What Is No Fault Auto Insurance?

Reader’s Question:

A friend told me once that Kentucky is a no fault auto insurance state Can you please tell me what that’s all about? Is that beneficial?

Carrie

Bowling Green, KY

First things first. You know how, generally, insurance companies or you yourself can go after the driver at fault to try to recuperate financial damages? Well, with no-fault car insurance, your insurance company will protect you regardless of whose fault the accident was. Yes, even if it was YOUR fault. Hence the phrase “no fault.” So, why doesn’t everyone take out no fault insurance, you may ask. First, it’s because not all states offer this kind of insurance. Your friend is right. Bowling Green, Kentucky is a no fault area because the state of Kentucky is a no fault state. There are only twelve states that have no fault systems, I think. What’s more, in Kentucky, you can actually choose between the traditional type and the no fault type.

Another reason why some people choose tort insurance (traditional) over no fault is because, as with everything, there are two sides to this kind of insurance. Your insurance company will already indemnify you, so your capacity to sue the other driver for damages is therefore limited. One advantage that I can see about no fault is that of faster payments for injuries and the possibility of getting cheaper premiums because the costs of determining who is at fault is done away with. However, others argue that it promotes reckless driving since people are indemnified even if it was they who caused the accident

Kentucky Auto Insurance Companies – Is Your Personal Information Safe?

Reader’s Question:

I was contacted by an insurance carrier in Owensboro and they told me that they compared their car insurance rates to our insurance carrier and they said they offer better car insurance rates. They said they were looking at our insurance policy and said we could get a better deal with them. How is it possible that they have access to our auto insurance information?

Desiree

Owensboro, KY

Normally a competing insurance company is not permitted to have access to your current insurance policy. For marketing, typically an insurer will look at your current registered cars and try to rate it with that. Competing insurance carriers/agents can access general information about you like your age, where you live, tax status, etc., however they should not have access to your actual car insurance policy without your permission. They are in violation of insurance privacy regulations if they do.

Most likely the insurance carrier that called you was using a marketing strategy to get your business. As for comparing their car insurance rates with your insurance carriers rates overall, that is possible since some insurers do publish sample insurance rate quotes. For instance, you live in Owensboro Kentucky, here the Kentucky Department of Insurance (DOI) provides a consumer guide that lists insurance carriers authorized to sell auto/homeowners/renters insurance in KY and those insurers have provided rate comparisons for certain situations.

If you believe that the insurance company that contacted you truly did have a copy of your car insurance policy then you can have the KY DOI, the insurance regulator for the state, investigate the issue and you can file a formal complaint with this state agency.

Gap Auto Insurance in Kentucky?

Reader’s Question:

I need to sell my new car and I can’t afford the payments. I have gap insurance in  Kentucky. Will it only help if the vehicle is totaled or stolen? Will the gap insurance help if we are trying to sell the car?

James

Newburg, KY

Yes, GAP insurance would only be of use if your car was found to be a total loss or if it was stolen and your primary insurance policy paid out actual cash value for the car. You cannot make use of your GAP insurance policy in Kentucky if you are upside-down on your loan and wish to sell the car.

Gap insurance is use to pay the difference between a covered insurance loss and the balance of your lease or loan. If you sell a car, this is not an insurance loss and therefore a claim with your Gap insurance company could not be placed.

I Was Convicted In Kentucky For DUI Now Need To File SR22 Insurance

Reader’s Question:

I need to know more about SR22 in Kentucky. I got convicted of DUI lately and I have a court order to file SR22. Hope you can help me.

Pat

Fayette, KY

Hello there, Pat.

I am glad you asked about SR22. A lot of people get convicted of DUI and would have trouble with their insurance…for it could eventually lead to higher insurance rates.
An SR22 is actually a form that serves like a tracker of the high-risk classified. This shows proof of insurance to the DMV. Unfortunately, it is inevitable that DUI’s and DWI’s will likely raise your car insurance premiums.

There are some cases when the rates go so high that the insured is unable to cover the costs. It will be the burden of the insurance company to inform the DVM that the high-risk driver or SR-22 carrier no longer holds auto insurance. You may verify from Kentucky DVM, but normally, SR-22 will last for 3-5 years. After this period, you will be able to experienced reduced car insurance premium may go down depending on how well your driving history has been.

There are some SR22 insurance companies online that offer services for filing SR22. They will not be judgmental about your situation because their ultimate goal is to get you an SR22 within the day so you will be able to drive again. You might want to try to shop online for these services are available at he click of your mouse.

When Do Auto Insurance Rates Go Down For New Drivers?

Reader’s Question:

How long does an inexperienced motorists rate apply to insurance companies in Kentucky?  I am a new driver and my auto insurance rates are higher than I was expecting them to be.

Jeff

Louisville, KY

Each insurance companies in Kentucky is different in their rating factors; this includes their insurance rates for inexperienced and young drivers. For some auto insurance companies it is three years for others it can be 5 to 9 years that an insurance company will term and rate someone as inexperienced.

Some companies do not look at the date that the driver was first licensed at all, but use their age as the only rating factor. When the age of the driver is the thing being looked at, typically a motorist under the age of 25 is considered inexperienced.

If you have just recently received your driver’s license you should shop around for car insurance to find the best insurance rates for your car and level of experience behind the wheel of it.

Ways To Get Cheaper Car Insurance Rates

Q: I always end up spending a lot of time every month paying my bills, and I’ve noticed how big a burden car insurance is. Can I get cheaper insurance, or is that out of possibility?

A: Since you waste a lot of time paying bills, there is one thing you can do which will make it easier for you to get all of your bills taken care of in a smaller amount of time, and which will also aid you in receiving cheap car insurance. Actually, there are two ways. Way one would be for you to try and pay all of your car insurance at once each time you renew. If you pay monthly, an installment fee is added on to your premiums. By bypassing the installments, you can save around fifty dollars.

Way two would be for you to get your insurance from a company which provides multiple kinds of insurance. If you get your health, life, home owners or renters, and auto insurance all with one company, you can not only combine the premium to make it more manageable, but you can also get a discount for compressing multiple insurance lines into one policy.

1.  Raising your deductible amount is the fastest and easiest way to lower your rates!

2. Ask for discounts – teachers – good grades for students – AARP -Credit union membership and even some banks offer clubs/memberships

3. Improve your credit score – most insurance carriers look at your credit history and adjust rates accordingly.  Pay your bills on time!

Do I Need To File an SR22 Form For My Older Car?

Q: Do I need to file an SR22 form for an older car?

A: Yes, you need to file an SR22 form for any car. In fact, your SR22 form isn’t for your car at all, it’s for you. You can see this from the fact that some people are required to file non owners SR22 insurance even if the cars they are driving are insured by their owners. It is not your car your insurance company is worried about, but your driving. Having to file an SR22 form has put you in a very high risk category, and your DMV has to be sure that you will be insured because you pose a greater risk of getting into a car accident, especially a serious one.

If you have an older car, you can do some things which will allow you to pay less money to file your SR22 form. For an older car, you should first see how much your car is worth. You can do this by looking in Kelley’s Blue Book. Now take the worth of your car and compare it to how much you pay every year to file your SR22 form. If you are paying more to file insurance than you would get if you sold your car, then you need to have the least amount of insurance that it is legal to have. If your car is worth less than $1000, then you should absolutely cut your coverage as low as it goes.

Is Kentucky Auto Insurance Program Offering SR22 Insurance?

Q: What is the Kentucky Auto Insurance Program, and can I get my DUI  SR22 through it?

A: The Kentucky Auto Insurance Program is a program for people who have trouble finding a company which will sell them insurance, in many cases SR22 insurance. People who can’t find insurance can join the assigned risk pool by filling out an application, and the AIP will then give their application to a participating company. All car insurance companies who are license to sell insurance policies by the state of Kentucky are required to participate in the Auto Insurance Program.

You can get any kind of SR22 coverage through the AIP, but the prices will be higher, so you should only submit an application there if you cannot get insured otherwise. In order to qualify to join the AIP pool, you have to have been rejected by an insurance company within two months of your application, and be able to provide proof that you have been rejected, so you have no choice but to do some shopping around first.

Since you are getting SR22 insurance, remember that there are some time constraints. If you apply to join the AIP pool, it takes about 15 days for you to actually get insured.