Thursday, January 29, 2009

Drivers Dropping Car Insurance Cite Poor Economy

It's a dangerous new trend that could end up costing you thousands of dollars, even when you're not at fault.

Insurance agents say more and more customers are dropping their car insurance because they can't afford it.

Agents encourage anyone thinking of canceling their policy to call their agents first to try to come up with another solution.

You can often save money by signing up for the minimum coverage.

Agents at Bob Shropshire Sons Downtown say they've seen more and more customers fall behind on their auto insurance payments.

"It could be anything from loss of job and loss of income. A lot of people that are used to getting the overtime, a lot of these companies are scaling back now and they may not have that. A family member or themselves might be hospitalized, medical bills and things like that come up," explained Christopher Shropshire of Bob Shropshire Sons.

AAA says the Insurance Research Council found it's a trend that's happening across the nation, but cutting the average $60 monthly insurance bill from your budget could be your costliest mistake.

"Driving without insurance is really a big gamble. Uninsured motorists face legal fees, fines, penalties including a suspended license. They're often required to pay a 25 to 50 percent surcharge to secure a new auto policy," said Elaine Zeinner, AAA Public Affairs Manager.

It's against the law in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky to drive without auto insurance.

If you're caught without it, you could go to jail.

Get in an accident without insurance and you could lose much more if you're sued by the victim.

"Their job, income, garnishing wages and they might be forced to sell their home," Shropshire explained.

AAA says research all of your options before allowing your policy to lapse.

"Some easy safe ways for people to save on their auto insurance include combining their auto and home insurance. You can get discounts of up to 30 percent. You can increase deductibles," Zeinner explained.

Insurance agents say this is a good time to check your own policy.

You want to make sure that your policy includes uninsured or underinsured coverage and that it's equal to what you have on your own policy.

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