First Time Driver Insurance California CA
Reader’s Question:
I’m a first-time driver here in California, and I’m trying to learn about car insurance policies as much as I can. How different is cancellation from non-renewal? These terms confuse me a bit.
Karen
San Francisco, CA
Hey, Karen, I hope the following is helpful.
Cancellation means you have terminated your contract with a car insurance company before the date that it expires. In this case, you have to notify your auto insurance company there in California beforehand. It will then send you a letter of confirmation. When you decide to do this, you will be required to surrender all your certificates of car insurance. This can be a rather inconvenient process especially when you have lost your certificates. You will have to sign a form declaring that you have in fact lost them because not doing so and not turning them over are violations of the road traffic act. Refunds are not very common. Also, higher auto insurance premiums rates would apply because the longer you stay insured with the same company, the lower the premium should be. Terminating you car insurance policy early means your premium rate would end up higher than the rate you were first offered.
Here is another scenario. The car insurance company may also cancel your car insurance coverage if you fail to make your payments. Another possible reason for your contract to be terminated is if you provide the insurer with false information. Any kind of misrepresentation or fraud is a serious matter in this industry. Finally, your car insurance policy may be canceled if your driver’s license was revoked.
Non-renewal, on the other hand, means your car insurance policy will not be renewed after it has already expired. There are several factors to this; It could be no fault of yours. You can even complain to the state insurance department about this if you think it’s unfair. It doesn’t mean you must expect to be quoted higher premiums by the next car insurance provider that you choose.
Tags: auto insurance coverage, auto insurance policy, First time driver car insurance
Automobile Insurance Policy San Francisco California CA
Reader’s Question:
Two months ago, I purchased an auto insurance policy here in San Francisco, California. The thing is I just signed the damn thing without asking everything I need to know from the agent. I want to know if I can add someone other than a relative as secondary driver. My agent asked me if somebody else might drive my car but at that moment I said no. But now I am thinking in case of emergencies, can I add my neighbor who I can trust?
Raymond
San Francisco, CA
Usually, the secondary driver is listed if you have somebody in your household who has a license to drive a motor vehicle. Usually, the wife or teenagers in the house have has passed state requirements and have their own license are designated as secondary drivers. As you have said, you have clearly stated that you live alone, and so that’s why your agent did not ask you for a secondary driver. Going through the guidelines for auto insurance companies in San Francisco, California, I have found that secondary drivers should not be assigned either as a primary to the vehicle in question or as a secondary driver to another vehicle. Your rate will also vary depending on the following risk factors for your assigned secondary driver: His or her safety record, how long has he or she had a license, whether he or she is married, has he or she had driver training lessons, and of course, their academic status. Expect additional on your premiums if your insurance found out your secondary driver appointee is found to be of high risk. Teenagers are definitely high risk. Going back to the guidelines, there was no mention of secondary driver must be a relative. So, I guess, assigning your neighbor will not be violating any legal premises.
Tags: auto insurance, car insurance, car insurance agent
Vehicle Insurance Lapse Concord California CA
Reader’s Question:
If I have a lapse auto insurance in California, what are the penalties?
Anne
Concord, CA
Section 16020 of the California Vehicle Codes states the owner of the vehicle must be able to establish financial responsibility and carry the form of financial responsiblity for the vehicle at all times. If the driver is caught
driving an uninsured vehicle or failed to show proof of this financial responsibility for the vehicle, then this may result in fines or suspension of the license and even impounding the vehicle.
A law was signed in 2004 that requires DMV to inform the customers of the possible suspension of vehicle registration if their car insurance company fails to show the vehicle’s initial registration within 30 days or 45 days after the DMV was notified by an insurance carrier about a cancellation of policy or a change in coverage.
This law, SB 1500, has an initial provision, effective Jan 1, 2006, requiring California insurance providers to report electronically liability policies for vehicles that are privately used, except boats, off-highway vehicles and trailers, to DMV when issued and/orcancelled.
Sarting July 1, 2006, private-used cars can be verified if properly insured using the vehicle registration database by law enforcing officers. Police departments in California are now widely accessing DMV’s registration database to write tickets for car that do not have insurance and to check registration during a traffic stop.
The CA legislatures passed a bill which took effect on October 1, 2006. The law states that when an insurance lapses or is cancelled, DMV will suspend the car’s registration to keep the motorist from cancelling the insurance a few months after it was bought.
Tags: auto insurance lapse, car insurance
Temporary Car Insurance San Francisco California CA
Reader’s Question:
Can I purchase temporary car insurance in San Francisco CA for two weeks?
Robert
San Francisco CA
Auto insurance providers typically only offer car insurance policy terms of 6 or 12 months, so you may have a hard time finding an insurer that will cover you for just two weeks.
There are some specialty automobile insurance carriers that would offer you such a short period of auto insurance coverage.
I suggest that you shop around or you can make a research online to check if you can find a car insurance provider that will allow to cover you for a short period of time or in your case for two weeks.
If you have US registered automobile though that stay in San Francisco California or anywhere in the United States you can obtain a car insurance quote here to get cheap automobile insurance.