What does a car insurance policy in Texas cover? That can vary from person to person. There is, however, one type of coverage every car insurance policy within Texas must have, and that is liability coverage. Over the next few weeks, we’ll take a look at the different types of coverage available on car policies in Texas, as well as, some discounts you should be aware of. We’ll first start with liability coverage.
Car insurance companies have offered discounts for a variety of safety technologies for over 20 years. Early on these discounts were for anti-lock brakes and driver side airbags. The discount for airbags shifted as airbags moved from protecting the driver only, to both the driver and front seat passenger, to side impact and curtain airbag configurations to protect against head trauma. Some insurance companies even offered discounts for cars equipped with daytime running lights because they were easily visible to other motorists on the road.
The question may seem rhetorical to some and overly obvious to most, but it’s a question researchers attempted to answer in a study released on Monday in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Their study set out to determine the role cell phones play in car wrecks, and their findings, were very interesting even though it missed a couple of potential behaviors which contribute to accidents.
Sheri dipped her toe in the sharing economy a couple of weeks ago when she downloaded the Uber app to her phone and arranged for a ride home from work while the car was in the shop. Since it was a non-peak time, the rate was incredibly affordable and it could not have been easier to arrange. We were both excited by her positive experience. I’m also excited to report Texas car insurance companies are finally providing affordable policies for Uber and Lyft drivers, as well as their passengers.
How do car insurance companies handle claims when one of their clients are struck by a driver who doesn’t have car insurance? Most people never think about this, but I see it several times a year as the Dallas / Fort Worth area has historically had the highest percentage of drivers without car insurance, or uninsured motorists, in Texas. The only time most people think about this after they’ve been hit by an uninsured driver.
It’s an interesting question isn’t it?! Some may think it’s gender based and guess men pay more than women. Others may think it’s location based and guess people in big cities pay more than people in rural communities. While both of guesses are correct, they’re not the right answer. Teen drivers, or their parents, pay more for car insurance than any other group.
The internet of things and connected cars made a splash in Dallas area media last week. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that AT&T is headquartered here! Connected cars are here and they are growing rapidly, even without a “killer app.” While AT&T has over 100 million customers using wireless, video, broadband, and even land lines services, the big growth potential appears to be connected cars.
Last weekend was the back to school tax free holiday. School supplies are out in force at Wal-Mart, Target, and office supply stores across the Dallas / Fort Worth area. Schools start over the next two weeks and the familiar flashing lights marking school zones will begin to warn motorist they’re entering a school zone. Traffic will also include school buses for each of the independent school districts so let’s revisit Texas laws concerning both school zones and driving around buses.
There have been some interesting articles in the news related to cars over the past few months. When taken individually they do not appear to be significant, yet when combined together, they paint an interesting picture for many Americans. The pieces of this puzzle involve rising new car prices, the growing length of car loan terms, and vehicle depreciation.
A client of mine sent me an email over the weekend letting me know he’d sold his car and had not replaced it yet. Since he’s engaged, he’s sharing his fiancé’s car until he replaces the sold one in the next couple of weeks. He asked an excellent question I run into from time to time; should he cancel his car insurance until he buys a replacement?
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