Archive for September, 2009
Nobody wants a higher car insurance rates, which is why making a deal with another driver to not report an accident to your car insurance company seems so appealing — but that does not mean it is a good move.
When it comes to car insurance, it is hard to miss the following phrase in the media today — “car insurance rate approval.” No doubt you’ve heard about this, but what does it mean, exactly, and what’s car insurance rate approval all about? And, more importantly, how does it impact your auto insurance?
Get ready to pay much more for auto insurance. Ontario motorists face the biggest increases in car insurance premiums since the province temporarily froze premiums in late 2003.
The latest round of increases approved by regulators has brought the average increase over 12 months to 7.8 percent, with some insurers raising rates by twice as much.
There has been a lot of coverage in the media nowadays over distracted drivers. With Bill 118 (which outlines the ban on hand-held cell phone use when driving in the Province of Ontario) likely to come into effect in October 2009, do you know what penalties you may have to pay if you are found guilty of talking or typing text while driving?
For the 11th year in 12, Manitoba Public Insurance has filed a rate application that holds the line on Basic Autopac rates – helped in large part by continued declines in auto theft.
In its application to the Public Utilities Board (PUB) today, the corporation is requesting no overall increase in revenue for Basic Autopac rates, beginning March 1, 2010.
Today Manitoba Public Insurance applied to the Public Utilities Board for its first rates under a new merit/demerit system designed to provide stronger rewards and incentives for safer driving. The special rate application moves Manitoba one step closer to the introduction of the new system called the Driver Safety Rating, which was introduced to Manitobans during public consultations last fall. The Driver Safety Rating was accepted by government earlier this month, and will come into effect for Autopac policies and driver’s licenses renewed after November 1, 2009.
B.C. set a record for vehicles imported from the United States in 2008 – 42,922, more than double the number that crossed the border in 2006. But, in a year when the Canadian dollar also reached parity with its American counterpart, some B.C. drivers found great deals while others found their U.S. vehicle was anything but a bargain.
In Quebec, a car is the target of thieves every seven minutes. They either steal them or break in to steal the articles left inside. In 2008, 31,091 vehicles were reported stolen in Quebec (-14% from 2007). To this number, add 40,107 thefts of articles taken from inside cars (+9% from 2007).
Smoke-filled air fueled by forest fires could be as damaging to your vehicle as to your lungs says the British Columbia Automobile Association (BCAA). Smoke, soot and ash from the wildfires will rule the skies for days, and the debris is falling like a constant mist and blanketing vehicles, possibly damaging paint and contributing to operational problems.
Auto insurance cost in Ontario averages about $1278 per vehicle according to the recent industry information.
“If you have a nice clean driving record and you are being offered car insurance at an extremely reduced price, you are probably dealing with a car insurance scammer,” says Mark Yakabuski, Vice-President, Federal Affairs and Ontario, Insurance Bureau of Canada. Ask questions and get a number of price quotations. A low-ball price likely is not the deal it is cracked up to be. And, it will not seem like such a deal if you find out later that you have no car insurance coverage.