I’m planning on purchasing a new car here in Oklahoma, but am a bit tight on the budget. Do I really need to get auto insurance or can I choose to just get insurance some other time?

Marge

Norman, OK

All car owners in Oklahoma are legally required to also purchase auto insurance when they buy new cars. Proof of auto insurance is, in fact, the very first thing they will look for when you register your newly purchased car with DMV.

The state’s mandatory auto insurance policy ensures that damages arising from vehicular accidents are adequately covered. Such damages may only be minimal in some instances but in most cases, the costs arising from vehicular accidents are quite heavy.

Your personal liability for damages arising from accidents attaches when it is determined that your negligence caused the accident. In the absence of adequate insurance coverage, you may find yourself emptying your bank account especially when the damage is extensive. If you do not have sufficient funds to cover the damage, you may find yourself in an even tighter situation wherein the other person may file damages against you in court, thereby leading to additional litigation costs on top of the actual damage incurred. If you’re worried about insurance costs, though, there are several affordable insurance options that you can look into that may fit your tight budget. Most insurance companies offer comparisons and quotes for auto insurance via the web and you can even buy budget car insurance online.

My son is now driving age and we want to get him car for his sixteenth birthday. He wants a convertible, but that’s not only out of our price range, but we know we’ll already be paying a lot for his car insurance even without such a car. How do we choose a car that he likes but that will still get us cheap car insurance rates?

Millie

There’s always a way.

Yikes! A convertible, eh? Getting a convertible is a bad idea for anyone, of any age, who wants to save money on their car insurance. I still want one, though. It’s good to see that you understand that and are willing to take the time and energy out to make a good decision on your son’s car in terms of how much the insurance costs, and it’s also nice to see that you’re very willing to take his own desires into your decision as well. Many parents eithe will just get their kid whatever car they want to get him, without considering feelings, or get the kid any car they want. People should know that there is a better, safer alternative to getting a student car with cheap driver insurance.

There are several qualities to a car that you buy for your teenager that will make it look better in the eyes of the car insurance company. You don’t have to adhere to all of them because, let’s face it, not everybody wants that one kind of car. Just because you go with most of the aspects but leave one out does not mean that you will be paying half of your annual income on student driver insurance. Here are a few factors that should go into your decision for buying your teen a good car for cheap driver insurance.

• Safety. Car insurance companies love safe cars, and there are many ways to make this happen. Having plenty of airbags is one, as well as having a lot of those modern safety features such as stability control, antilock disc brakes, and rollover sensing ability. The safety of the drivers and passengers isn’t the only thing that the car insurance company considers, either. Having theft protection installed is a great way to get cheaper rate quotes.
• Size. This is also a factor of the safety aspect. Bigger is not always better, and neither is smaler. Many parents get their kid a bigger car because they think it is safer, and many get their kid a smaller car because they think it is cheaper and more fuel efficient. However, the safest car for both its driver and everybody else on the road is a midsized vehicle.
• Car facts. Knowing about how the vehicle rates in various areas is a good way to insure that you will get a good car insurance quote. Did it do well on safety tests? Is it considered the type of car that is likely to get stolen? If it’s in good standing here, then it will also be with your car insurance company.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

I want to be a good driver and keep my driving record clean so that I can continue getting good rates on my car insurance and possibly a discount. Any tips for this?

Marilyn

Sure, why not?

I think it’s really great that you’re trying to watch how you drive and keep your record clean. Many people don’t understand that safe driving is actually a huge factor in car insurance rates. They understand to some degree, but only to the point where they know that their rates will be affected if they happen to get into an accident. Few consider the fact that, even if you don’t have any accidents on your record or even any dents on your car, getting a speeding ticket or a drunk driving charge can make your car insurance rates skyrocket.

The best way to avoid this is to make a sort of plan for yourself, what I like to call the Safe Driver Insurance Plan. There’s nothing official about it, it’s just sort of a list of things that you promise to yourself to do so that you can both protect yourself, your car, and your low auto insurance rates. It’s really easy to mess up and watch your rates go up high in a company that doesn’t have forgiveness. It’s also really easy to avoid situations that might send your rates up.

I suggest that any driver that doesn’t want to see any increase in their car insurance rates in the future draw up a plan with themselves that takes into account all of the main factors of rising insurance costs, not the least of which is sticking with only one company and refusing to check other quotes in case something has changed and somebody else is offering a better deal than they are.

The main things that you should focus on are defensive driving for in case you get into a situation that might lead to an accident, and to avoid getting into those situations; adhering to the law, and that means no speeding, even if you are late for work; keeping your car up to date with the latest safety equipment. You might also want to take a driver’s ed course to brush up on your knowledge and get a discount.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.