Have You Wondered How to Get a GED Online?

How To Get GED ?

A lot of people who need to get a GED wonder how to get a GED online. It seems like you can do almost everything online now. Why not a GED diploma? But you can’t take your GED online. The GED exam is only given at local GED test locations. Taking the GED test online isn’t allowed because you need to: (1) show your ID to prove who you are, and (2) follow the test-taking rules to qualify for an official credential. The GED test is worthwhile because employers and colleges know it’s an official test and measures your skills well. Taking the GED test at one of the official GED locations proves what you know.
But there’s more to the GED exam than just the test. When you wonder how to get a GED online, are you just talking about the test? Or are you talking about what it really takes to get a GED diploma: being prepared? If you wonder how to get a GED online through online GED classes and even free GED resources, that’s definitely possible. The GED Academy provides online GED programs in every subject area. You can also get GED online free resources, to study on your own.

Chrysler 300: lujo y potencia - El Nuevo Dia.com

Este auto fue diseñado para ser el vehículo más tecnológico y avanzado de su clase.

Diseñado para ser el vehículo más tecnológico y avanzado de su clase, el Chrysler 300 cuenta con detalles únicos que personifican la esencia de la marca. con un diseño expresivo, niveles de calidad y eficiencia de clase mundial, el 300 fue creado para ser el vehículo con los más altos estándares de seguridad en su clase. El Chrysler 300 proporciona a los clientes un estilo elegante, gran rendimiento, comodidad, precisión, refinamiento y materiales de primera calidad convirtiéndolo en la mejor opción en su clase. Los modelos 300S y 300SRT8 ofrecen a los consumidores la misma calidad, elegancia y potencia de la marca Chrysler, con un toque deportivo, al lujo que le caracteriza.  El 300S ofrece un aspecto más dinámico, agresivo, un toque deportivo que atrae a un público más joven afanado por el desempeño. Su nueva opción de motor Pentastar V6 lo hace aún más interesante al ofrecer mayor rendimiento en combustible, sin perder su potencia y comodidad.  Sus interiores, color negro o rojo, muestran los pequeños detalles que definen la comodidad de un vehículo.   Por su parte, el 300 SRT8 es un sueño hecho realidad para los entusiastas de los sedanes deportivos. Centrado en el rendimiento demostrándolo con su nuevo motor de 6.4L HEMI y su tecnología Fuel Saber.Este motor ofrece 470 caballos de fuerza y 470 de torque, alcanzando las 60 millas en cuatro segundos.  Su nuevo modelo cuenta con dos amortiguadores de suspensión adaptativa (ADS, por sus siglas en inglés), así como la opción de manejarlo de manera automática o sport.  El 300 SRT8 cuenta también con una exclusiva parrilla delantera, que lo diferencia de los demás, y detalles en la carrocería que demuestran su lado elegante y deportivo.Todos los modelos de 300 continúan evolucionando en cuanto a la calidad y comodidad de sus interiores,  en la seducción de los detalles y en mejoras físicas en el exterior del vehículo, manteniendo sus más de 65 características de seguridad.   Además, está equipado con control de acondicionador de aire individual para el conductor y los pasajeros, radio ''touch-screen'' con pantalla de 8.4 pulgadas y señal por satélite SiriusXM, opción con cámara retrovisora, sistema UConnect Voice Command con Bluetooth.  El Chrysler 300 fue nombrado como vehículo ''Top Safety Pick'' por el Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, nominado como ''Car of the Year'' por Motor Trend y nombrado ''Best Buy'' por Consumers Digest.

INSURANCE CAR

Insurance company told to honour claim for man who left car ... - Indian Express

Motorists should beware alighting from their car at night, leaving their vehicle by the roadside to answer the call of nature. City resident Bakshish Singh of Sector 49 had to knock the doors of the UT Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum to get the insurance claim for his vehicle after he had left his car for some time on the roadside, and car-jackers sped away with it near the Balongi Bridge at Mohali.

The UT Consumer Forum allowed Singh's claim and directed the insurance company to compensate him for the loss of the car. The Forum directed the company to pay Rs 5.99 lakh to Singh as the insured declared value of his vehicle along with interest at the rate of 9 per cent per annum from the date on which his claim was denied (December 2009). The Forum also directed the firm to pay Rs 7,000 to Singh as cost of litigation.

The insurance company filed an appeal in the UT Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission regarding the Forum's order. The Commission upheld the order of the Forum.

Singh had complained to the Forum that in May 2009, he was returning home after attending a function at about 11.45 pm. He stopped near Balongi Bridge in Mohali to answer the call of nature. On coming back to his car, he found four persons fiddling with it. Singh said that when he tried to stop them, they snatched the ignition keys from him and sped away in the car.

... contd.

Tags: Insurance company, Bakshish Singh, UT Consumer Forum

INSURANCE CAR

Insurance industry to signpost services for older customers - Finance Markets

 

A new initiative by the insurance industry and the UK government should make it easier for older customers to find motor and travel insurance.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has entered into an agreement with the UK Government and the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA), requiring insurers and brokers to refer clients to another provider if they are unable to offer car or travel insurance because of age limits on their policies.

Alternatively older clients may be referred to a signposting service, such as BIBA’s ‘Find a Broker’ service.

BIBA will publish details of enquiries to the service, and the ABI will publish data on the cost of motor and travel insurance, categorised according to age.

The agreement covers ABI and BIBA members, but companies that are not members of the organisations are not forced to comply with the new rule.

Otto Thoresen, director general at the ABI, said: “The insurance industry wants to ensure that older people get the best possible insurance deal, by having as wide access to the motor and travel insurance markets as possible.

“This agreement shows how the industry can work with Government to increase access to insurance, improve transparency, while preserving insurers’ ability to assess and price risk fairly.”

Earlier this week LV= announced the removal of the upper age on its motor insurance policies.

LV= formerly refused to insure drivers over the age of 86 years, unless they were existing customers.

John O’Roarke, managing director of LV= car insurance, said: “We were one of the first insurers to remove the upper age limit on our travel insurance policies and now we are extending this to our car insurance customers.

“People are living longer and driving until much later in life and now they have peace of mind that they can continue to find cover with us.”

Tags: Association of British Insurers, British Insurance Brokers' Association, LV=, motor insurance, travel insurance

INSURANCE CAR

Insurance a poor analogy - Ventura County Star

Recent letters to the editor have acknowledged that the Obamacare mandate for purchasing health insurance is the same as government mandated compulsory auto insurance.

Proponents of Obamacare often cite this supposed relationship to support the constitutionality of the mandate. I understand why some may accept the argument since respected media figures and even conservative politicians often do so.

But here are the facts: No state I know of makes you to carry insurance on your car. Period. States have financial responsibility laws requiring you to insure for damages you may inflict on others. This is called liability insurance and is a reasonable requirement for anyone using public roads. Who wants to share the road with uninsured motorists lacking financial resources?

One is free to legally drive his $90,000 BMW for example, with no insurance for damages to the vehicle itself. Some people even drop such coverage on older vehicles that may be worth less than the insurance premiums. Of course, if the bank owns most of your car they will require you to insure it for collision, fire, theft, etc. to prevent you from defaulting on your loan after a total loss.

Obamacare requires you buy health insurance for your own body, not for injuries to others. So there is no analogy to compulsory auto insurance, which is regulated by states, not the federal government. There may be legitimate arguments one can make for Obamacare. Compulsory auto insurance is not one of them.

- John Relle,

Thousand Oaks

INSURANCE CAR

Car insurance: satellite boxes 'make young drivers safer' - The Guardian

Telematics or 'blackbox' insurance involves in-car tracking equipment to monitor driving behaviour. Photograph: Chris Rout /Alamy

Car insurance based on satellite technology has led to a 20% fall in crashes involving young drivers, according to one of the UK's biggest general insurers.

Telematics, or "black box" insurance, involves in-car tracking equipment to monitor driving behaviour such as braking and acceleration, cornering, speed and what time of day the car is driven. The data is then used to calculate insurance premiums: the better the driving, the lower the premium.

Co-operative Insurance has analysed the driving habits of 10,000 telematics insurance customers aged 17 to 25 across the UK, finding that they were 20% less likely to have a crash than those with standard insurance. Telematics customers have less serious accidents, with a typical claim 30% less than ordinary customers.

Young drivers have faced swingeing increases in insurance costs in the past two years. Premiums for men aged 40 to 49 have gone up by 6% since April 2010, but for those aged 17 to 22 they have increased by 40%, according to the AA. Those aged 23 to 29 have seen increases of 35%.

"It's predominantly because of the size of claims, as opposed to frequency," says Ian Crowder, AA spokesman. "Accidents involving younger drivers, particularly men, are more likely to result in death or serious injury."

Last year the AA incurred two claims in excess of £5m: both involved young male drivers aged 18. One rolled his car; his girlfriend, a passenger, will spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair. The other crashed head-on into another car while overtaking. The 18-year-old driver and two passengers in the back were injured. The front seat passenger and driver of the other car were killed.

The AA launched its own telematics insurance two months ago and says it is too soon to see any benefits. Crowder admits that those opting for such a scheme are likely to be safer drivers, but the AA hopes that other drivers will see the cost benefits.

Thomas Mason from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, started driving his father's Peugeot 106 last year after his 17th birthday. The Co-op charged £2,100 for a policy including Thomas as a named driver. This included a £236 discount for telematics technology and was the cheapest policy they could find at the time. But Thomas (and his father) have driven so carefully in the past 12 months that the Co-op has cut the cost of renewing the policy to £847. Mason said: "You can't see the technology - it's installed under the dashboard, but you can check how you are doing by logging onto the website at home. You are given a score for your driving each day between 0 and 5, with 5 being the best. If you do things like driving fast round corners, or driving after 11pm and before 6am, your score drops."It does change the way you drive - it makes you more careful and aware of other drivers."

Telematics were introduced to 5,000 cars in the UK by Aviva in 2006 in a pilot scheme. The "pay as you drive" insurance was based on a mileage basis as well as the driver's performance, meaning that older drivers who tend do driver shorter distances, could also benefit from the scheme. But the technology was new and expensive. Customers paid £50 towards installation and some drivers were concernedthat technology which tracked their every movecould impinge on their civil liberties, and worse, reveal to their spouses where they had been. Take-up was low and the product was withdrawn after two years.

But telematics products now on the market offer the technology forfree, and a look at the online "dashboard" of the AA's Ian Crowder gives no indication at all of which roads he has taken. While it says he is good at anticipating traffic and the road ahead, reasonable at avoiding driving at night, and below average at keeping at reasonable speeds, there is no mention of where he has been. He gets an an overall score of 59 out of 100 – "not good enough to cut my premiums," he said mournfully.

Only Crowder and his insurer can access this information unless he gives his login details to others. The police can obtain data with a court order, but only if he is believed to have broken the law in some way or endangered the lives of others through his driving.

The AA believes that drivers are more ready to accept surveillance of their driving now than when Aviva first piloted the scheme. "The equipment is more sophisticated and cheaper now, and it is more socially acceptable to have gadgets in your car that monitor your every move," Crowder said. " "We're all used to CCTV, clocking in and out of work with pass cards, and the fact that we can be located by the pin pointing of our mobiles. All of these things work for our security, just as the telematics insurance does."

The technology has helped the police recover several stolen cars: one was tracked down within 20 minutes and the thief arrested. Drivers can also use the information gathered to prove that they are not at fault for accidents by speeding or jumping traffic lights. But insurers believe telematics will come into its own from December, when an EU directive will force them to stop using gender to determine risk. Until now, claims data has pointed to young men and older women being the most likely to claim on their policies, and insurers have hiked their premiums in line with the increased risk.

But as soon as sex becomes a forbidden subject for underwriters, insurers could find the prospect of gender neutral telematics much more attractive.

Crowder said: "This type of insurance accounts for less than 10% of the market right now. But I wouldn't mind betting that in 10 years time it will be closer to 50%."

INSURANCE CAR

Our View: Low-income car insurance plan works - Merced Sun-Star

Whether individuals should be mandated to have health insurance is up for national debate and a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. Whether they must have car insurance is not. Every vehicle owned and operated in California must have at least basic liability coverage.

Despite the requirement, the state Insurance Commissioner estimates that 15 percent of the cars on the road do not have insurance. Cost is a primary reason. But there is a low-cost auto insurance program available to adults with modest incomes and good driving records.

The Low Cost Automobile Insurance Program is sponsored by the state but is not subsidized with taxpayers dollars, and the insurance is provided by commercial insurance companies. The cost for basic liability coverage is promised to be less than $400 per year, and in our region, it is significantly less. Some counties will see a rate reduction in May. There is a surcharge for single male drivers under 25.

Consumers also can buy coverage for uninsured motorist and medical payments. Comprehensive and collision coverage is not part of this program. Five payment options are available.

This insurance program was started as an experiment in 1999 and expanded over the years to be available statewide. It became available here in the valley in 2006. Other states are expressing an interest in trying the same kind of program to address the problem of uninsured drivers, said Dave Jones, insurance commissioner, who visited The Modesto Bee's editorial board last month.

We see this as a program with many benefits and few drawbacks. While the insurance commissioner's office promotes it, the coverage is provided by private insurance companies. They get new customers -- and the potential to sell those customers expanded coverage. Low-income motorists benefit, but so do all insured drivers who dread the idea of being involved in an accident with someone with no insurance.

Only a few hundred people from our region are currently acquiring low-cost auto insurance through this program. One reason for the low response may be that eligible drivers just don't know about it.

The insurance commissioner's office is using billboards, texting campaigns and other strategies to get the word out about this worthwhile program to help all good drivers have access to affordable auto liability insurance. If you know family members, friends, neighbors or others who might qualify, please share this information with them.

Rates by county

• Merced — $248, decreasing to $231 as of May 15

• San Joaquin — $314, decreasing to $287 as of May 15

• Tuolumne — $264, decreasing to $248 as of May 15

• Calaveras — $264

• Mariposa — $264

• Madera — $248

Eligibility

• Good driving record

• at least 19 years old

• Continuously licensed to drive for three years

• Own a vehicle valued at $20,000 or less

• Meet income eligibility requirements ($27,225 for one person, $36,775 for two people, up to $55,875 for a family of four)

for more information: (866) 602-8861; www.mylowcostauto.com; or text “lowcost” to 65374.

INSURANCE CAR

Elephant.co.uk Reveals Research on Problematic Parallel Parking - Sacramento Bee

This section contains unedited press releases distributed by PR Newswire. These releases reflect the views of the issuing entity and are not reviewed or edited by the Sacramento Bee staff. More information on PR Newswire can be found on their web site. You can contact the service with questions or concerns here.

CARDIFF, Wales, April 5, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ --

elephant.co.uk has discovered just how problematic parallel parking is for British motorists. It might seem like a simple, everyday activity, but new research suggests parking is a real headache for many motorists in the UK.

New research by car insurance specialist, elephant.co.uk has revealed one in five (21%) motorists can rarely or never parallel park with three-fifths (58%) giving up and driving off because they haven't been able to manoeuvre their car into a space.  More than one in ten (13%) motorists also admit they avoid parallel parking altogether.

Parallel parking was introduced to the driving test in the early 1990s, but according to the study, it's younger drivers that have the hardest time parallel parking, despite being the most likely to have been taught in their driving lessons (77%). Almost a third (29%) of drivers aged between 18 and 24 can rarely or never parallel park and are the most likely to avoid parallel parking altogether (16%).

The over 45s are the least likely to have been taught how to parallel park when they learnt to drive, however less than a fifth (18%) say they can rarely or never parallel park. The over 45s are also one of the least likely age groups to avoid parallel parking altogether (12%).

elephant.co.uk surveyed 2,000 motorists and found the average motorist will spend 4 minutes attempting to park their car into a space before giving up.  Some motorists, however, spend much longer. One in seven (14%) will spend between 5 and 15 minutes and 1% said they will even spend more than 30 minutes attempting to park their car.

In fact, the research revealed parking is such a struggle for some people they resort to getting someone else to park for them. A quarter of motorists (25%) have got someone else to park their car with 59% asking their spouse or partner, 37% another friend or relative and 4% even asking a stranger.

elephant.co.uk managing director, Brian Martin said: "It doesn't matter if you're a new driver or if you've been doing it for years, parking can be tricky and parallel parking in particular does seem to be a challenge for many drivers.

"It seems the pressure of someone waiting for you makes the task of parking that much harder. Three fifths (59%) of motorists told us they find it more difficult to park if another motorist is stopped waiting for them to manoeuvre into a space and I can't help but agree!"

A third of drivers (34%) also said they would like to be taught how to parallel park now given the opportunity with more 18 to 24 year olds, than any other age group, wishing they could be taught again; 40% compared to 34% overall.

To help those motorists who struggle to parallel park and give everyone else a parking refresher, elephant.co.uk has joined forces with Fifth Gear's Tim Shaw and stunt driver and double British Autotest Champion, Alastair Moffat to share with motorists the key to parking with ease every time.

People can visit http://www.elephant.co.uk/parking to watch the short film and discover a sure fire way to parallel park every time, no matter what vehicle they're driving.

About elephant.co.uk:

elephant.co.uk was launched in August 2000 and has over 485,000 customers. elephant.co.uk is a trading name of EUI Limited and is part of the Admiral Group plc.

elephant.co.uk specialises in providing online car insurance on the Internet. elephant.co.uk targets 17-35 year-olds living in cities, who traditionally pay higher premiums for car insurance elephant.co.uk is proud to support Tusk throughout 2011.

elephant.co.uk writes its motor insurance business to a consortium of insurers, these being: Admiral Insurance Company Ltd, Admiral Insurance (Gibraltar) Limited and Great Lakes Reinsurance (UK) plc.

PR Contact: Natalie Grimshare Elephant.co.uk Capital Tower Greyfriars Road Cardiff CF10 3AZ +44(0)29-2043-4333 http://www.elephant.co.uk

SOURCE Elephant.co.uk

What You Should Know About Comments on Sacbee.com

Sacbee.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. (See our full terms of service here.)

Here are some rules of the road:

• Keep your comments civil. Don't insult one another or the subjects of our articles. If you think a comment violates our guidelines click the "Report Abuse" link to notify the moderators. Responding to the comment will only encourage bad behavior.

• Don't use profanities, vulgarities or hate speech. This is a general interest news site. Sometimes, there are children present. Don't say anything in a way you wouldn't want your own child to hear.

• Do not attack other users; focus your comments on issues, not individuals.

• Stay on topic. Only post comments relevant to the article at hand.

• Do not copy and paste outside material into the comment box.

• Don't repeat the same comment over and over. We heard you the first time.

• Do not use the commenting system for advertising. That's spam and it isn't allowed.

• Don't use all capital letters. That's akin to yelling and not appreciated by the audience.

• Don't flag other users' comments just because you don't agree with their point of view. Please only flag comments that violate these guidelines.

You should also know that The Sacramento Bee does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "Report Abuse" link to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at feedback@sacbee.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.

If you submit a comment, the user name of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them.

INSURANCE CAR

Letters: Support health insurance mandates - Newsday

Published: April 3, 2012 6:21 PM

The outrage over the health care law that is being shrilly condemned on the campaign trail and AM radio is confusing to me ["Go ahead and declare Obamacare dead," Opinion, April 2].

We're told that being forced to sign up for health insurance is another example of the government trampling our freedoms. Yet no one complains about being forced to have car insurance before putting a car on the road.

I'm pretty sure health care costs are a bigger burden to the economy than car repairs. Given that 5 percent of Americans account for 50 percent of our health care costs, I for one would like to make sure those 5 percent are insured; otherwise we all end up paying in the long run.

Kevin Hassett, Farmingdale

What's the fuss over "Obamacare"? A federal government requirement that all have medical coverage or pay a tax to cover medical insurance when needed is perfectly logical. What person in the United States doesn't need medical insurance?

When an uninsured person shows up in an emergency room, should the hospital refuse treatment because that person refused to have coverage? Or should the hospital treat that person? If treatment is given, who pays?

Of course, it's people who have coverage who end up paying, through increased insurance costs. It's time to get the freeloaders to pay their fair share.

The alternative is to refuse treatment, and in some cases, to leave people to die.

Joseph Marcal, Commack

Be the first to rate: Click to rate

View the original article here

Insurance Car

Insurance Life

Maruti forms new company to re-enter vehicle insurance - Livemint

New Delhi: Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, the nation’s biggest car maker, is set to re-enter the insurance broking business with a licence from the regulator, about two years after it was barred from selling vehicle insurance policies.

The Indian unit of Japan’s Suzuki Motor Corp. has formed Maruti Insurance Broking Pvt. Ltd, which will be chaired by Mayank Pareek, managing executive officer (marketing and sales) at Maruti. Pareek confirmed the development.

Maruti had been selling motor insurance under the Maruti Insurance brand since 2002 until it was stopped by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irda) in March 2010 for allegedly violating foreign investment norms. Local rules bar foreign companies from holding more than 26% in an insurance venture.

Second attempt: Maruti sold motor insurance under the Maruti Insurance brand from 2002 until it was stopped by Irda in March 2010 for allegedly violating foreign investment norms. Photo: Mint

Maruti will adhere to the guidelines set by the regulator and has set up a “separate company with separate infrastructure”, Pareek said.

Maruti had sold at least 2.5 million policies in fiscal 2010 before the regulator cancelled its licence. The ban came after local insurers alleged that Maruti service stations were inflating bills and pushing them into losses through hefty claims, Mint had reported in July 2010.

“Around 18 months back, in November 2010, we formed a joint venture company, Maruti Insurance Broking Pvt. Ltd, to take care of this growing insurance business,” the company spokesman said in an email response to a questionnaire sent on 29 March. “Irda accorded a broker licence to the JV (joint venture) company as per its guidelines, around two months back (February 2012).”

Maruti has since established partnerships with insurers to meet the guidelines set by the industry regulator.

“When we were starting the insurance business in 2002, the norms for insurance brokers were still being formulated. The company decided to venture into it under a corporate agency licence,” said another Maruti official, who did not want to be named. “With Irda formulating regulations for insurance brokers, we were asked to change our status as we had tie-ups with various insurance companies.”

With parent Suzuki Motor holding an at least 55% stake in Maruti, the latter will not be able to hold a 74% stake because of its overseas partner’s indirect holding.

“There is equity participation from other companies,” Pareek said, without disclosing details of the partnerships.

“It is a good thing for the company if they are able to circumvent the rules,” said Nikhil Deshpande, research analyst at Pinc Research, a Mumbai-based brokerage. “It’s a source of additional revenue without making any significant investment.”

Maruti declined to answer a question on whether its insurance broking unit will only sell vehicle insurance policies.

Prior to the cancellation of the licence, Maruti was acting as an agent for at least six general insurance firms, including National Insurance Co. Ltd, New India Assurance Co. Ltd, Iffco-Tokio General Insurance Co. Ltd and Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Co. Ltd.

“From the customer perspective, broadly there is no change and she will continue to get the seamless service across the full MSIL (Maruti Suzuki) network. At the same time, for her car, the customer will get a wider spectrum of insurance companies to select from,” the company said in the email response.

The motor insurance market in India is estimated at more than Rs18,000 crore a year, while premium collected on Maruti cars alone is about Rs1,800 crore a year.

In the event of insurance claims, the cars are serviced by the authorized service stations of car makers.

Normally, a dealer takes the initiative of getting in touch with the insurance company, surveying the car and claiming the money from the insurer. The car owner has to pay only the difference between the overall expense and the insurer’s contribution.

Before Maruti started its insurance business, the agents of various insurance companies used to call customers whose premiums were due. Later Maruti decided to aggregate all insurance companies under one umbrella and its dealers started selling policies of these insurance firms, thus removing the involvement of insurance agents in the whole process.

“This way, whatever commission used to go to these brokers started going out to the dealers,” said a third official, who too declined to be named. “While a small portion of that commission was also being paid by the dealers to Maruti.”

Typically, the cost of car insurance is 0.5% of the price of a car, and Maruti dealers used to get about 4-6% of the cost of the insurance.

amrit.r@livemint.com

View the original article here

Insurance Car

Insurance Life

OAIN: Wash. Law Lifts Auto Insurance Penalties for Sharing Services - Seattle Post Intelligencer

Another bill recently made law classifies usage-based rating formulas as trade secrets, according to Online Auto Insurance News.

Seattle, Wash. (PRWEB) April 03, 2012

The chances you can lend out your car for profit is getting better, with another state adding its final touch on legislation safeguarding motorists from previous uncertainty surrounding liability and vehicle sharing, according to Online Auto Insurance News.

Washington State Gov. Christine Gregoire signed HB 2384 late last week, finalizing laws for programs that rent vehicles to drivers for short periods of time. 

Before HB 2384, drivers with private insurance policies would have had their policies invalidated if they were discovered lending out their cars for money, which is considered a commercial use. The bill now legalizes what some have already been doing: making extra income by keeping the cheaper car insurance policies they can find for personal use while lending out their vehicle to a sharing service. It does so by transferring liability from the owner's insurer to the sharing service's insurer while the car is loaned out.

Legislators said the law would yield "transportation, land use, environmental and social benefits."

"This bill provides certainty in the marketplace for insurance companies, brings businesses into the state, helps the environment, reduces the pressure for more transportation investments, and puts money into people's pockets," HB 2384's supporters, including sponsor Rep. Zack Hudgins (D-S. Seattle), said in testimony backing the law, which follows similar provisions passed in California and Oregon.

The Evergreen State's bill defines a "personal vehicle-sharing program" as "a legal entity qualified to do business in this state that facilitates the sharing of private passenger motor vehicles for noncommercial use by individuals within this state." Such programs are "considered the vehicle owner for all purposes" and hold liability when a vehicle's registered owner turns it over to the program for sharing uses.

Such programs in Washington are mandated to provide at least $180,000 worth of liability coverage total for each vehicle used by the service. Also, a program may not provide less collision or comprehensive coverage than the actual cash value of the vehicle, and its owner must be given the option to buy underinsured and personal injury protection coverage.

The bill protects programs from liability for collisions due to information about a car's condition misrepresented by its owner, while the owner is protected from the cost of theft or damage of equipment used in the car-sharing service.

Source: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=2384

Gov. Gregoire also signed into law HB 2361, which might help give Washingtonians access to Progressive's Snapshot program. The new law allows insurers to label formulas used in conjunction with usage-based devices a trade secret, making them free from public inspection.

Such services usually use an in-car recording device that gathers statistics including miles driven by a driver of the insured vehicle, the times he or she is behind the wheel and driving habits that could reward or penalize those motorists through higher or lower rates.

HB 2361 defines who can collect recorder data and what that data can be used for, including prohibiting sale of the data without an owner's consent.

For more on this and other car insurance issues, head to http://www.onlineautoinsurance.com/cheap/ for access to informative resource pages and an easy-to-use quote-comparison generator.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prwebwashington/car-sharing/prweb9362925.htm

View the original article here

Insurance Car

Insurance Life

LV= racks up £99.4m earnings despite battling car insurance fraud ... - This is Money

By This Is Money Reporter

Mutual insurer and savings group LV= overcame an increase in attempted motor insurance fraud and stock market volatility to generate a 10 per cent rise in underlying earnings last year.

The group, which serves more than five million customers and has 2.9million motor insurance policies, reported profits of ?99.4million.

Its life and pensions business saw a 20 per cent rise in profits to ?33.7million, driven by a 15 per cent increase in sales.

Beating crime: Car insurance profits rose despite an increase in fraud attempts

However, a typical 25-year endowment policy maturing last month fell in value by nearly ?3,000 to ?44,108, partly as a result of market turbulence.

The Bournemouth-based group, which is the UK's largest friendly society, previously announced that trading profits at its motor insurance division more than doubled to ?72.1million despite an increase in personal injury claims and attempted fraud.

Chief executive Mike Rogers said: '2011 was a successful year for both the trading businesses.

'General insurance had a very strong year, seeing profits double against a backdrop of increased personal injury claims.

'Our with-profits fund continues to perform strongly delivering market leading pay-outs and a combined return of 40.9 per cent over the last three years.'

The group also announced an ?18.6million bonus for its 650,000 with-profits members, which will increase the average policy value by 1 per cent.

The with-profits fund is still 'a very strong performer' and has outdone the FTSE 100 index in five of the past six years, the group said.

The fall in the value of funds maturing last month compared to the previous year was partly caused by different start rates, it added.

At a bottom-line level the group's profits more than halved to ?10.6million after it took a ?42million tax hit compared to a ?3million rebate the previous year.

View the original article here

Insurance Car

Insurance Life

Flying-Car Insurance May Cost $60000 - Smartmoney.com (blog)

Senior consumer reporter and “Deal of Day” columnist Kelli B. Grant navigates the New York International Auto Show in search of the best, worst and coolest from automakers’ new lineups. Join her as she roams the exhibit floor Wednesday and Thursday before the show’s public opening on Friday, with dispatches here and on Twitter @kellibgrant.

After years of flying-car-envy from watching “The Jetsons” and “Back to the Future Part II,” drivers are months away from being able to buy their own. Experts say that insuring one, however, might be an even more futuristic challenge.

Quentin Fottrell

Auto show attendees will get their first glimpse this week of Massachusetts-based Terrafugia’s Transition, a two-seat car with wings that fold out for flight. The company announced earlier this week that the vehicle completed its first flight — and could be on sale within a year. About 100 people already plunked down a deposit for the flying car, which is expected to sell for $279,000.

But insurers have yet to introduce a flying-car policy, and experts say buyers could have limited options. “There’s no off-the-shelf policy for something like this,” says Robert Hartwig, president of the Insurance Information Institute. There are perhaps only few insurers in the nation that would even consider creating such a hybrid offering, says insurance consultant Scott Simmonds. “You’d be lucky to find two,” he says. Selling coverage for airborne fender benders would also require approval from state insurance commissioners, which could further limit buyers’ options.

Terrafugia says it is working with insurers and state officials to make sure car flyers have coverage. “We wouldn’t let them out on their own trying to secure an insurance program for a flying car,” says Richard Gersh, the company’s vice president of business development. “We can’t discuss specifics because we’re still the better part of a year away from first delivery,” he says.

Experts estimate annual premiums could run as high as $60,000 — more than 76 times the average $785 household auto insurance policy. “It’s the flying aspect of the car,” says Simmonds. “That’s the exposure with hair on it.” Policies for light aircraft can cost as little as $3,000, he says, but a flying car is likely to fall into the more expensive experimental aircraft category. Premiums would also reflect the higher possible expense of any air or road accident, Hartwig says. Injuries and property damage from crash-landing a plane, for example, are likely to be more grievous than those incurred when driving, which affects liability coverage. Even a minor accident could be expensive to fix — few mechanics could handle such repairs, and the Federal Aviation Administration would have to re-certify the vehicle as flight-worthy, he says. Flying-car buyers could also see higher premiums if their records as a pilot or a driver aren’t spotless, they say.

View the original article here

Insurance Car

Insurance Life

Telematics Based Car Insurance Appeals to a Broad Audience ... - PR Web (press release)

(PRWEB UK) 3 April 2012

Sales figures from car insurance comparison site Tiger.co.uk show that telematics policies are growing in popularity. For the three months to February 2012 policies based on telematics accounted for almost 14 per cent of all policies that were sold, compared to the same period last year when they accounted for only 12%.

Far from being just a product for younger drivers, it seems that the group of drivers most likely to be buying policies are those aged between 25-34.

Whilst sales of telematics car insurance to younger drivers is strong, with 17-20 year olds being 71% more likely to purchase one of these products compared with the population as a whole, it is older motorists who are buying the most policies. Almost three quarters of the sales of telematics based car insurance through Tiger.co.uk were to drivers between the ages of 25-54.

Andrew Goulborn, Commercial Director for compare car insurance site Tiger.co.uk commented:

“This type of insurance product is growing in popularity and this trend will continue. We are seeing lots more of these products coming on to the market and we are now able to provide quotes from four telematics insurance providers on Tiger.co.uk and there are a couple more in the pipeline. It has been well documented that younger drivers and those who have a low annual mileage can get good value for money from these products but it is interesting to see from our sales data that they do have wider appeal and therefore have potential to become mainstream. If you are considering taking out a product like this make sure that you check the policy details as they are structured in different ways with varying restrictions.”

About Tiger.co.uk:
Tiger.co.uk is a trading name of Call Connection Ltd. Tiger.co.uk is a UK based, independent motor insurance comparison site, offering insurance quotes from over 140 insurance brands. Call Connection Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (number 308374).

View the original article here

Insurance Car

Insurance Life