| |
Get a Tennessee car insurance quote from local agents and compare costs today.
<Tennessee Auto Insurance
In today's uncertain world, one of the most sound investments you can make is insurance. And one of the most important types of insurance you can buy is automobile insurance. Some people who are unfamiliar with the importance of insurance may see it as an unnecessary expense; however it is quite the opposite. While nearly every state in America requires auto insurance, they all have different requirements, laws and regulations that you need to be familiar with. Tennessee is no exception. The state of Tennessee requires liability insurance with minimum coverage of $25,000/$50,000 for personal injury and $15,000 for property damage. Besides complying with your state's law, insuring your automobile has the added benefits of protecting the investment you made on your vehicle. If you secured a loan to purchase or lease your vehicle you'll also be contractually obligated to carry insurance in order to protect the lender's asset as well, should it be damaged before your loan is completely repaid. Typically both collision and comprehensive insurance would be required for any vehicle with a loan. According to the Tennessee Department of Safety's latest report, for 2009-2010, automobile insurance would be a great idea even if it wasn't required by law.
Some pertinent statistics from their safety report:
-The Tennessee Highway patrol made over 3400 DUI Arrests
-over 33,000 seatbelt violations, over 11,000 injury crashes
-over 500 fatal crashes
-grand total of more than 345,000 moving violations.
It's easy to see why acquiring Tennessee auto insurance is a wise choice for all drivers in the state. When it comes to protecting your investment, Tennessee car insurance can only help you. While it may incur an additional expense on the front end, it will save you headaches in the long run. Especially if you drive one of the vehicles on the National Insurance Crime Bureau's list of the top ten stolen cars for Tennessee:
1. 1994 Chevrolet C/K 1500
2. 1994 Honda Accord
3. 2001 Ford F-150
4. 1995 Oldsmobile Cutlass
5. 1993 Honda Civic
6. 1996 Ford Taurus
7. 1998 Ford Explorer
8. 1995 Toyota Camry
9. 2001 Dodge Ram 1500
10. 1994 GMC Sierra 1500
The 2009 report states that close to 800,000 vehicles were reported stolen, making Tennessee car insurance a must. If we ignore the unsavory aspect of crime, you can plainly see that auto insurance is quite the necessity, given the sheer volume of licensed drivers on Tennessee's roads. The final report from the Tennessee Department of Safety shows more than 4.5 million licensed drivers for the end of the 2011 calendar year. With that much traffic, the odds are not in your favor to stay accident-free. Now that we've covered some of the bad news, let's move on to the good news. Tennessee car insurance quotes are readily available from any of the states' many insurance carriers. Farm Bureau Insurance, Allstate, Geico, Nationwide, Travelers, Progressive and Liberty Mutual are just some of the carriers that will happily provide Tennessee auto insurance quotes. While many of these companies offer competitive rates, if you really want to get the most mileage out of your money, you'll want to ask your potential insurer some questions about which policy might be best for you and what it will and won't cover. Cheap car insurance is great, provided that it covers everything you need! Tennessee auto insurance ratings are on par with the national average. In fact, many providers offer discounts depending on your driving habits: paying your bill on time repeatedly, not getting into accidents and not making claims are great ways to keep your policy inexpensive. Even though some providers advertise their savings, there will always be some discounts that they do not mention, in the hopes of driving your premium up a little. Cheap Tennessee auto insurance can be very comforting, but make sure you are getting what you want and what you want to pay. The best way to find out about these types of discounts is to ask a representative of the company, either on the phone or in person. Visiting a company's website is fast and usually very informative, but there are sometimes left off of websites on purpose that can be addressed with a simple, face to face question. Tennessee car insurance ratings can be truly affordable, but the key (as with any legally binding document) is to ask questions before you sign up for anything. If you go into negotiations with a little preparation, auto insurance can be yours without too much trouble. Some key matters to be on top of:
1. Know your driving record before you go in. Don't let a moving violation from a few years ago that you forgot about cost you money now.
2. Decide beforehand if you'll be aiming for minimum coverage or something a little bigger.
3. Many insurance plans cover basics as well as some oddities.
Don't pay for a policy that covers something you will never use.
4. The price may be right, but what about the deductible? Don't let hidden costs surprise you after the fact.
5. Make sure your policy does not infringe on your right to sue the other party should an accident occur. No one wants to end up in court, but worse than that is not being able to sue due to a subsection in your policy that you did not notice.
6. Research before you buy. The common sense approach will pay off big time in this, or any other major purchase.
7. Confer with family, friends and coworkers. Most of the drivers you know will have insurance and all of them will have an opinion about their particular provider.
In order to maintain your legal status when it comes to auto insurance in the state of Tennessee, simply keep your policy at home in a safe location. All carriers in Tennessee will also provide you with proof of insurance that you should keep on your person or in your vehicle, just in case you are involved in an accident or stopped by a police officer. Just as with your driver's license, even if you are stopped for something else and you are unable to produce proof of insurance, having left your proof of insurance at home will not get you out of a ticket.
If you are involved in a traffic accident in Tennessee, there are a few key things to remember:
1. First and foremost verify that no one involved is injured. If anyone is injured, even if it does not appear to be that bad, your first step is to call 911.
2. Depending on where your accident occurred, you may be required by law to move your vehicle, if possible, out of the way of oncoming traffic.
3. Exchange important information with the other party. The easiest way is to jot down all pertinent information from their driver's license and proof of insurance. You'll also want to copy down the other driver's car make, model, year and license plate number.
4. If there are any witnesses to the accident, either bystanders or passengers, record their information as well as a brief statement about the incident, if time allows.
5. Once the police are on the scene, you'll also want the attending officer's name, badge number and contact information. The officer should also advise you of when and where to obtain the accident report, accident report number and any other important judicial matters.
6. It will never hurt to write your own synopsis of the accident either. List the date and time, weather and road conditions: the more information you can record the better. If you have a camera (or phone with a camera) handy, take pictures for better documentation.
After you return home, you'll want to contact your insurance provider as soon as possible, in order to file a claim. In some cases, you can at least begin the process online, but the easiest way will probably be to call the phone number on your proof of insurance. Make sure to ask about what forms you'll need, where to find them and what information the insurance company will need from you. Once a claims adjuster has been dispatched, they will want access to your documentation from the accident. They will also need to see the vehicle involved in order to assess the damages and determine what the payout will be. As mentioned before, this should not be a one-sided process. If you are unsure about something, ask the adjuster. If you feel that something is being misreported or misinterpreted, or if you just happen to remember a detail from the time of the accident, don't hesitate to stop the adjuster and bring it up. You are entitled to a written copy of the adjuster's final report. Even after the claim is filed it is still not too late to raise concerns. If you do not agree with any part of the process, ask for to speak to someone else at the insurance company. If you feel you've exhausted all helpful options there, take your case to your state's insurance board. If all else fails, contact an attorney and explore what legal options you may have.
Auto insurance in Tennessee may not be perfect, but as with so many things in life, the more work you do on the frontend, the more satisfied you will be over the long haul.
Choose Location
