CT Insurance Blog

Over the last couple of months, we have been keeping an eye on the rising gas prices. The price per gallon keeps creeping up to the high we saw in the summer of 2008 ($4.38 per gallon in Connecticut according to gasbuddy.com). We all want to see the current prices dip, if only to save a few bucks for each fill-up.

If gas prices don’t level off, the best way to beat the pump is to have a car that is fuel efficient. Having an automobile with high MPG (Miles Per Gallon) can cut the amount of times you head to the gas station and save you a significant amount of money on gas.

Unfortunately, an efficient car equates to a more expensive car. Moreover, the cars are usually miniscule, which makes it tougher for taller people and families. To help reverse this stigma of fuel efficient cars, Yahoo Autos released a list of cars that are fuel efficient, relatively inexpensive, and can fit more than just one bag of groceries in the trunk.

If you’re in the market for a new car, looking into fuel efficiency is becoming increasingly important. Coupling your purchase with excellent Connecticut auto insurance can have you be on your way to a less expensive way of commuting.

As a friendly tip, Philip Reed from Edmunds.com suggests, “It’s costly to change cars. Don’t do it just because of gas prices… if you’re going to trade in your vehicle anyway, then by all means, look for one that gets good mileage.” Along with fees and taxes, you have to talk with your Connecticut car insurance provider to discuss the new car and switching license plates. But enjoy shopping for a new car; it should be fun and not all about taxes and CT insurance.

Picture this: you’re driving down the interstate when you hear your phone beep.  It’s telling you that you have a new email and you think, “Nope, it can wait—But what if it’s work?—What if it’s important?—Can it really wait?—I’ll just r

ead it real quick and I’ll respond when I’m stopped.”  So you pick up the phone, just to read the email quickly, and you take your eyes off the road for just a second and the next thing you know, that curve seemed to have from out of nowhere and your car is engine-first in a ditch. Or worse yet, you hit another car stopped in traffic.

Distracted driving presents a danger, not only to yourself, but also to the passengers in your car and the other drivers around you on the road.  Don’t text and drive or email and drive and talk and drive…better yet, just turn the phone when you get in the car.  You won’t get any message so important during your short drive that would be worth your life or the life of others on the road.

Good news? You can actually save money on iZup as a Plymouth Rock Assurance Corporation customer. What’s iZup, you ask? iZup (pronounced “eyes up”) is a purchased app that you download onto your phone and it hold incoming and outgoing calls, texts and emails while you’re driving.  As a PRAC client, you can receive a discount on this service with PRAC’s Savings Pass Program.

More good news? Your local Encharter Insurance independent agent can tell you more about PRAC and their CT Car Insurance products and the other CT

auto insurance carriers that we represent.  Getting the right coverage AND saving money on technology that saves your life sounds like a good deal to me! Talk to your local CT insurance provider today!

Every time I have to drive through Hartford, I try to make sure I avoid rush hour. Rush hour in any city is not something to look forward to, but I never liked winding through Hartford and navigating left lane exits.

Surprisingly, Hartford is one of the best cities in the U.S. for commuters. According to MSN, Hartford ranks as the tenth best city to commute to, taking into account commute time, cost of gas, and delays. The 45 parking garages and street parking helped us edge out Sacramento, California for the last spot

Our neighbors to the east, Providence, also made the top ten, but no one was surprised that Boston and New York City got left out.

Even though we do encounter traffic, I guess it could be worse. Delays are usually caused by accidents or massive congestions, so it appears Connecticut drivers are keeping their Connecticut auto insurance low by driving safely to and from the city.

Another way people might be keeping their Connecticut car insurance bill down is either working from home or in the suburbs. This might be why Hartford is a good commuter city, because many people throughout the U.S. are working from home, and have to primarily worry about Connecticut homeowners insurance instead of the risk of commuting and car insurance.

How do you feel the commute is? Is Hartford worthy of being in the top 10?

Remember record players, cassettes, black and white televisions, and car phones? It’s funny to look back at all of the now outdated items we used to use on a daily basis. With laptops, smart phones, and iPods, we are able to store massive amounts of data within a very portable device. Seeing someone with a walkman or record player nowadays would surely turn heads.

Yet, I’m sure there are tons of people you know, and even yourself that have 7 items that are no longer necessary. MSN developed a list of things that are now outdated, but everyone still has:

-Television

-Telephone land line

-DVD player

-Physical music selection

-Cable TV

-Desktop computer

-E-mail

I was definitely surprised to see e-mail on there, because it is definitely necessary still. However, the point they were trying to make was texting, Facebook chat, or calling would get a quicker response than an e-mail. I would also argue that I still prefer a TV, sports are hard to find online and it’s easier to watch the games with a group of people around a TV instead of a computer.

Nevertheless, it is interesting to see items that I see every day that are no longer essential. We should be reevaluating what is essential in life anyway. Far too often could I save time and money if I realized how a certain purchase might be so unessential.

For my brother’s first car purchase, he only focused on the essentials. He went without automatic doors and windows, and didn’t bother with many other accessories, saving himself hundreds of dollars. Luckily, he didn’t overlook his Connecticut car insurance, which helped him out during an accident over the winter during some bad weather. With proper CT car insurance and a repairable car, he was able to get over the accident without much out of his wallet and back on the road.

What about you? Do you have any items in your house that you no longer need? Have you or someone you know skipped over some important aspects of CT insurance?