Lessons Learned in Superstorm Sandy’s Aftermath

by Charles Nguyen , Online Auto Insurance Articles Team 

Category: State 
Friday, June 7, 2013 2:34 pm

Tropical Storm Andrea is speeding up the Eastern Seaboard, forecast to bear down on New Jersey and New York today and stay into the weekend.
But Andrea’s heavy rains will strike a very different New England region than the one that, just over seven months ago, was devastated by what would become the second-costliest hurricane in U.S. history: Superstorm Sandy.
Unprepared, Then in the Dark
“We weren’t prepared for this, you know. Nobody was prepared for it,” Tom Carbone, who runs a Staten Island-based agency, told A.M. Best TV, which released a five-minute retrospective this week on the disaster, what it was like for insurers in its aftermath and its lasting impact on the insurance industry.
“On Staten Island, I think there were a lot of people that didn’t believe this hurricane was going to be as big as it was,” Carbone said.
Sandy’s unexpected intensity for New York and New Jersey residents was likely the result of something that isn’t obvious to the common person: the link between population density and storm damage.
And even as Sandy waned, those left in its wake faced bigger problems of initial cleanup and rebuilding—in the dark.
“When you have a storm of this magnitude hitting some of the most densely populated states in the U.S., it sets into motion all kinds of incredible chain reactions impacting, for instance, not only the power outages, the transportation disruptions but, from an insurance perspective, getting all these adjusters out into the field,” Michael Barry, vice president of media relations for the Insurance Information Institute (III), said in the segment.
Many insurance agencies faced a surge of claims without the common amenities of Internet and electricity. In New Jersey’s Ocean City, William McMahon said his agency dealt with those basic hurdles in stride.
“When the disaster actually hit, you have all this technology, this technology that was advanced so you were able to handle stuff,” he said. “And we went back to the basic: Here’s a piece of paper, put the name on there, and we’d hand it to someone else and they would take the claim.”
Carbone said he worked around the clock to work on claims from residents who lost almost everything they had to Sandy.
“By the grace of God, I guess, I took as much as I can do every day and went home exhausted,” he said.
For claims adjusters, Sandy presented some of the same, simple logistical problems. Michael Rotolo, an executive general adjuster with William Kramer Associates, said that maneuvering storm-damaged areas to get to claim sites was a significant setback.
“I think in some of the other hurricanes, down south in Texas and Florida, it wasn’t quite as hard to navigate the roads,” he said. “Here we had a lot of trees down and it was very hard to get around.”
Saltwater made efforts even more difficult, according to Rotolo.
“We had a lot of equipment that was under saltwater that had to be removed, replaced, repaired and electrical, of course, is the most affected by that,” he said. “It’s just a shortage of manpower, shortage of materials. It was very difficult to get things done.”
The III’s New York City offices were closed as Sandy flooded much of the downtown area. As the storm dissipated on Oct. 31, Loretta Worters, an III spokeswoman, said insurers were still blocked off from many impacted parts of the city.
“There’s a lot of pumping out of water because there are still a lot of electrical safety issues,” she told Online Auto Insurance immediately after the storm. “Once it’s safe enough to go in, insurers will start gathering claims information.”
An Industry Weathers the Storm
The full cost came into fuller view once claims data began rolling in, with Superstorm Sandy ultimately racking up the third-highest amount in insured losses out of natural disasters in U.S. history. The III’s latest estimate puts losses from Sandy-related claims at nearly $20 billion, behind Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
But the industry is proud of its response to Sandy, according to Barry, pointing to New Jersey and New York regulators reporting high rates of claim settlements after the catastrophe.
Sandy cut such a wide swath through the northeastern U.S. that car claims stretched across more than a dozen states from Maryland to Maine. The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) reported in February a total of 250,500 vehicle claims generated by Sandy, with nearly 60 percent of those claims coming from New York. New Jersey car coverage claims made up almost 24 percent of total vehicle claims, and just over 3 percent were Connecticut-based.
Claims work was expedited by several efforts from lawmakers: federal mediators and programs swooped into New Jersey to begin handling claim disputes; regulatory administrators shortened required response times to claims; and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo authorized out-of-state licensesfor claims adjusters. By the six-month anniversary of Sandy, New York reported that a vast majority of its claims had been closed.
“That’s quite an accomplishment given the magnitude of the event,” Barry told A.M Best.
Insurers are also pitching in their part, with some enforcing forgiveness programs for Sandy-related claims like New Jersey-based Plymouth Rock Assurance, which said that it will not count such claims against a policyholder when re-pricing them for coverage.
“We’ve had the privilege of calling New Jersey our home for over 20 years,” the insurer said in a statement about its program. “We’ve felt Sandy’s devastation firsthand, and we know the last thing New Jersey needs to worry about right now is increased rates because of Sandy-related car insurance claims.”
A relatively calm year of disasters in 2012 helped the industry build capital to weather losses from the storm, with “not so much as a single insurance company [going] out of business as a result of Sandy,” A.M. Best reported.
Industry Faces Forecast of Active Hurricane Season
But that sunny news doesn’t mean smooth sailing ahead for the industry. An “active Atlantic hurricane season” is on the horizon, according to the National Weather Service.
New Jersey and New York residents are already under familiarly wet conditions as Tropical Storm Andrea makes her move through several states.
But other types of disasters are already hitting the industry hard early in the year, with tornadoes in Oklahoma last month reportedly causing hundreds of millions in damage.
Despite that, according to A.M. Best, the insurance industry “seems ready” to handle the predicted active hurricane season.
A briefing from A.M. Best, a firm offering industry news and analysis, showed that catastrophe-related losses from a survey of U.S. insurers in the first quarter of 2013 trailed the same period in 2012 by $1.2 billion.
With the NWS predicting three to six major hurricanes for the rest of the year, that extra billion or so could prove handy.

Lane-Splitting Motorcyclists: What Are the Rules of the Road?

Lane-Splitting Motorcyclists: What Are the Rules of the Road?

by Charles Nguyen , Online Auto Insurance Articles Team
Category: High Risk 
Tuesday, July 2, 2013 3:45 pm

As the hot sun hangs high here in summertime California, motorcyclists hit the freeways with those revved and chopped sounds that accompany their steel steeds.
It’s when you — the typical motorist — is stuck in gridlock that those revs and chops zip past your window. Now you’re wondering if those motorcyclists have any traffic rules to obey at all.
Trust us, motorcyclists have plenty of rules on the road, even when it comes to lane-splitting (also known as lane-sharing).
What’s lacking, however, is research on the topic. Studies have shown that lane-splitting can contribute to somewhere around five percent of all motorcycle crashes, according to this 2010 report out of Oregon, which added that the finding “should be considered with caution” because lane-splitting wasn’t pegged as the direct cause of those crashes.
With little substantive research on lane-splitting, California (where the practice is condoned by authorities) has been ground zero for the debate.
How It Works in California
A law exists in nearly all states that prohibit motorcyclists from lane-splitting. The wording of this Nebraska law will sum up what most other states have on the books.
But California, which has no laws explicitly prohibiting or allowing the practice, remains an outlier as the only state in the U.S. where lane-splitting motorcyclists face no legal restrictions.
So lane-splitting is a uniquely California thing, along with the motorcycle culture that has lent a distinctive feel to the freeways of the Golden State.
As the LA Times puts it: “Motorcycle lane-splitting is legal in California. Or at least it’s not illegal.”
So with no state law on the books, California’s Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) released guidelines this year that they would like motorcyclists to heed so that lane-splitting can be safe for both motorists and motorcyclists.
“Really, it has been limited anarchy out there,” Sgt. Mark Pope, a CHP coordinator of motorcycle safety,told the San Francisco Chronicle. “Nobody has provided any guidance, so we decided it was time to figure that out.”
First off, here is a definition of lane-splitting from the OTS guidelines: “The process of a motorcyclist riding between lanes of stopped or slower moving traffic or moving between lanes to the front of traffic stopped at a traffic light.”
It’s also known as lane-sharing, filtering, or white-lining.
Part of the OTS’ guidelines is the “four R’s”:
–Be reasonable.
–Be responsible.
–Be respectful.
–Be aware of roadway hazards.
Basically: ride safe and ride smart when you lane-split.
And, believe it or not, the OTS says that other motorists should obey these general rules of the road when it comes to lane-splitting motorcyclists:
–Remember that these motorcyclists aren’t lawbreakers, since lane-splitting “is not illegal in California” as long as it’s “done in a safe and prudent manner.”
–“Intentionally blocking or impeding” lane-splitting in any way that could harm a motorcyclist is illegal.
–Opening a door onto a motorcyclist is also illegal.
–Check your mirrors or blind spots, which can save you the trouble of inadvertently hitting a lane-splitter.
But don’t get too pissy, Mister Motorist. Without those guidelines to protect the Golden State’s much-loved motorcycle culture, some seminal parts of American pop culture might be unrecognizable: Billy and Captain America might’ve opened their “Easy Rider” roadtrip in an entirely different place; “Sons of Anarchy’s” S.A.M.C.R.O. might be riders in Nevada instead of NorCal; and Route 66 might not be the open-road Mecca it is for motorcyclists everywhere.
Nevada Legalization Effort Stalls, Brings Up Questions
Just as California traffic safety officials released guidelines in the hopes of managing lane-splitting safety, lawmakers in nearby Nevada looked to do the same safety management with AB 236.
Lane-splitting, currently illegal by Nevada law, would have been legalized by AB 236 under certain provisos, like not riding faster than 30 mph. As the bill progressed through the legislative process, those provisos got more restrictive.
After overwhelming support in the Nevada Assembly, state senators added an amendment that would have made lane-splitting legal only at 10 mph.
The amendment didn’t stop senators from voting the bill down in May, which still leaves lane-splitters in Nevada on the wrong side of the law.
Consider the Motorcyclist’s Perspective
But the debate over AB 236 highlights the issue in interesting ways.
Lane-splitters might seem inherently dangerous to average drivers, but they likely don’t consider the life of a motorcyclist without the option of lane-splitting:
A motorcyclist could easily end up a fatal statistic when sandwiched between two cars.
Traffic safety officials in Nevada released this presentation during the debate over AB 236, showing that 1 out of every 5 motorcycle crashes in 2011 involved rear-ending. What’s worse is such crashes are “more dangerous,” with 80 percent of them ending in injury or death.
To put it bluntly, Nevada Assemblyman Richard Carrillo (a self-described “rider”) offered this perspectiveas lawmakers debated AB 236:
“Will I have a Chevrolet emblem on my forehead when they decide to squish me between their car and the vehicle that is stopped? Sometimes it is a little unnerving.”
California Proposal Sought Stricter Rules
A legislative effort in California about lane-splitting also stalled this year. But SB 350 would have imposed stricter rules on lane-splitters than Nevada’s AB 236, including whittling the practice of lane-splitting down to legal only when on divided highways with three or more lanes and in traffic jams.
SB 350 was ultimately withdrawn, with its legislative sponsor saying that he would wait on the results of a safety study from the University of California Berkeley to mull reviving his effort.
Helmet Use Also at Forefront of Debate for Motorcyclists
In yet another state, Michigan, the major question over motorcyclists is not about lane-splitting but helmet use instead.
According to an analysis from the Highway Loss Data Institute released in May, injury claims for Medpay, (a type of coverage for motorcyclists’ crash injuries) in Michigan got more severe after the state loosened its rules on helmet use in 2012.
What changed was requiring riders under 21 years old to use helmets, instead of previously requiring all riders to do so.
“Motorcyclists are sustaining more injuries per crash or more serious ones after the law change than before,” HLDI vice president Matt Moore said in a statement.
And, unlike lane-splitting, states across the U.S. have a patchwork of rules when it comes to helmet use. Twenty-eight states have helmet laws that cover segments of the motorcycling population (usually underage riders), 19 require helmet use for all motorcyclists, and three have no helmet requirements at all.
Go Easy, Rider
Back on the topic of lane-splitting, the final word from motorists about whether they’re okay with it or not is (forgive the pun) pretty much split.
An OTS survey released before the new lane-splitting guidelines showed that, a sizable 40 percent of all respondents erroneously thought lane-splitting is illegal.
The survey also revealed a scary stat: 1 out of every 10 lane-splitters had been hit by a vehicle.
A few more scary stats came from the survey’s findings about lane-splitters who reported that they had been hit by cars: 1.5 percent were run over by the car; 3.3 percent were hit by one or more cars; almost 10 percent were knocked down; just over 8 percent had severe injuries; and a little more than 13 percent sustained scrapes and bruises.
So listen to the California OTS and go easy, rider — their guidelines might just keep you safe.
With no laws explicitly prohibiting or allowing the practice, California is the only state in the U.S. where lane-splitting motorcyclists face no legal restrictions.
(Photo courtesy of Nathan Bittinger)

Used Cars and Auto Insurance: Things to Consider before Making a Purchase

by Charles Nguyen , Online Auto Insurance Articles Team
Category: Buy 
Tuesday, July 9, 2013 3:27 pm

According to the National Automobile Dealers Association, used car prices remain relatively high, but the good news is prices may be coming down. In its latest guide on the used car industry, the monthly average price of used cars up to eight years in age dropped 2.1 percent in May, which is its largest monthly drop since October.
The reasons: “favorable credit conditions, relatively stable gasoline prices, rising consumer confidence, and rising home prices,” according to the June guide.
But before making a purchase, there are some considerations to make about how you’ll cover that used car with appropriate auto insurance.
How Much Is the Car Worth?
The first question to ask: How valuable is that used car? This will be an important factor in making your auto insurance decisions.
You should use resources like Kelley Blue Book to find out, since insurers will look at the actual cash value of the car—not necessarily the price you paid for it. And in some cases, insurers won’t even stick to the Blue Book price.
Let’s remember a steadfast rule in insurance: the more valuable your car is, the pricier your coverage is going to be. The reasoning: an insurer risks pricier replacements or repairs on a more valuable vehicle.
Do You Need That Coverage?
The value of your car will help determine your premium, but it’ll also help you figure out which coverage types to include in a policy.
Unlike most new car purchases, with a used car you’ll have options on whether to include comprehensive and collision coverage. These coverages help pay for repairs to your own car. Collision protects you financially when your vehicle has been damaged in situations such as single-car crashes, or multicar crashes that you caused. Comprehensive protects against a number of other-than-collision cases, like theft, vandalism, and fire.
If the value of that used car is rock bottom, you might consider dropping the extra comprehensive coverage purchase, since protecting it against theft and vandalism might not be worth it. (Who wants to steal or key an old beater?)
In the instance of collision coverage, an older car valued at a low price might preclude you from purchasing that additional protection. You need to weigh how much it would cost to replace the car against how much you’ll be paying in premiums.
According to the Insurance Information Institute, collision and/or comprehensive coverage might not be cost-effective if the car is worth less than 10 times the annual premium.
What Will Your Deductible Be?
Your deductible is an amount you select before buying your coverage that you’ll have to pay before the insurer will start covering repairs. Selecting a higher deductible will lower the premium you pay for coverage, but that also means you’ll have to pay more out of pocket after an accident if you want your coverage to kick in.
So, again, consider the value of the car. If the used car is low in value and you can pass over repairs after an accident, consider a high deductible for lower premium rates or even ditching the coverage altogether.
A prime example: If an old used beater of a car is valued at $1,000, you probably shouldn’t buy collision coverage with a deductible of $500, since that means the policy will only provide $500 worth of coverage.
But if you have a high-value used car that you’ll want to repair right when a crash occurs, you’ll want to consider the low deductible. Sure, that means higher insurance premiums, but it also means that you’ll pay an affordable deductible before the insurer begins paying for the rest.
When shopping coverage, see how much comp and collision cost at different deductible levels, and weigh for yourself whether the extra risk of out-of-pocket costs is worth it.
Is That Really the Final Price?
Remember that you can still net a few discounts on coverage, whether you’re driving a new or used car, if you take a driver education course or have certain safety features for the vehicle. So those are options to consider if the final premium price tag is too high and you want to knock it down a little.
Is That Car Safe?
More important than how a used car looks or how to insure it may be finding out where it comes from. You don’t have to trust sweet-talk from your dealer and/or seller on this one. You can find free and easy-to-use tools online to do your investigating for you.
Carfax, AutoCheck, and VINCheck all offer background check services for free. Those services all reference title information from the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS), a government database storing backgrounds of vehicles.
All you’ll need is the car’s vehicle identification number, and the report will return information on whether or not the car has a history that involves it being flooded, salvaged, and/or totaled.

Permission is granted to republish this article, free of charge, as long as embedded links remain intact and articles are not changed, edited, or reworded.

Answers To Your Auto Insurance Questions

It is commonly believed that understanding the intricacies of car insurance is hard. Learning more destroys confusion like anything in life.

You should review all after-market equipment you intend to install on your car with your insurance agent, so that you can be sure it gets covered properly. You may put out $1,000 for a fancy stereo system for your car, but if the car is stolen, your insurance is only going to reimburse you for the $30 value they add to your car's actual function.

The majority of people think car insurance rates for young drivers will drastically decrease as soon as they turn twenty-five. The reality is that after the driver has reached the age of 18, the rate starts gradually dropping.

To save money on insurance, ride public transportation or ride with co-workers. Driving less is one great way to show responsibility as a consumer and impress your insurance company. Many providers also offer discounts for commuting.

Instead of spreading out your car insurance payments, pay it yearly or every six months. On average, your car insurance provider could be adding $3 to $5 to your bill. This may seem insignificant, but this can drain your wallet. You also do not need another monthly bill. This is good incentive to lower the number of payments.

Make certain that property damage liability coverage is included in your policy. If you cause property damage in an accident, this type of coverage will protect your assets. The majority of states in the U.S. requires this liability. Although you must invest money, it will be worth the cost if you get in an accident.

Trade in your sports car for something more insurance friendly. Sports cars are going to cost you a lot more to insure. Purchase a car that is more low-profile. When it comes to insurance, larger motors cost more to insure. Sports cars are a hot target for thieves, and this can drive up your premiums significantly.

Maintaining a good driving record is key to getting the best insurance premiums possible. A car accident can bump up your rates faster than anything else. Always drive within your own capacity and stay away from dangerous conditions. For example, if you have a hard time seeing the road late at night, avoid driving during this time.

Every tip that was mentioned in this article can certainly be useful for most of the people out there. Take the tips here, and use them with whatever type of car insurance you are needing. You can get the amount of coverage that makes you feel secure along with a price that is affordable by using the information from this article.

Condominium owners coverage basics

Condominium coverage is available to condominium and co-op owners, and bridges the gap between your condo association's master policy (which insures property owned by all unit owners) and your property and personal liability protection.

The master policy includes coverage for the actual building in which you reside, as well as common property like a pool or gazebo.

Your condominium owners policy offers you the following important protection:

Personal Property Coverage

A condominium owners policy provides coverage for your furniture and personal possessions against such covered hazards as fire, lightning, windstorm, hail, explosion, collapse, smoke or vandalism. This is also called Contents Coverage and it ensures that your damaged or destroyed property is protected...up to the amount of insurance protection you purchase.

Theft protection: the condominium owners policy also protects your property against practically every type of theft loss in your condo or anywhere in the world. Also included is coverage for thefts from your unattended car or boat, even if there is no evidence of forced entry.

Special coverage for important possessions: Most condo policies offer special amounts of coverage for certain types of property. For example,

$200 for money and coins

$1,000 for theft of jewelry, watches or furs

$2,000 for theft of firearms

$2,500 for business property at home.

You can choose to increase these amounts if you like.

Optional Property Coverages

Every home is different. You may require special coverages for your individual needs. The following coverages can be purchased separately:

Broadened Coverage for Contents: provides "all-risk" protection for your possessions. This means that your personal property is covered in most situations, regardless of the cause of loss.

Contents Replacement Cost: pays full cost to repair or replace most personal property in your condo with no deduction for depreciation.

Valuable Items Plus: provides higher limits and worldwide protection for special property such as jewelry, silverware, fine art, furs, cameras, firearms, musical instruments, and home computers for an extended variety of losses. For your convenience, no appraisal or listing of insured items is required.

Additional Coverage Endorsement (ACE): extends protection or increases limits on special types of property (for example: jewelry, firearms, or silverware). This coverage also increases personal liability coverage by $100,000 and includes coverage for personal injury.

Coverage for other structures: you may own other structures that are not part of your basic condo unit (such as a carport, detached garage or storage shed). If these structures are not considered to be common property, they are not covered under your Association's Master Policy. This add-on coverage would insure these other structures.

Personal Liability Protection

Liability coverage is important protection in the event that you are sued for accidentally hurting other people or damaging their property. Personal liability helps to cover the associated legal costs and related damages. Most condo owners policies provide $100,000 (minimum) of financial protection against liability claims and lawsuits brought by others for accidental bodily injury or damage to their property:

while in your condo

caused by your personal activities, including most sports

caused by your children or pets.

Medical payments: Most policies will pay up to $1,000 per person in medical bills -- regardless of your legal responsibility -- when an accident involves bodily injury to others. Higher coverage amounts are available.

Damage to property of others: Should you accidentally damage someone else's personal property while that property is in your care, your condo owners policy will pay up to $500 for each occurrence

Condo Additional Living Expenses

If your unit is damaged and you have to move out while it's being repaired, you're covered! The policy pays for all necessary living expenses (hotel, meals, laundry, etc.)...up to 40% of the contents coverage amount you selected.

Additions and Alterations

Once we move into a new home, we often make improvements. According to your condominium declaration and/or bylaws, you may be responsible for interior parts of your unit such as glass, walls and doors.

Additions, alterations and other improvements made to your unit are also covered. For example, if you or a previous owner installed built-in appliances, wall-to-wall carpeting, upgraded kitchen cabinets, etc., they are insured up to $2,500 (however, you can choose to increase this amount).

Loss Assessment Coverage

Condominium coverage provides up to $1,000 of protection against financial loss if damage to commonly owned property exceeds the amount of coverage in the Master Policy. If your condo association is forced to assess all unit owners for the additional loss (or for personal liability claims against the association), you're covered!

Choosing Your Condo Deductibles

A deductible is the amount of loss you agree to assume before your insurance coverage takes over. The higher your deductible, the lower the cost of your policy premium. The deductible applies to property losses only. Liability protection does not require a deductible.

Understanding your home insurance coverage

Understanding your home insurance coverage

Homeowners insurance provides financial protection in the event that your home or its contents are damaged. It also provides protection if you or a family member are held legally responsible (liable) for the injuries to others or damage to their property. It's also required by most mortgage lenders.

There are different types of insurance policies that cover your home. They range from a basic policy, to those that will provide a much broader ranger of protection. Not all policies and coverages are available in all states.
What's covered; what's not

Most homeowners insurance policies will cover damage caused by such perils as fire, windstorms, hail, lightning, theft or vandalism. There are other homeowners policies that cover additional perils as well. Typically, floods and earthquakes are excluded. It's important to talk to your agent or Travelers representative to learn what your policy may and may not cover. And for those perils that are not covered, there may be supplemental insurance you can purchase.
What most standard homeowners policies provide

    Dwelling coverage

. Pays to repair or rebuild your home - including electrical wiring, plumbing, and heating and air conditioning - if damaged by a covered cause of loss. It's important to buy enough dwelling coverage to cover the cost to rebuild. Learn more about cost to rebuild.

    Other structures coverage. Pays for damages to detached structures like garages, sheds, fences and cottages on your property.

    Personal property coverage. Reimburses you for the personal items in your home that may be damaged or destroyed by a covered cause of loss, which could include your furniture, clothes, sporting goods and electronics. Learn more about Travelers Personal Property insurance.

    Loss of use coverage. Pays your additional housing and living expenses if you must move out of your home temporarily while it's being restored. Learn more about Travelers Loss of Use insurance.

    Liability insurance. Helps protect your assets and cover your defense costs in the event of a lawsuit because you or your family members are responsible for causing injuries or damage to other people or their property. Learn more about Travelers Liability insurance.

    Additional home coverages. There are a number of additional coverages you can add on to your homeowners policy to help you meet your insurance needs.

TYPES OF AUTO INSURANCES

Get the auto insurance that will help protect you

When you're shopping for auto insurance, you want to be adequately covered in case of an accident. After all, you're protecting your life and your investment, as well as the lives of those around you. So, here's a quick primer that outlines the basics of auto coverage :

Liability coverage is the most important coverage and is required in most states. Basically, if you cause an accident, hurt someone or damage someone's property, it can pay for covered damages and to defend you if a lawsuit results. Learn more about liability coverage.

Collision coverage helps pay for damage to your vehicle if your car hits another car or object, is hit by another car, or your vehicle rolls over. This coverage is generally required if your car is financed or leased. Learn more about collision coverage.

Comprehensive coverage helps pay for damage to your vehicle that is not caused by a collision. Examples include theft, vandalism, hitting a deer or other animal, storms and certain natural disasters. Learn more about comprehensive coverage.

Medical payments coverage helps pay for covered medical expenses for anyone injured while in your vehicle, regardless of who is at fault. Learn more about medical payments coverage.

Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage can help pay for damages and medical costs resulting from an accident caused by someone who has no insurance or inadequate insurance coverage. Learn more about uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.

Personal injury protection (PIP), also called no-fault insurance is available in certain states and pays medical expenses, and in some cases lost wages and other damages regardless of who is at fault in an accident. Learn more about personal injury – no fault – insurance protection.

In addition to these basic coverages, you can choose from a host of optional coverages to create a customized auto policy that meets your individual needs.

Be confident in your insurance choices. Contact your agent or Travelers representative today. We'll work with you to develop an auto insurance policy that fits your needs and your budget.

AUTO INSURANCE

                 

Get good protection with the right auto insurance

Whatever you drive, you have a lot riding on those wheels: Your loved ones and your peace of mind. Choosing the right auto insurance can help protect you from the risks of the road. At Travelers, we'll work with you from the start to help protect you wherever you go.

Car insurance tailored to you

A Travelers car insurance policy can cover:

• Bodily injury liability
• Property damage liability
• Injuries caused by uninsured/underinsured motorists
• Medical payments
• Comprehensive damage from events like fire and theft
• Collisions with other vehicles and objects

You can also add rental reimbursement coverage, repair or replacement collision coverage, towing and labor coverage, gap insurance and more.

Savings for car safety features and more

In addition to our competitive insurance rates, you may be eligible for more than 15 money-saving discounts and advantages, including some based on your car's safety features – e.g. airbags, anti-lock brakes or anti-theft devices – or even for your young driver's grades. Hybrid cars may qualify for yet another reduction.

And, you could save up to 20 percent on your auto insurance when you buy other Travelers insurance policies such as homeowners insurance, personal liability umbrella insurance and boat and yacht insurance.

Travelers will be there when you need us

In the event of a loss, we know you want it resolved quickly. With Travelers, you get:

Fast, efficient claim service and 24/7 claim reporting

More than 12,000 claim professionals located across the country and more than 100 points of service to respond quickly to routine and catastrophic claims

Employees, expertly trained at Travelers Claim University, to inspect your property/auto in the event of a loss

Catastrophe response teams and vans that mobilize fast in the event of a severe weather event or disaster

We've been providing trusted service for more than a hundred years, and we'll be there for you.

Be confident in your insurance choices. Contact your Travelers representative today. We'll work with you to develop an auto insurance policy that fits your needs and your budget.

For our Buying Early Advantage, you must obtain your auto insurance quote at least 8 days in advance of your desired policy start date. Actual number of days may vary by state. Not available everywhere. $60 average savings is based on Travelers new business auto customers countrywide who qualified for our Buying Early Advantage between January 1, 2008 and March 31, 2012.

$468 average savings based on new direct auto policyholders countrywide who reported savings to Travelers in 2011.

Individual savings may vary. Savings not guaranteed. Savings message not applicable in MA.

The information on this site is general in nature. Any description of coverage is necessarily simplified. Whether a particular loss is covered depends on the specific facts and the provisions, exclusions and limits of the actual policy. Nothing on this site alters the terms or conditions of any of our policies. You should read the policy for a complete description of coverage. Coverage options, limits, discounts, features, deductibles and repair options are subject to availability and to individuals meeting our underwriting criteria. Not all features available in all areas.