Friday, June 5, 2009

Progressive Insurance

Why Choose Progressive Insurance?

Since 1937, Progressive Corporation has specialized in car insurance. Today, they are the third largest auto insurance company in the nation. With over 450 offices in all 50 states and more than 28,000 employees, Progressive offers the price and coverage you deserve.

Customer Service Excellence
At Progressive, service stands out. Trained claims representatives use Immediate Response® Vehicles to go where you need them. And, with the concierge level of claims service, Progressive handles the repair process by letting you drop off your car at a service center and leave with a rental car. Add 24/7/365 online or toll-free phone service, and it's clear that Progressive takes the hassle out of auto insurance.

Rated A+ (Superior) by A.M. Best for Strength and Stability
Progressive consistently receives an A+ (Superior) rating from A.M. Best Company, an independent firm that rates the financial strength and performance of insurance companies. A+ is one of the highest ratings available and means you can trust the stability of Progressive.

A History of Innovation
Progressive has a history of innovations, driven by an intense focus on their customers. From offering the first drive-in claims office, to creating the first auto insurance company website, Progressive is always ahead of the curve. If you select Progressive at Insurance.com, you'll get car insurance backed by their well-known brand.

Valuable Discounts and Coverage Options
Progressive offers many discounts that reward safe drivers. Your Insurance.com agent can help you get the best rate on your Progressive quote. You can also get the same great Progressive discounts using our easy online quote process.

You may be eligible for these money-saving Progressive discounts and benefits:

  • Payment-in-full Discounts
  • Early Shopping Discounts
  • AAA Discounts
  • Good Student Discounts
  • Distant Student Discounts
  • Minor Driver Discounts
  • Homeowner Discounts
  • E-sign Discounts
  • Future Accident and Violation
    Forgiveness
  • Professional Association Discounts
    (CA only)

And, your Insurance.com agent can explain the valuable, optional coverages Progressive offers, such as:

  • Roadside Assistance
  • Loan/Lease Payoff
  • Rental Reimbursement

8 Teen Auto Insurance Mistakes

Do you have a teenager who drives, or one who will soon? Then you'll probably find out that adding a teen to your car insurance policy is sort of like balancing a valuable vase on a tiger's head: it'll probably end in an accident, and it'll probably be expensive. (Lesson number one: don't balance vases on tigers.)

The bad news: you have a teenager eager to get behind the wheel – and recentRateWatch data shows that adding a teen driver to your auto insurance policy costs over $2,000 a year on average.

The good news: auto insurance rates are coming down, so this is the perfect time to shop for policy savings. It can cost even less if you manage to…

Avoid some of these common mistakes

1. Let your kid get bad grades.
Were you aware that a "good student" discount could take as much as 10–15% off the price of your car insurance policy? You are now. Some parents pay their children to maintain a B average or better; this discount will have your children paying you instead.

2. Buy a new car for your child.
All of those safety features will get you auto insurance discounts, right? They might, but it costs more to insure a new car – for you and your teen. Find a safe, used car and save on car payments and insurance.

3. Skip in-car driver training with your kid.
Let the driving school do it. Right parents? I mean, that's why you pay them the money! Not so. No matter what your state legally requires, the more time you spend in the car teaching your teenager to drive, the better.

4. Don't set a curfew.
Part of raising a child is letting them take responsibility, so there's no reason to impose limits. Well, not exactly. Even if your city doesn't have a curfew for teen drivers, you should consider it. Statistics show that teenage driving deaths rise dramatically from 9 pm to 6 am. And if you remember your own youth, you'll agree that there's no good reason for teens to plan trips past 9–10 pm.

5. Don't worry about packing the car with friends and distractions.
The most common cause of teen accidents is driver distraction – either from a car full of friends or a cell phone that's blowing up. It gets even worse with loud music, texting and taking pictures with a cell phone.

6. Speed, drink and don't wear your seatbelt.
It amounts to telling your teen the law is optional. If your child gets a ticket, restrict access to the car. If it's something serious – like a DUI – take away their driving privileges.

7. Lower your deductibles or keep them the same.
A low deductible means your auto insurance company will pay more if there's an accident. Raise it, and you could knock a lot off your premium. Dropping collision coverage on your teen's car can also save money. Just remember that you'll have to pay more for repairs in both cases, so calculate your savings before making the switch.

8. Make one of the other seven mistakes.
(Just kidding.)

8. Let your teenager drive a small, old car.
If you saw mistake number two and thought you could avoid it by getting your teen an older compact car, you're probably wrong. If it's not a safe car, you won't qualify for safety discounts.

9. You said there were only eight mistakes!
Well, I lied. That's right; I said it: I lied. I'll let you in on a little secret: there are probably way more than nine, or even ten! But do you know the biggest one of all? (Drum roll, please.) Not shopping around to compare rates! Insurance.com data shows the average difference between the highest quote for adding a teen and the lowest quote is over $2,000 a year. Failing to compare auto insurance rates can be a very expensive mistake.

The Consequences of Not Having Auto Insurance

If you are one of those people who think auto insurance is a scam, beware. There could be some major payout in your future. Car insurance
is extremely valuable, particularly in today`s society as more and more people find themselves involved in accidents that aren`t even their fault. You can literally be the safest driver around and still end up in a car accident. While it may not have been your fault, you may still be liable for some of the damages and this is where it comes in very handy to have auto insurance.

It Could Be Illegal

Depending on where you live, chances are it`s illegal to drive without insurance, so you`ll want to make sure that you have the minimum required, which is liability. Even in areas where you aren`t required to have insurance per se, you ARE required to have the money to cover an accident. You will need to actually prove that you can pay for damages, should they occur. This could be a big problem if you don`t have much money stored up in the bank.

Most drivers without auto insurance end up doing hit and runs, to avoid being caught, which usually results in jail time. It`s not a good idea to drive without auto insurance, but this isn`t the worst that could happen if you avoid it.

Since driving without insurance or the ability to pay for damages can hold some big consequences, you will want to know what they are in your area. Some states only charge a fine (often in the thousands) or impound your car, but many will include jail time.

Bigger Losses, Bigger Payouts

What happens if you are in a car accident and you haven`t purchased car insurance? You will be in big trouble, to say the least, particularly if the accident is deemed to be your fault. You will be responsible for any injuries and damages involved in the accident, which can grow very rapidly.

Not only will you be penalized for not having the appropriate insurance, you will also be required to pay out of your pocket. This can literally bankrupt someone and it can be extremely bad for your record. You could even lose your license, which negates the need to buy auto insurance after the fact.

A major car accident could end up costing you hundreds of thousands of dollars, plus fines and jail time. It`s really not worth it when you consider how little you would pay each month for peace of mind with auto insurance. Not to mention, if you are the one injured in an accident and the other driver has no insurance, you are really going to be in trouble. You`ll end up having to pay your own medical bills, which, as we all know, can get very expensive, very fast.

Driving without auto insurance could be the biggest risk you`ve taken in your life. While you will be saving money in the moment, there`s no telling when (not if, but when) you will be in an accident and need that insurance. Rather than paying a minimal amount along the way, you`ll end up being responsible for everything all at once and that`s a hit that most bank accounts just can`t deal with.

Rather than risk your savings, it`s far better to invest in auto insurance and simply pay by the month or year, eliminating the need to lose everything when you have a collision. The minimal amount of insurance will keep jail and fines at bay and doesn`t have to be terribly expensive.

Auto Insurance Covering Animals


Many auto insurance companies are starting to give coverage to customers’ pets. The coverage is offered free of charge in case of injury or death in a car accident. Many see their pets as children and they are extremely important to them. Pets often ride along with their owners, so ensuring their pets are covered through their auto insurance can put their mind at ease knowing that vet bills will be covered if they are in an accident.

Auto insurance companies started doing this a few years ago but it wasn’t always brought to the customer’s attention. As more and more inquiries about the benefit surfaced so did the popularity of the pet coverage and more and more marketing is occurring. See if your auto insurance carrier offers the benefit and if not it may be time to shop around for one that does.

10 Most and Least Expensive Cars to Insure

10 Most-Expensive Cars to Insure

The 10 vehicles that account for the highest dollar amount of losses for insurance companies (starting with the most expensive) are:

  1. Cadillac Escalade EXT 4WD
  2. Subaru Impreza WRX 4WD
  3. Hyundai Tiburon
  4. Mitsubishi Lancer
  5. Scion tC
  6. Acura RSX
  7. Nissan Sentra SE-R
  8. Suzuki Forenza
  9. Nissan Sentra/Mitsubishi Eclipse
  10. Chevrolet Cobalt two-door

10 Least-Expensive Cars to Insure

The 10 vehicles that account for the lowest dollar amount of losses for insurance companies (starting with the least expensive) are:

  1. Ford Five Hundred 4WD (now the Ford Taurus)
  2. Buick Rendezvous 4WD
  3. Buick Lucerne/Buick Rainier 4WD/Honda Odyssey
  4. Ford Freestyle 4WD/Subaru Outback 4WD
  5. Buick Rendezvous/Honda Pilot
  6. Chrysler Town & Country LWB
  7. Honda Pilot 4WD
  8. Buick LaCrosse/Chevrolet Uplander/Ford Escape/Volvo V70
  9. Dodge Grand Caravan/Ford Freestyle 4WD
  10. Ford Explorer 4WD/GMC Sierra 1500 4WD/Toyota Highlander/Toyota Sienna