Dying. It sounds like a terrible thing. And it is, most surely, though many cultures have different ways of approaching the death experience. For many in America, dying is less of a final passage, and more of a sudden stop at the end of the express train. But life flashes before an individual’s eyes, he or she may wonder what will happen to those left behind. And if that individual had a family…
Every day people die. Every day people are in car accidents. Every day people’s houses get ripped apart by wind and hail. Every day, people get sick and have to go the hospital. Every day, unexpected expenses occur.
The scary part is this: Long after the damage has been done and that injury is sewn up and the house has been repaired and the car has been renewed in the shop, there’s a fat paycheck that’s going to be wasted. On bills.
At any given moment, 16% of American drivers are uninsured.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 28.2 Americans under the age of 65 remain without health insurance.
Many forego renter’s insurance. And many forego homeowner’s insurance.
This may seem like all null and void. After all, not all houses have damage in a lifetime. How about the I’ll drive safe and never get in an accident statement. Or the–it’s not my apartment. I don’t have to get insurance. Or even the–I’m healthy and will never get sick. Who cares?
Unfortunately, these statistics bear out the reality.
- About one in 15 insured homes has a claim each year.
- About one in 30 insured homes has property damage claim related to wind or hail each year.
- According to industry estimates, 14,000 people experience a water damage emergency at home or work each day.
And, finally…every year the lives of approximately 1.25 million people are cut short as a result of a road traffic crash. Between 20 and 50 million more people suffer non-fatal injuries, with many incurring a disability as a result of their injury.
Those are difficult statistics to comprehend. The difficulty in all those situations. The physical, mental and emotional damage. It makes money seem unimportant. But money does come into play. And that’s where insurance comes in.
Insurance is a simple game. Everyone who gets insurance is put into a pool at a certain premium. Those that have a higher risk statistically of having to draw on that insurance (say, men under 25 who drive more recklessly than others) will have a higher premium. Those that will likely not draw on insurance have a lower premium.
Insurance takes away the cost of a financially devastating accident by asking for a few hundred dollars each month. You may pay $1,200 per year but get in an accident where you would have paid $3,400. Yes, your premiums would go up if you were at fault in the accident but still not as much as the accident would have cost.
Let’s take a look at auto insurance. An auto insurance company, like State Farm or Progressive, offers insurance plans to protect their customers from costly damage. This includes two wheel vehicles like motor cycles, four wheel vehicles like cars, and even water based vehicles like boats.
Insurance coverage is based on what you qualify for. Your premiums may be a little higher for you with this plan, but it will be better off for you in the long run. Insurance coverage also has add-ons, like an emergency service. State Farm for instance has a package that allows you to get towing.
Tips for choosing auto insurance coverage start with the insurance agency. Pay attention to those NFL game day commercials. Yes, some are humorous–Progressive does a great job with these but All-State and State Farm do as well–but they all have messages about what kinds of insurance they offer.
Calling an insurance agency or an independent insurance agent and asking for a quote is the next step, assuming you have a plan in mind. Ask for different quotes for different plans if you’re still searching. An insurance agency will give you some options on what to choose from and give you a detailed account of how they chose that number.
An insurance agency should be able to help you out.
