Can Car Insurance Company in Pennsylvania Cancel My Policy?

Reader’s Question:

Is there a law or something in Pennsylvania that states that car insurance providers may cancel or a vehicle insurance policy because of accidents wherein you are at fault?

Mark

Philadelphia, PA

According to the Insurance Department of Pennsylvania car insurance companies are allowed to cancel or non-renew policies for certain reasons. The reason may be:

• If you are convicted of DUI/DWI
• If you did not pay your vehicle insurance policy premium
• If you get involved with 2 or more accidents of the same type within thirty six months wherein you are found at fault

If your car insurance providers cancels or non renew your vehicle insurance policy in Pennsylvania, they should they send you notification or written explanation why they are canceling or non renewing your vehicle insurance policy.

If however you disagree with your car insurance carrier’s decision or explanation, you can always send a letter to the Pennsylvania Insurance Department why you do not agree with the cancellation or non renewal of your vehicle insurance policy in Pennsylvania.

I Am Buying a New Car Do I Need To Get a New Auto Insurance Policy?

Reader’s Question:

Edward here from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. My car’s has been freaking out lately so I’m thinking of retiring it and getting a new one. Will I also have to buy new insurance for the new one or can I just use the current one I have?

Edward

Philadelphia, PA

Hi Edward, that’s a good question. My advise to you is, talk to your automobile insurance provider in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania about it. Different insurance companies will have different rules about this. Here are a few things to note if you want to carry over your current insurance to the new car. Your new car will be covered for the same amount that your old car was covered. If it’s a pretty old car, I’m pretty sure you went the economical route and got just the minimum coverage amount required by law. This exposes you to greater financial risk if something unfortunate does happen. Also, your dealer or financer, (read: loaning agency) will most likely require you to buy additional insurance for the car. This would be your collision insurance to cover repairs for damage to your car if you get in an accident. You will most likely also need comprehensive insurance to cover most anything else that could happen that will cause you to lose your car or for it to be damaged.

The insurance companies have different policies and restrictions on replacing or adding vehicles under an insurance policy. Some extends the coverage of your insurance to the new or added vehicle for a couple days, while some give you more lee way. The main thing is, do update your policy as soon as possible to avoid possible financial blunders caused by little or no insurance coverage.

Can I Lie To My Auto Insurance Company About Where My Car is Parked?

Reader’s Question:

I live in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and it is really not cheap to park your car here so I garaged my vehicle in my girlfriend’s house in the suburbs. Is it legal if I change my zip code (where the vehicle is parked) in my car insurance information.

Sam

Philadelphia, PA

The place where the vehicle is garaged is typically where you live majority of the time regardless of where you garage your vehicle occasionally. Even though you use your girlfriend’s garaging address to keep your vehicle, you likely still need to operate the car to where you live, by using your automobile on a regular basis. So your residential address would be the similar as your garaging address.

Insurance carrier’s guidelines can vary though so I would recommend that you speak with your insurance carrier to know what rules they have for garaging addresses. If how you are garaging the automobile is acceptable to them and permitted according to their rules and guidelines then you may be able to use the garaging address.

If the insurance carrier does not allow this, you might think about shopping around for car insurance and obtaining auto insurance rates from other insurance companies to check if you can get cheaper premiums in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Tags: auto insurance, car insurance rate, cheap auto insurance

How Much Will My Auto Insurance Company Pay If My Car Is Totalled?

Reader’s Question:

My sister was berating me why I bothered on getting comprehensive auto insurance. I have told her the many benefits and she seems convinced. She was even surprised to find out that my auto insurance  will pay for my car if it was stolen or totaled. She asked how much I’d get for the car if this happens and this was one question I can’t answer. How much, indeed?

Cynthia

Levittown PA

Hello, Cynthia, how nice of you to advocate the advantages of getting comprehensive auto insurance. Like your sister, there are many others who do not feel the need to get comprehensive auto insurance and end up having to suffer the effects of a vehicular accident or theft or similar unfortunate events involving the vehicle.

If your vehicle is totaled or stolen, your comprehensive auto insurance will pay you its fair market value in Levittown Pennsylvania PA. To get your car’s fair market value, you should look around and see how much a similar car would cost in Levittown Pennsylvania PA. When you do this, be sure to factor in the make and model of your car, mileage, and how long it’s been used so that you can get a fairly accurate estimate of its fair market value. This will be a considerable sum but if it is still on loan, the amount will be somewhat less than your loan balance. This is the time for gap insurance to come in. Gap insurance will pay for that difference and will enable you to use your money in getting another car. If by any chance you are interested in gap insurance, you get free quotes from this site by entering your zip code.

Good that you have turned your sister into a believer. The world needs many others like you and your sister!

Do I Need To Have Auto Insurance On A Car I Seldom Drive?

Reader’s Question:

I’ve always wanted to be a journalist since I was a kid. And now, I’m living my dream! Although I have just started, I can tell that this is what I’ll be doing for a long time. Trouble is, I travel all the time! I have a car, insured in  Pennsylvania, which I rarely use. Is it wise to keep this auto insurance? I really barely use the car, you know.

Jean

Philadelphia PA

How amazing for you, Jean, to live the dream you’ve always had! I’m sure that your lifestyle has drastically changed because of all that traveling, not to mention the hours required of your job. But, nothing beats passion! I’m sure you don’t mind the changes because like you said, you’ve always wanted to be a journalist! Great!

You know, Jean, it’s all about risk. Whether or not you want to keep your existing auto insurance should be determined by how much risk you are comfortable at. True, you may use your car very so often, but remember that accidents can happen anytime, no matter how long or how infrequent you’ve been on the road. What you can do is perhaps let somebody else – a family or a friend – use your car and enroll him or her as an authorized driver? This however will entail costs so you should also consider if you will be willing to take this option.

Another option is to reduce the coverage so you can reduce your premiums as well. If you feel that because you are on the road less frequently and will therefore require less coverage, then you can look at other auto insurance packages that cost less but with reduced coverage. You can get free quotes from this page by entering your zip code in Philadelphia Pennsylvania PA.

Lastly, you can check with your insurance company if they offer discounts for reduced mileage. Many insurance companies in Philadelphia Pennsylvania PA offer this kind of discounts and it will be beneficial for you to check if yours does.

It’s not necessary to stress yourself with these things, Jean. I’m sure that your local insurers will be more than happy to assist you. The important thins is that you’re living your dream.

I will certainly look out daily for you in the papers!

Driving Without Car Insurance in Pennsylvania – What To Do?

Reader’s Question:

What should I do if I was issued a ticket in for driving without insurance on a car that I do not own and and the car had no insurance? I live in Pennsylvania.

Parker

Levittown, PA

If you were issued a ticket for no insurance on a car that you did not own you should first determine if the ticket that you received was written to you personally or to the car. In most states such as Pennsylvania the law enforcement officer has the option of citing the car (owner) or the driver of an uninsured car.

Most states will suspend your license and require you to get proof of insurance with regards to your state’s financial responsibility laws if the citation was written against you personally. State laws will differ on this. If the citation is for you call the department listed on the ticket to determine what steps you need to take to rectify the situation.

How To Get Low Cost SR22 Auto Insurance

Q: How can I get low cost SR22 insurance on a new car which I will soon buy?

A: Although price is a big factor, one of the huge thing your car insurance company is going to pay attention to when rating your SR22 insurance policy is how safe your car will be on the road. Your own driving history will come into this, but so will the driving record of the car and how safe it is. So, if you want to get low cost SR22 insurance, you need a car which is safe.

How do you know if a car is safe? First, check the safety ratings. Safety ratings come from crash tests which show how much damage cars suffer and cause when involved in different kinds of accidents. It isn’t very hard to find a car with excellent safety ratings, so never accept second best in this area.

Another way you can insure that your car is safe enough for low cost SR22 insurance is to make sure that it has all of the best safety features installed on it when you buy it. By doing this, you can make sure you get low ratings and a car insurance discount as well.

DMV SR22 Filing Canceled Due To Late Insurance Payment?

Q: I only paid my car insurance ONE DAY late, and my car insurance company canceled my DMV SR22 filing. How can they do that?

A: Although some states do have laws which mandate a grace period for late payments to auto insurance companies, in Pennsylvania there is no such law. Individual companies are able to shape their own policies which may or may not allow grace periods for DMV SR22 filing if not paid on time, and some do while others don’t. If you are worried about this happening in the future, you have a couple of solutions.

While shopping for companies, ask ahead of time if your DMV SR22 filing will be canceled if you make a payment a day or two late. Even if a company does offer a grace period, though, remember that repeated exploitation of the grace period could still lead to car insurance cancellation because it shows you to be irresponsible.

Another thing you can do is have your company set up an automatic debit from your bank account for your DMV SR22 filing payments. In any case, this will work if your problem is forgetfulness rather than lack of funds. If you do this, many companies will offer you a small discount on your premium as well.