Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Can you really name your own price on auto insurance?

So the lady in the strange white room says "tell us what you want to pay, and we'll design a policy to fit."  Wow, does that sound crazy to anyone else?  Can I really just tell the insurance company want I want to pay and they'll give me the coverage I need to fit that price?  Well then sign me up and I'll pay $1 a year!

Of course this idea is just a sales gimmick that is kind of dangerous.  Young people with little experience will hear that message and think that it is true.  They'll call in and name their own price and end up with the state minimum (which is no where near enough) coverage.

Liability covers the other driver if you cause an accident or it is deemed to be your responsibility.  So if you slide through a red light on icy roads this winter and hit another driver causing them bodily injury, it is your liability insurance that will cover their injuries.  If you don't have enough to cover their injuries they can sue you for the rest.  The average cost for just for a broken leg is over $8,000 if it were serious enough to have to be air-evaced to a bigger hospital the bill for the chopper ride could be $15,000 to $20,000 with out the original ER visit or the bill from the hospital that you are being flown to. 

So the point is ... you need liability limits of at least 100,000 per person for bodily injury, and that is what I would consider the bare minimum.  You need to let your insurance agent know what your assets are and you income so they can provide you with the best advice about how much liability to have on your vehicles. 

Oh and NO ... you can't name your own price, that's just silly!

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