Only two states, Wisconsin and New Hampshire, have no requirement for vehicle owners to carry automobile insurance, although both states require residents to provide proof of financial ability in the case of an accident. Unless you live in one of those two states, you are required to purchase automobile insurance if you own a vehicle. However, the majority of vehicle owners know very little about car insurance, even though they pay for it each year, and may be surprised at what their insurance does or does not cover.
Belongings Are Not Covered
Even the most comprehensive coverage will not cover belongings in a vehicle that are stolen or damaged in an accident. However, it is possible to purchase a rider on your homeowner’s insurance policy to insure items that you often carry with you such as your GPS, laptop or cellphone. Take photos of the items or keep receipts in order to prove their condition should you need to file a claim.
Transporting Pets
Under the personal injury protection coverage on an automobile insurance policy, injuries to you and your passengers are covered. However, if you drive with your pet in the car, injuries to your pet may not be covered by your auto insurance if you are involved in an accident. If you travel with your pets on a regular basis, it may be a good idea to visit your local insurance agent to determine if pet insurance is available on your policy.
Diminished Value
When someone purchases a used vehicle, it is standard to receive a car history report, which helps protect the buyer should the car have been in a catastrophe such as a flood or involved in an accident. Your insurance company is required to reimburse you for damages should a buyer request a lower price due to a previous accident, although they will not automatically do so. You must file an additional claim in addition to the regular claim at the time of the accident along with proof that your vehicle has suffered a loss in value. Diminished value coverage may only be available on new cars, although some companies do offer the option on older cars.
These commonly unknown automobile facts can help save you money and protect your valuables, pets and financial security after an accident.
6 Comments
I had no idea about pets and items like this. It would make sense to have everything covered that was in the vehicle, especially a pet because pets can be part of the family. Anyways I will have to look into this some more and make sure things are safe and secure. And I probably wont be driving my dog around too much anymore just in case.
ReplyDeleteThat's the big problem with auto insurance. You'd think everything would be covered, but pets and personal belongs are not most of the time, which is dumb. Good think I rarely have pets in my car anyways, and I rarely have personal items in my car, at least not anything that can't be replaced. I just have a few CDs and an old flip phone I keep in there for emergencies anyways.
ReplyDeleteAnything in a car during an accident should be covered no matter what. I understand why it wouldn't be covered, but it'd make drivers that much more hopeful if everything in their car was insured in case of a crash. This is why I do not leave anything valuable in my car. I just keep stuff I can afford to replace on my own.
ReplyDeletePlease make sure to get pet insurance placed on your policy, because so many people out there don't even know to do it. I know a person who got into a severe accident and her dog was in the car, he was severely injured and since insurance didn't cover it, they had to put the dog down. It was very traumatic for her.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea people could request more money from the insurance company when selling a car that was once involved in an accident. Sucks too, because I sold a car not that long ago that I had an accident in, but was repaired and safe to drive. Wish I knew about this then.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe belongs and pets aren't normally covered. You'd expect everything to be covered especially if it's inside of the car, but I guess the insurance companies just want more money from us.The rules should change a bit so everything inside of a car is covered just in case.
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