What to Know About Auto Insurance Before Your Next Road Trip

With warmer weather approaching, road trip season is almost here! But before you pack your bags and hit the road, take a moment to ensure your auto insurance isroad trip ready. A little preparation can help you avoid unexpected setbacks and costly repairs. In this blog, we’ll coverhow to handle auto troubles on the roadandwhat steps to take to ensure you’re fully protected before your journey begins. 

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College Car Insurance: What Might Affect Your Premiums

College is a new milestone that comes with more responsibility. If you are a parent deciding to keep your child on your plan or a college student driving a car to school under your parents’ insurance, it is important to understand the insurance terms and how you or your child is protected. So today, we will uncover the importance of safe driving, where you drive, and the decision to stay on your parents’ plan. 

Car Insurance: Terms & Definitions

To understand how your car insurance protects you, it is vital to know what premiums, deductibles, and policies are, as well as the types of car insurance coverage that college students should have.

  • Premium – The price you pay to an insurance company in exchange for coverage of your car and yourself.
  • Policy – The plan itself that offers several types of coverages for automobile situations.
  • Claim – Is what you “file” by calling your car insurance company, letting them know you will need to use your policy to cover accident damages. This allows the insurance company to help pay for a portion of the damage.
  • Deductible – The money you pay before the insurance company covers the rest of your claim. Deductibles are usually chosen at the time of choosing a policy.
    • For example, if your deductible is $500, and the cost to repair your car is $2000, you pay the $500 upfront before the insurance company pays for the remaining $1500.
  • Coverage – Is what protects you and your car from damage, ranging from liability, uninsured/underinsured, comprehensive, collision, and personal injury protection.

How to Decide to Stay or Leave a Parent’s Policy

This decision is on a case-by-case basis. Overall, the cheapest option is to stay on your parents’ plan. But this might not be the most convenient given your new location. If you move to a rural area, policy rates might be cheaper compared to a metropolitan area. Also, if your parents do not have the best driving record, getting your own might lower policy costs if you are a safe driver. The best way to decide is by getting car insurance quotes from agencies, as there may be discounts for college students. 

Ready to start exploring insurance policies? Check out our blog on debunking myths on auto insurance to help you choose the right plan! Also, be sure to check out our blog, What Affects the Cost of Your Car Insurance Premiums?, for more information. At Safeside, we are committed to providing quality service to suit everyone for their long-term protection and well-being. Learn more about us and contact us today to get started!

Auto Accidents Not Covered Under Standard MA Car Insurance

Auto insurance is party of owning and driving a car, but not all auto insurance is the same. As insurance agents, we’ve talked with clients and walked through many accidents—including the ones they didn’t have coverage for. Today we want to give the same advice to you we give to those clients—to know what kinds of auto accidents not covered by standard insurance and what you should know and can do about it when it comes to insurance coverage. Continue reading Auto Accidents Not Covered Under Standard MA Car Insurance

Does My Car Insurance Protect Against Snow and Ice Damage?

While Massachusetts is known for outstanding plowing during snowing in most cities and townships, there’s still a lot of snow and ice that those Nor’easters can drop on us. These situations can impact our vehicles in many ways. Sometimes that’ll mean a long commute or having to dig out a car—but sometimes those impacts are quite literal, causing costs to the car, property, or even people. When those costs occur due to snow and ice damage, will your insurance cover it? Let’s find out. Continue reading Does My Car Insurance Protect Against Snow and Ice Damage?

What MA’s Minimum Requirements for Car Insurance Don’t Cover

After spending all that money on your new sedan, hatchback, SUV, or truck, insurance can feel like an afterthought, with many young drivers only meeting the minimum requirements. For some, this can be a rude awakening when coverage doesn’t extend as far as they expected – for others, they want to look past MA’s minimum requirements for car insurance to see what they are missing out on for their vehicle, family, and peace of mind. Let’s look the requirements and how to improve them with additional policies. Continue reading What MA’s Minimum Requirements for Car Insurance Don’t Cover