Auto insurance as we all know is the insurance consumers purchase for their vehicle be it a car, truck or any other automobile. The purpose of auto insurance is to safeguard the vehicle against accidents, theft and any other loss incurred. Auto insurance can cover, the insured party, the insured vehicle and the third parties. Different policies specify the situations under which each of these items is covered.
Like life insurance, auto insurance too has become the need of the hour. A surge in insecurity of the vehicles has resulted in many big and small companies venturing in this area and trying their luck.
There are different types of auto insurances available. The policies vary with the need and wants of the people purchasing the policy. For example certain types of insurance policies include bodily injury liability, property damage liability, medical payments, and collision and comprehension coverage for physical damage to the insured vehicle.
Broadly speaking an auto insurance policy is divided into five parts.
1. Declarations- this part of policy contains personal information about the drivers in your house. This includes their name and address, make and model of the vehicle, vehicle identification number, policy number, duration etc. This part also comprises of basic type of coverage that you purchased and your policy limits and deductibles. It is very important to provide correct information in this area; otherwise the insurance claim can be declined at ease.
2. Coverage Parts- in this option the coverage limits such as liability, medical, collision and comprehensive are discussed. This section primarily outlines what your insurance company guarantees to provide in return for your payment, based on the coverage and coverage limits opted.
3. Exclusions- this section briefs about what is left uncovered by your policys limitations. From here you will get to know that what all will be covered when you make a claim and allows you to make rectifications in the policy.
4. Conditions- this section is all about legitimacy i.e. the legal bindings on the insurer and the insured. It includes premium payment obligations, steps to filing a claim, and guidance to resolve disputes.
5. Definitions- also known as fine print, this segment is where terms and the rights of the policyholder and the insurance company are defined.
In several countries it is mandatory to purchase auto insurance before driving on public roads. The least requirement in this area is third party insurance to protect the third parties against the loss, damage or accident by a vehicle. You may or may not get an insurance cover against loss or damage to your own vehicle. While some other countries make the insurance of both the car and the driver compulsory.
Car insurance plans a regular flat charge per-car or per year despite of the extent to which the car is used. There is no adequate statistical basis for the insurers to compare costs used to support price classifications. Other well known methods of differentiation are reasonable estimation, odometer based systems, GPS based system and OBDII-based system.
