CT Insurance Blog

Want to know what’s worse than speeding? Speeding at three times the speed limit.

Want to know what’s worse than speeding at three times the speed limit? Taking pictures that document your illegal speeds, then those pictures being found during an unrelated investigation and then those same photos being used against you in court months later.

Unfortunately for a 28 year-old Swiss gentleman, the worse has happened to him. While driving at 320 kmh (approx. 200 mph), which is almost three times the speed limit, he took photos of the speedometer and the road he was on (and the phone’s camera was nice enough to make life easy on law enforcement by recording the date and the time of the speed-fest). Then, while being questioned 6 months later during an investigation for another case, police found these well-documented photos and confiscated his license and placed him under arrest. These photos will most likely be used against him during his trial.

Lessons learned:

• Be a safe driver and don’t speed, especially not at three times the speed limit.
• Be a safe driver and don’t drive distracted; avoid texting or taking photos of yourself doing stupid stuff, let alone stuff that will get you into trouble.
• Protect yourself from the crazies who speed and drive distracted by insuring yourself with a good Connecticut Auto Insurance policy.

Review your current CT Car Insurance policy with an Encharter Insurance agent today. They can help you understand your coverage and help you make sure that you are adequately protected from the crazy 28-year-old-speeding-picture-taking-Bentley-driving maniacs…oh, did I mention he was driving a Bentley Continental? Yeah…*smh*

Photo Credit: ttmmc.wordpress.com

According to a recent article by USA Today, there is a striking number of uninsured drivers on the road in the U.S.—1 in 7, actually. Surprising, right? Especially considering the fact that most states have laws that require motorists to insure themselves, you would think the number smaller. Experts say the “economic downturn” with smaller budgets and higher unemployment rates is partly to blame.

Whatever the reason, the fact is that there are uninsured motorists out there and there are lots of them. So what can you do to protect yourself, save the impractical option of becoming a hermit?

Talk to your Connecticut Insurance agent at Encharter Insurance about your current Connecticut Auto Insurance policy. Ask them about the Uninsured Motorist Coverage (and even the Underinsured Motorist Coverage) it may provide, or maybe you’ll discover you don’t have that coverage at all. If you and your agent find that you don’t have this coverage, or that is in inadequate, this is probably something you want to reconsider.

As a parent of a driving teen, I am sure that you are constantly thinking of new ways to keep your very mobile little person safe. Here’s a new idea that might help you out at least a little bit: what if you and your teen took 15-20 minutes to sit down and create a list of expectations that come with this new responsibility and then you both sign it—kind of like a safety contract? Some expectations that you might want to include no distracted driving (i.e. no texting and driving, use of wireless earpiece for phone calls when necessary, and a limit to the number of friends in the car at one time), regular car maintenance (i.e. oil changes, car washes, etc.), along with so many others. For some other ideas or to download a free parent-teen safe driving contract, click here.

After you feel safer with that under your teen’s belt, it will be time to look into some Connecticut Car Insurance for a young driver, and you’ll need to work with a knowledgeable CT Insurance agent in order to be reassured that your child will be protected. Our agents at Encharter Insurance are waiting to help you today! They will work hard to get you the best possible policy for the best possible price because they know the value of protecting your child’s life with appropriate Auto Insurance!

Photo Credit: HVParent.com

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.