How does one find the cheapest Virginia car insurance rates? What is the best car insurance company in Virginia? What are the Virginia minimum auto insurance requirements? These are all basic questions that one must answer if they want to get the best auto insurance coverage in VA. Read on to learn some of the common car insurance rules in Virginia and find some ways to obtain low cost Virginia car insurance for you and your family.
Car insurance in the United States is something that most people now understand. However, there are often questions that are left unanswered to many. Why do some people get to pay lower premiums than other when they are the same age? Why do people with old cars tend to pay lower rates than those with brand new ones? Why do people in towns have to pay more in automobile insurance than do those living in farms or rural areas? All these questions have answers that in some way or another offer an explanation to what the automobile insurance business is all about: "Risk".
Auto insurance consists of a signed deal between a company and an insured in which the car insurance agency will pay the policy holder in case of an accident in exchange for monthly payments. In other words, the insurance company is covering the insured for the "risk" of driving the roads of the United States. Because some areas have more accidents than others, some cars require less coverage than others, and some vehicles have better safety and theft ratings; premiums in the automobile insurance business tend to change from person to person.
The same can be assumed for each state. While some states have the advantage of not having big cities where accident rates are high, some others have plenty of populated areas that have a high degree of accidents and theft. The state of Virginia is one of those states that falls in the middle in both categories. While is does have some major cities like Richmond, it offers residents peaceful and quiet places in which to live like Williamsburg.
According to the United States Census Bureau the state of Virginia had an estimated population of 7,642,884 for the year 2007 (an increase of 8% since the year 2006) and experts predict that it will continue to grow. The population number didn't seem to matter that much because back in 2003 the state of Virginia was found in the lower end of the spectrum when concerning automobile insurance, since the average premium was that of $752 a month in comparison with the nation's average of $914.
All of the states in this country require drivers to have a minimum coverage before having the privilege of circulating the roads of this great nation. Virginia is no exception and in case of an accident in this state someone must always be found to be at fault. This means that the person found liable for the accident and their insurance company will be the one responsible for paying the accident related expenses. The state mandates what they call a 25/50/20 coverage and it falls in the middle of the pack when compared to those of the other states. What that means is that a person behind the wheel of an automobile in the state of Virginia must have a $25,000 bodily injury per person and $50,000 bodily injury total in case of an accident; and a $20,000 property damage liability coverage also in case of an accident. Keep in mind that these is only the minimum coverage required to drive in this state and that if you wish you can purchase more than these amount from your Virginia automobile insurance company.
The Virginia State law does not mandate a person to have Personal Injury Protection or PIP like the laws in many other states. Personal Injury Protection aids you and the passengers in your vehicle for medical expenses after an automobile accident and it is always good to have it. On the other hand the state does require a person to have the uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage just to prevent this from happening. A driver must have $25,000 per person and $50,000 total for uninsured motorist coverage in order for them to be able to drive in the streets of this state.
Although it sounds like a lot of required coverage that you will need if you are a resident of VA, keep in mind that the average premium is well below the nation's average. Not everyone in the state of Virginia is going to be able to just purchase the minimum coverage that the state mandates. People that are leasing a car or that are still making payments on their vehicles are going to be forced to have collision and comprehensive coverage. This is due to that same "risk" of accidents and theft associated with driving.
However, a person that has to purchase more than the mandated coverage can try to lower their deductible for a lower premium. Lower deductibles result in higher out of pocket expenses for the driver in case of an accident. This means that an automobile insurance company will be paying less when the driver gets in a wreck and because of this the rate of your policy will decrease.
A policy holder can also refuse to purchase or simply drop coverage that they don't necessarily need from their policy. The medical coverage of an automobile insurance policy is a perfect example. If have independent health insurance and you know that the medical part of your policy wont cover anything that the health insurance policy doesn't, then it is time to get rid of the medical part of your auto insurance policy.
The state of Virginia is a pleasant state to live or even to own a vacation home. The state itself is not an expensive one to live in when speaking about automobile insurance. There are many ways in which a resident of this state can save some money when speaking about car insurance; however, the most important thing to have is the required coverage. Lowering your deductibles and getting rid of excess coverage can help much when it comes to saving you money on your car insurance. After all this you will find that living in Virginia and driving a vehicle in this state is not as expensive as it seems.
One of the easiest ways to find the best Virginia car insurance is to compare quotes from multiple insurance companies side by side. Why pay more then you need to? Get started comparison shopping and finding cheap auto insurance today!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/James_J._Robinson/225659
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