Car, Auto Insurance in Birmingham, Hoover, Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook, Pelham and across Alabama

Also serving Georgia and Tennessee

What is auto insurance?
Auto insurance protects you against financial loss if you have an accident. It is a contract between you and the insurance company. You agree to pay the premium and the insurance company agrees to pay your losses as defined in your policy.

Auto insurance provides property, liability and medical coverage:

• Comprehensive covers your vehicle for theft and pays for damage to your vehicle caused by something other than collision with another car or object such as fire, windstorm/hail, contact with animals, flood, as well as windshield damage.
• Collision coverage pays for damages to your automobile resulting from a collision with another car or object.  Comprehensive and Collision both have separate deductibles.  Even if you are at fault in an accident if you have Collision coverage it will pay for the damages minus your deductible.
• Bodily Injury Liability coverage pays for injuries to others when you are found legally responsible in an automobile accident.  The listed drivers on the policy are also covered when driving someone else's car with their permission.  
• Property Damage Liability covers damages that you (or someone you gave permission to drive your car) caused to someone else's property.
• Medical Coverage pays for the cost of treating injuries, rehabilitation and sometimes lost wages and funeral expenses for the driver and passengers of the car regardless of who is at fault.

Unisured/Underinsured Motorist Bodily Injury coverage reimburses the driver or passengers if someone is hit by an uninsured driver or a driver without sufficient insurance to pay for the loss.  This coverage also pays for a covered driver in the case that they are involved in a hit and run, or as a pedestrian if a covered driver is hit by an uninsured/underinsured motorist. 

State Minimum Liability

An auto insurance policy is comprised of six different kinds of coverage.  In Alabama you are required to have a minimum of $25k per person/$50k per occurence Bodily Injury Liability and $25k Property Damage Liabilty.  Other states surrounding states such as Georgia, Tennessee and Mississippi all have minimum requirements for automobile liabilty insurance.  If you're financing a car, your lender may also require Comprehensive and Collision coverage with maximum deductibles.

Most auto policies are for six months or a year. Your insurance company should notify you by mail when it's time to renew the policy and to pay your premium.

Why do you need auto insurance?
It's really all about protecting yourself financially.

• If you're in an accident or your car is stolen, it costs money, often a lot of money, to fix or replace it.
• If you or any passengers are injured in an accident, medical costs can be extremely expensive.
• If you or your car is responsible for damage or injury to others, you may be sued for much more than you're worth.
• Not only is having insurance a prudent financial decision, many states require you to have at least some coverage.
  
  

Questions to ask your agent
Your Independent Agent is an advocate for finding auto insurance that meets your specific needs. Here are a few things to consider as you prepare for the discussion:

• How much can you afford to pay if you get in an accident? (To keep premiums low you may want to have a higher deductible and be willing to pay more for repairs.  Many carriers offer a Vanishing/Diminishing Deductible that can also decrease your deductible over time if you are accident free).  
• What if I do not drive a lot, are there discounts available for drivers like me? (Many insurers have telematics based discounts available that will track the miles you drive as well as some other driving habits such as late night driving, hard breaking/fast accelerating and idle time in traffic.  Discounts as high as 40% are possible with some carriers though participation in their telematics program.)
• What is the insurance company's level of service and ability to pay claims?
• What discounts are available? (Ask about good driver, paperless, multiple policy, telematics, acccident free, and good student discounts.  Some carriers also offer large discounts if you pay the premium in full instead of monthly.)
• What's the procedure for filing and settling a claim? (Ask who to call and what happens after you file a claim.)
  
  Our office is in Alabama, but we happily serve customers in Tennessee and Georgia as well.  We proud to serve the people of Birmingham, Hoover, Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook, Pelham and the surrounding areas.
  

Call us today at 205-291-4100 or fill out an online quote now.