Hello, wondering if anyone can offer advice here. I live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and I just started working. I am a new driver and I plan to buy my first car soon. What basics should I look at first in getting car insurance? I do plan on having a long relationship with my car and treat it as a valued possession.

Matt

Pittsburgh, PA

Hello there, Matt and congratulations on your move. That is a fine idea you have there, practical and not wasteful. Based on my experience, you buy the automotive insurance based on what you plan to do and how you’ll use your car. I’ll also suggest checking state laws first, on what’s the bare minimum of auto insurance that a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania car owner should have. Also bear in mind that too little or too much insurance is bad. You can either get caught unprepared in an emergency situation or get caught stuck with payments you can’t afford.

Here is one basic tip that I think you should check out. If you are a new driver and looking at acquiring an expensive brand new car and you’re confident about dealing with deductibles, you can look at having collision and comprehensive coverage in your auto insurance. With collision coverage, you’ll be prepared for vehicular accidents on the road i.e. you hit another car or another car hits yours. With comprehensive coverage, your car is insured for damages that are not caused by other vehicles. Let’s say, by some freak event, a tree just drops on your car, the resulting damage to your car will be covered by your auto insurance

I live in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. My daughter is going to college in a different state and I am planning to transfer the title under his name so he could get her own car insurance. My question is, should he get car insurance here in Lancaster or where she is attending school.

Robert

Lancaster, PA

Typically a person insured their vehicle to where they are a resident of, which in your case in Lancaster. If your daughter is an out of state college student, she is still considered a non resident to that state.

So if your daughter is going to register and insure the vehicle in Lancaster she needs to make sure that she will be covered when she attend college in a different state. Your daughter would need to makes sure that he will be insured in the state where she will be doing most of her driving. She may speak with the car insurance carrier to get more information

You may be able to get more information on registering the vehicle with the PennDOT.

I am only eighteen years old and I receive a DUI in Scranton, Pennsylvania, I went through the ARD program and I would like to know if my auto insurance will go up at all?

Charles

Scranton, PA

In Pennsylvania they permit for an Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) for 1st offense of DUI. When a DUI offender is accepted into an ARD program the state suspends their charges however they are required that certain court ordered conditions are met. These conditions may include community service, drug and alcohol counseling, etc.

The Pennsylvania Insurance Department states that if you are convicted of an alcohol related violation such as DUI in Scranton, Pennsylvania, whether or not you complete an ARD program, your license will be suspended. This alone is a valid reason for insurance providers to increase rates, non-renew or cancel your insurance policy.

I’m from Allentown, Pennsylvania and I’m thinking, what are the penalties if you get caught driving without insurance?

Paul

Allentown, PA

If Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) finds your car insurance has lapsed for over thirty one days you will have your car’s registration suspended for three months. If you get caught operating the vehicle without car insurance your license will be suspended for three months as well.

The vehicle’s registration plate, card , sticker and your driver’s license must be surrendered to PennDOT to serve the suspension. Reinstatement fees of $50 and proof of valid car insurance must be submitted prior to the time your registration and/or driving privileges are to be returned.

Other than these penalties for not having car insurance on your automobile if you are cited and stopped for operating a vehicle, your car might be impounded and fines will likely result, as well as the aforementioned suspensions.

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.