Tips To Get Lower Rates On Auto Insurance For Teens in Pennsylvania
Reader’s Question:
Living a life in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania can be so demanding. Maybe that’s just for me because I’m getting ready to buy my teenage daughter her own car. But, of course, I would also have to worry about the auto insurance. What cars for teens would be the best for low insurance rates?
Emily
Philadelphia, PA
In general, the less expensive a vehicle is to purchase, the less costly it is to insure. Typically, vehicles that have high horsepower, high dollar or expensive to repair are the most expensive to insure. Higher horsepower cars are statistically favored by risky drivers that would likely drive the car faster and get into more accidents. That would send insurance rates to go up for everyone who owns a similar car.
Your insurance company might charge you higher rates if the car that you will buy for your daughter is popular target for thieves. Insurance companies feel there is a higher risk for it to be stolen and parts might be in higher demand, thus, would cost more. It would also likely cost more to fix after a collision if it is a high-priced car. This can actually cause insurance to be higher on that type of car. You can get quotes for each car that you are interested in buying for your daughter to find out which one is cheaper to insure. I’m confident enough to say that you can always get an online rate quote for great car insurance in Pennsylvania from this site.
Auto Insurance in Pennsylvania For Modified Cars
Reader’s Question:
Call me vain but I have made who have spent thousands upgrading my vehicle. I am renewing my auto insurance policy in no time and I just wonder if my upgrades will shoot my auto insurance premiums in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Arnold
Lancaster, PA
If you are one of the thousands of people who have made after-market changes to your car, you are not really vain. You are just a normal person who wants to get things better.
Whether its shiny new rims or some engine upgrades, you may have unknowingly changed the car insurance policy that you have in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It’s a little known fact that car insurance companies in Pennsylvania PA typically do not insure you for any after-market changes you’ve made to your vehicle. Do you know that some changes can even completely cancel your policy?
You better ask if your insurance company in Lancaster have a problem with you adding a DVD player or expensive sound system to your car. Many insurance companies simply do not know how to determine an accurate and fair policy for vehicles that have made numerous modifications.
Other insurance companies determine their rates by looking through dozens of statistics for each model of car. This will give data as how much it costs to make certain repairs and what the vehicle’s market value is. When you change your, those statistics are no longer accurate.
But since it cannot be helped that many people modify their cars without even telling their insurance company, they’ll get to keep their current policy. Be wary though since your current modifications won’t be covered in an accident or robbery if you do not disclose such changes to your current insurer and still renew with them.
Modified Car Insurance in Pennsylvania
Reader’s Question:
I have a refurbished car which I occasionally use to drive around Levittown, Pennsylvania. I have made a few modifications with it in the past 8 months and I wonder if there is anything I need to know about insuring it with a renewed auto insurance policy.
Monica
Levittown, PA
When you upgrade your vehicle and stick with your insurance policy, you might end up underinsured. Although that can be relative to the number and amount of changes you made as upgrade.
Numerically speaking, insurance policies are computed based on appraisal of your vehicle. Now if you have made many modifications which improve your car’s performance or features, like a better engine or a higher-end sound system, it would result to your car’s value to increase. However, since most people do not like to spend higher auto insurance premiums, these modifications normally do not reflect in the policy.
In my own opinion, if you get to renew your policy with the same insurer in Levittown, Pennsylvania, then you better ask about the implications of your upgrades to you policy and see if those will be covered. I believed any changes will not hurt you so much compared to having to be drained if those upgrades would get stolen or damaged by accident.
The rule of thumb here is that if you make any modifications to your car, find out immediately if they’re covered by viewing your insurance policy in Levittown. Most insurance companies are infamous for their tricky wording, exclusions, and conditions, so it will be your responsibility to read carefully…especially the fine prints.
Driving Without Car Insurance in Pennsylvania?
Reader’s Question:
I’m from the state of Pennsylvania and I did not have car insurance in NC. What will be the penalty for that?
Lee
Erie, PA
It looks like you are licensed in PA but that you were stopped and ticketed in North Carolina for driving without insurance. In North Carolina driving without insurance is a three point violation and can cause you to lose your license plate.
Since you do not reside in NC, the penalty could be different, such as a future proof of liability insurance and fine. To get more information on the specific penalties contact the entity listed on your citation ticket or the NC Department of Transportation (DOT).
As for back in Pennsylvania, since both states are part of the Drive License Compact (DLC) usually they report to each others DMV tickets received. In Pennsylvania a lapse in insurance results in the suspension of your vehicle’s registration for thirty days. If it is also determined that you drove your car while uninsured your driver’s license will also be suspended for thirty days.
Alcohol Blood Test And DWI Arrest in Pennsylvania?
Reader’s Question:
Is it possible that I was intoxicated when I got tested for DWI, but not while I was driving? Will this make a difference in my DWI case in Pennsylvania?
Joanna
Philadelphia, PA
When a person has a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of 0.08 or more, the Pennsylvania law defines this as intoxication resulting to a person’s failure to normal use of mental or physical faculties. The time when the test was conducted can present a significant problem for either the prosecution or the defense (depending upon the circumstances). Usually, this problem arises in connection with breath and/or blood tests administered just about 45 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes after driving. Since the test is delayed, a person’s alcohol concentration at the time of driving may have been higher, lower or the same due to the absence of other information (i.e. the number and type of alcoholic drinks consumed, the time when the drinks were consumed.)
In order to know the relation of the test result to alcohol concentration at the time of driving, the prosecution may try to present an expert testimony. This process used by the expert is known as retrograde extrapolation where the he relates the test result back to the time of driving. Depending on the facts presented in your case, he may use his knowledge regarding alcohol absorption, distribution, and elimination to have the State’s extrapolation evidence excluded or to come up with issues of reasonable doubt in connection with that evidence.
What is The Penalty For Car Insurance Lapse in Pennsylvania?
Reader’s Question:
I was not aware that my car insurance was canceled and I reinstated as soon as I became aware. I did not have insurance for 12 days in Pennsylvania. What will be the penalty for this?
Joe
Bethlehem, PA
You will have to contact PennDOT to know what is next with them but I can tell you what likely the penalties will be for your lapse in car insurance is in Pennsylvania.
Even though your lapse was only 12 days if you drove the car during this time normally PennDOT would suspend both your driver’s license and vehicle’s registration for 3 months.
If you drove the vehicle during the period of your car insurance lapse you may want to contact either PennDOT directly or seek legal advice to check if since your lapse was short and you reinstated your coverage as soon as your realized that it was canceled if there is any way to obtain a hearing and try to keep your registration and driver’s license from being suspended for the normal three month term.
