Auto Insurance a Valuable Commodity |
Posted: May 25, 2017 |
Since the law in almost all states requires every driver to own an auto insurance policy, it is safe to say that insurers will not run out of customers for many decades to come. New cars and new drivers keep on coming to the road every day, and this also means more demands in the market. Auto insurance is not a physical good; although buyers do receive a policy or documents as proof of purchase, what insurers sell are services in the form of financial protection. Hundreds of companies from small-scale to giant corporation levels compete to attract more customers every day. Bigger or more-established names get the upper hand as they have more financial power and scope. They have the license to underwrite policies in more states, which leave smaller-scale companies in struggle. Every once in a while bigger company takes drastic approach to expand their business range by purchasing smaller counterparts. Take Viking Auto Insurance for example; it has been part of Sentry Insurance and operating under the name of Dairyland Insurance since 2005. While it is no longer an active company on its own, it still does business with Dairyland. Together, they now have the license to sell and underwrite policies in 43 states, from the previous 27 states only by Dairyland alone. For the market, the acquisition gives a good example of how a business can grow to an exponential level with a simple acquisition. When a bigger company purchases a smaller one, it becomes an instant expansion.Viking Insurance, under Dairyland, offers a wide range of insurance products as follows. 1. Liability:every auto insurance policy has liability coverage. It is the minimum requirement in almost all states. Liability provides financial protections for policyholder in the event of at-fault accident. There are two different forms: a. Bodily Injury Liability: financial protection in the event of at-fault accident where the other party sustains injuries and requires medical treatment. The protection is to cover medical cost. b. Property Damage Liability:another form of liability where the financial protection is to cover property damages or repair cost. Each state also has rule to set minimum limit for each form of liability coverage. Policyholders can go with the minimum requirement of ask for higher protection limit from. 2. UM (Uninsured Motorists):although auto insurance policy is mandatory in most states, some drivers take their chances and drive without one. In the event of accident where they are at-fault, they need to cover injuries and property damages for the other party. When policyholder has Uninsured Motorist coverage, there is no need to wait until the at-fault person gives the compensation.The company helps cover the cost for medical treatment and car repairs as soon as the accident-investigationconcludes. 3. UIM (Underinsured Motorists):there are similarities between UM and UIM, but the latter functions as financial support. It does not cover the entire cost of medical treatment and property damage repair because the at-fault party has an insurance policy. However, the policy limit is not enough to pay for everything so the company gives assistance. 4. 4. PIP (Personal Injury Protection): mandatory in some states, PIP acts like a secondary health insurance that kicks-in for injuries due to road incidents. In time-sensitive situation when there is no time to file claims to health insurance provider, PIP coverage can handle medical cost. In case medical cost surpasses the limit of PIP, health insurance should come to the rescue. 5. Medical Payments: almost similar to Personal Injury Protection coverage, Medical Payment also helps cover medical cost. Please remember that the limit is not as generous as a stand-alone health insurance, but it should be enough for emergency situation. A combination between PIP and Medical Payment makes a considerable amount to cover at least minor injuries. 6. Physical Damage: if property damage liability covers car repairs for the other party, Physical Damage coverage pays the repair cost for policyholder’s vehicle regardless of who is at fault. It comes in two types: a. Collision: financial protection to cover repair cost due to damages from collision. Damages from other causes fall under Comprehensive coverage protection. b. Comprehensive: financial protection from non-collision damages such as vandalism, fire, theft, and falling objects. Damages from natural disasters such as flood or earthquake are beyond the scope of Comprehensive coverage. However, hail is still in this category. 7. Towing &Labor: in emergency situation in the middle of nowhere, Towing & Labor coverage reimburses the cost to take policyholder’s vehicle to the nearest service center. 8. RentalReimbursement: when policyholder’s vehicle is still out of service due to accident, Viking Auto Insurance offers rental reimbursement, so policyholder does not have to take public transportation to go anywhere until the car is ready to drive again. 9. Lien Holder Coverage: some drivers do not have full ownership of their vehicles; full-ownership is an on-going process until full payment. Drivers still need to make regular payments to the company that leases or finances the vehicle. The credit/bank/financial company often asks for high limit Lien Holder coverage to prevent loss in case the vehicle gets into accident prior to full pay-off. 10. SpecialEquipment: Offers coverage to protect any special equipment in the vehicle. There are restrictions, so the company needs to conduct inspection before it approves the application for this coverage. The company caters to both low risk and high risk drivers The former is the type of drivers who fall under safe category; some indications include clean driving record, zero involvement in accidents for the last several years, on-time payment to insurance company, and good credit score. High risk drivers are those with records full of traffic tickets, history of insurance lapses, convictions of DUI, and sometimes bad credit score as well. High risk drivers often face difficulties in getting approval from standard insurance market as most companies are reluctant to provide financial protections. All the indicators of high risk drivers make it difficult for insurers to give approval; they think problematic drivers have tendencies to repeat the same mistakes again in the future. Viking Insurance offers easy options for high risk drivers to get insurance. There are differences in price due to the same reasons that standard market rejects such drivers. At the very least, the company provides a solution so they can acquire auto policies and have the chance to refine their records. Some major traffic violations such as DUI, driving without license, driving without active insurance, at-fault accidents that cause permanent injuries or deaths, and reckless driving behaviors make drivers fall under high risk category and it often comes with the obligation to file an SR-22 document. This document is not an insurance policy, but a proof that the driver does have auto policy in compliance with state’s minimum requirement. The good thing is that Viking Insurance help applicants file SR-22 documents and completes the process within one day. Discounts Apart from all the coverage options for both high-risk and low-risk drivers, the company also offers a good range of discounts to help policyholders minimize their insurance expense. The available discounts are:
Discounts are available for both low risk and high risk drivers Low risk drivers have better chance to be eligible since driving record plays an important role to help the company determine whether or not a driver deserves the price reduction. High risk drivers, who often have to pay more for minimum coverage, can take advantage of some options such as Defensive Driving Discount and Anti-Theft Discount. Both options require extra steps and money, but the price reduction can be big enough to balance out the additional expense to enroll in the course and purchase safety devices.
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