| Auto accident checklist: Tips on what to do following a car accident
Hopefully you will never be involved in an auto accident or need to file an insurance claim. Even the most careful and skilled drivers, however, can easily find themselves in the middle of a crash. Would you know what to do? Knowledge of what to do after the car accident can help make the insurance claims process easier and smoother so that you are back on the road faster.If you are in an auto accident: 1. Try to stay calm, stop your vehicle and check for injuries. The life and health of you, your passengers and the other people involved in the accident is far more important than the vehicle itself. 2. If required, call the police and let them know of the accident, your location, how many people are involved, whether there are injuries and the types of injuries.
Car insurers: Competition should work
Burnes's decision to introduce "managed" auto insurance competition next year won strong industry support yesterday, even from companies that have opposed competition in the past. Attorney General Martha Coakley , several state senators, and consumer activists voiced concerns, but they adopted a wait-and-see attitude on the changes. National insurers that have shunned the state for years because of its heavily regulated system applauded Burnes's decision but said they weren't ready to start selling policies here anytime soon. Burnes, a Superior Court judge until Governor Deval Patrick appointed her insurance commissioner in late February, said Monday night that she planned to open the state's auto insurance market to "managed competition," starting April 1.
Allstate Captures the Condo Crowd
IRVING, Texas, July 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Texans are going vertical. Real estate research firms report more than 3,000 new condominium units hit the market in each of several Texas cities last year. With Texans going condo, so is Allstate Insurance Company. The state's second largest home and auto insurer is launching condominium insurance for Texas consumers. "Allstate's new condo insurance policy fits the lock and leave lifestyle," said Bernie Henyon, Allstate exclusive agent in Ft. Worth. "This is one way Allstate in Texas is looking at lifestyle trends to build a wide range of products and services fitting the communities we serve." Henyon says a combination of young adults and empty nesters, both wanting to live closer to the action of downtown cultural areas and leave the lawn mowers behind, are driving interest in new condos and condo insurance.
Save on Travel Insurance
Sales of travel insurance have soared in the last five years. It's now a billion-dollar-a-year business--three times what it was before 9-11. But Consumer Reports says many people don't need it. Coverage from your homeowners insurance, medical insurance, or your auto club membership may already take care of your travel insurance needs, according to Consumer Reports. Also check your credit-card coverage. For example, the American Express Platinum card provides $500,000 in accidental death and dismemberment insurance, and lost baggage coverage, among other things. The airlines also offer lost luggage coverage, but it varies. So Consumer Reports says always check your carrier's policy before flying. As for emergency medical insurance, if you are going to buy that kind of travel insurance, make sure it's from a reputable third-party insurance company--not a travel agent, a tour operator, or a cruise line.
|
