the auto insurance rates for it may vary. This type of policy will cover damages that happen as a result of a collision with an uninsured driver. This very rarely happens, and so the need for it is not nearly as great. However, in the rare instance that it is needed, it can be extremely beneficial to the policy holder. Its goal is to protect the good drivers from the irresponsible ones.

Common Car Theft:

Pennsylvania is known for having some of the most responsible drivers in the country. The speed they drive is usually well within the limit, and they are not known for their road rage like in many other states. However, other bad car-related things can still happen, such as theft. A combination of easily hot-wired cars and cars with parts that have a high resale value have combined themselves into the top five most commonly stolen automobiles: 1994 Honda Accord, 1995 Honda Civic, 1989 Toyota Camry, 1997 Ford F-150, and a 2004 Dodge Ram.

Each of these vehicles is so common that a stolen one can easily blend in with other cars. Used cars have the greatest need for replacement parts, so these vehicles are often stripped down for valuable parts and the rest is sent to a scrap metal recycler. While police officers try their hardest to find stolen cars, it is generally a losing battle. As mentioned earlier, only certain types of insurance policies will cover theft. It is important to those that own one of these models to invest in steering wheel locks and other anti-theft devices. It would not be a bad investment to purchase higher coverage for things such as theft if you are worried about it.

Pennsylvania is not known for good roads. Pennsylvania has many roads that are in grave disrepair that can often cause very uncomfortable driving conditions. It's easy for things such as potholes and bumps to be big distractions for drivers. It is not uncommon for some drivers to swerve out of the way of such nuisances, which in turn causes a greater risk of a collision with another vehicle. Thankfully, new policies and regulations are causing improvements in the highway systems to ensure that safety and comfort will be more at the forefront for those who live in the area or who are just passing through.

Other Laws and Facts:

For those who enjoy riding motorcycles, a helmet is required in the state of Pennsylvania for those who are under the age of 21 or who have not completed a safety course on motorcycles. Any rider of a bicycle who is under the age of 12 must also have on a helmet while riding. Motorcycles must have a headlight on at all hours of the day and night. If ridden at night, a bicycle must have a white light on it that can be seen from a distance of 500 feet.

On a state level, Pennsylvania has no laws against talking on a cell phone or texting while driving a car. Certain counties may have their own set of rules, so it is important to check to see how a local area might compare to the state's laws. Texting while driving can often lead to wrecks that can cause serious injury or death. It is not recommended to text and drive. Even from a financial level it isn't worth the risk of increasing car insurance quotes from having a wreck just to send out a simple text. Those under eighteen must use a seat belt and children under the age of four must have an approved car seat.

Car insurance ratings have shown that the standard national companies such as Allstate, Progressive, and Esurance have very high customer satisfaction. Auto insurance ratings have shown that local companies will also work to find you the right coverage. Since being insured is the law, there's no reason to procrastinate on finding the coverage that suits your driving needs.

Driving a car is a wonderful privilege that should be treated with respect. Cars are fun to drive, but they can also pose danger when not handled properly. That's why it's important to stay insured so that if an accident happens, there won't be much worry about repair bills or other damages. Hopefully more accidents will be avoided through careful driving techniques that are being taught in driving schools and driving education classes. The better that people drive, the lower the insurance rates are going to be.