CT Insurance Blog

Here’s the scenario: Your good friend is in a jam and needs a ride. You decide to be a generously good person and let them borrow your car for a day, as you don’t need it and they have important errands to run. All seems well, you almost forget that they have the car and then your cell phone rings—it’s your friend. They tell you that they just got into an accident with the car. After making sure that they’re okay, you think, “Whose insurance agency do we contact?”

Your CT Car Insurance follows the CAR, so the claim would have to be filed with YOUR Connecticut Car Insurance company.  If they hit a deer or something of that sort, it is a comprehensive loss—the friend would not get points on their license.  However, if they hit another car, the points follow the PERSON driving.  CT Auto Insurance claims and CT Insurance Policies follow cars, whereas points follow drivers.  Caveat: It is important for the person driving to also have insurance because, if it is a very big claim and the car owner’s insurance runs out or does not cover certain things, the driver’s insurance will kick in.  It is very important to be careful when letting someone drive your car, because if they get into an accident, it’s your claim!

The “ins-and-outs” of your CT Insurance policy can get pretty confusing, so it’s best to have a chat with your Encharter Insurance agent. They can help you understand your coverage and help you sort through messy claims like that one…

I recently went on a summer family vacation to Ocean City, New Jersey, and it started and ended with a great seven hours in the car.  Along the way, my parents and I came into contact with the big Saturday traffic rush, a few different car accidents, and we even decided to take the Tapan Zee Bridge because the George Washington Bridge had so much traffic.

If you’ve had experience with road trips before, you know that it is really important to make sure that you have CT Auto Insurance before embarking on a journey in the car you’ve payed for with your hard-earned money.

Another big thing to make sure you think about is who is watching your home while you’re away – we had a neighbor stopping by each day to water plants, feed the pets, and make sure that the house was under control.  However, a great way to settle your stomach about leaving your house behind for a week is to make sure that you have CT Homeowners Insurance, which will help you protect your home should anything happen while you’re away.

If you’re in need of some CT Home Insurance or CT Car Insurance before your next summer vacation, make sure you visit the Encharter Website to check out which policy will suit your needs accordingly!

From one of Encharter’s eMarketing Interns,

Natalie

By Encharter Insurance Agent: Amy Stefani

SATs, campus tours, FAFSA, orientation- this is just a snap-shot of the to-do list for a student (or more often for the parent of the student) entering college. Here’s something you may have overlooked: your CT auto insurance policy. Not to worry, though, just a phone call to your CT insurance agent is all it takes to sort this one out.

So here’s the scenario: You’ve decided to let Junior take one of your vehicles to campus with him. He’ll be living in the dorms and will mostly be using the car to get to and from home. You are the registered owner of the car and he is listed as an occasional operator. In reality, he’s not even going that far- he’ll still be in Connecticut. Sounds simple enough, but there are a few steps we need to take in order to better protect you:

• Junior should be listed as principle operator of the vehicle he’ll be driving. Connecticut Insurance carriers require each vehicle to have a principal operator listed and they expect it to be accurate. It may be painful on your wallet to put your inexperienced cherub as the primary driver, but it will protect you in the event of a claim. If the carrier finds that you have given misleading information (and unfortunately omission counts here), it’s very possible they could deny payment on a loss.

• Let your CT Car insurance carrier know if your child is taking a vehicle to campus. Again, the company expects you to disclose all pertinent information about the risk they are insuring. These days, CT auto insurance is rated on several factors. We all know about the major ones: the driving record, the type of car, etc. One factor often overlooked is the primary garaging location of the vehicle. Generally speaking, it’s going to be more expensive to insure a car in the city versus a car in the country. Of course, there are many other factors that determine the location’s rating other than population density.  When Junior is back from school for the summer, just give your agent a call to switch the location back to home- it’s as simple as that.
• Review your policy’s limits to assure you have the proper coverage. If your son/daughter is driving with a group of friends and they get into an accident- would you be properly protected? Take a second look at your CT auto policy and call your agent for a quote to increase your coverages.

With all of life’s details, to-lists, and obligations, how can anyone fit in time to think about something like CT insurance? Truthfully, I have no idea how those Type-A personalities do it. For the rest of us, we can rely on professionals whose jobs are to do the research for us. Call your insurance agent at Encharter Insurance- ask questions- that’s what we are here for. And just think—come Labor Day, you’ll be redecorating Junior’s room for your very own home office… and this will all just be a memory.

Ford Motor Company

Ford surpassed General Motors in March sales to regain the #1 spot in U.S. sales. The auto giant has steadily been improving their product line for the last couple years, since the auto industry went down with the recession. Refusing to take a federal bailout like GM and Chrysler, Ford was able to get back on their feet by other means.

Ford sold product lines to other companies (such as selling Volvo to China’s Geely) and restructuring their management.  They have also been offering cars with better gas mileage, which is helpful considering the soaring gas prices we’ve seen in the last few months.

The two companies will continue to compete head-to-head, which is good for consumers. We will most likely see better MPG and improving safety ratings. Safety continues to be an important issue for any car owner, especially parents. Connecticut car insurance gets a little more expensive when new drivers are added to the mix. Having maximum Connecticut insurance protection and a safe car can help alleviate the stress that is involved for when your teenager is learning to drive.

If you’re in the market for a new car, it looks like we are seeing the rebound of the American auto makers. The jury is still out, but we should see some healthy competition in the next couple years. There’s a lot that comes with buying a new car (switching plates, paying for it, letting your Connecticut auto insurance company know), but it’s an exciting time.

What about you? Are you looking to buy a car? Foreign or American?