Posts Tagged ‘ny car insurance’

New York Department of Motor Vehicles Guide To Car Insurance For Teens

Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012

For teenagers, driving is an awesome privilege. Unfortunately, many youngsters feel it is a right and they do not take the time to consider the legal ramifications and expense of operating a motor vehicle in the state of New York. It is your job as a parent to understand the law and impress this upon your child before allowing him or her behind the wheel. The New York Department of Motor Vehicles issues these guidelines for young drivers.

New York Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) System

In New York state, teen drivers must go through three phases before attaining a full unrestricted license.

  • Learner’s Permit: 16-year-olds can obtain a permit to operate a vehicle, as long as a licensed adult is in the car. Teens must complete at least 50 hours of supervised driving (with 15 hours of night driving) over the course of 6 months or more.
  • Intermediate License: Teens who are at least 16.5 years old that have satisfied all of the above requirements can drive with restrictions. For instance, they may not drive between midnight and 6 a.m., and may not drive with more than 1 passenger (except family members or licensed drivers age 21 or older).
  • Unrestricted License: At age 18, the license will automatically become unrestricted, provided there are no major incidents barring the teen from this privilege. Teens may take a driver education course to receive this privilege at 17.

New York Texting Laws

In New York, the fine of texting while driving is $150. Currently, it is being treated as a secondary offense, so there must be some other cause to pull you over.

New York Teen DUI Laws

New York has a “zero-tolerance” policy for teen drivers. Anyone under 21 who has a BAC of 0.02 percent can be convicted. This is as little as one beer, one glass of wine, or one mixed drink.

New York Minimum Car Insurance Requirements

Minimum car insurance requirements are:

  • $25,000 per person
  • $50,000 per accident
  • $10,000 for property damage.

Keep in mind that New York is a no-fault state, meaning that your insurance will cover your teen, whether it was his or her fault or not. The other driver’s car insurance policy will cover the other car involved in the accident.

You can find your local New York Department of Motor Vehicles office here. The bad news about adding a teen to your policy is that  your car insurance rates will go up. But you may still qualify to save hundreds on your insurance premium, so take a few minutes to search here!

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Posted in New York, USA |

Fraud Drives Up The Cost Of New York Car Insurance, Say Lawmakers

Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012

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New Yorkers have the fourth-highest car insurance premiums in the country, with drivers in New York City paying an average of $919.57 (compared to a New York State average of $211.19!) Are Big Apple drivers really that awful or is foul play afoot?

Fraud Drives Up Car Insurance Costs

According to the New York Post, state lawmakers say the culprit is fraud, with 25 percent of car insurance premiums driven up by fraudulent and exaggerated claims. They add that roughly $35 billion is annually paid out to fraudulent claims each year and that costs the average driver $250 per vehicle on one’s car insurance policy.

Lawmakers Crack Down On Car Insurance Scammers

Last Thursday, the New York Senate passed three bills aimed at fighting car insurance fraud:

  • S.4507B would allow car insurance companies to retroactively cancel policies taken out by people who commit fraud. Often, people who commit fraud take out policies with bad checks or stolen credit cards. Under this law, companies could dump customers whose payment is not honored by a bank in the first 60 days. Currently, only 7 other states do not allow retroactive cancellation.
  • S.1685 would make staging a motor vehicle accident a class D felony, punishable by up to seven years in prison.
  • S.2004 would punish car insurance fraud “runners” — like doctors and lawyers — who steer accident victims toward unnecessary medical treatments or claims. The law would make it a class E felony, punishable by up to 4 years in prison.
From here, the New York car insurance fraud law will move to the State Assembly for a vote.

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Posted in Car Insurance Rates, Cheap Car Insurance, New York |

NY Auto Insurance Liability Rule: Why Drivers Need Coverage

Wednesday, September 7th, 2011

Under the NY auto insurance liability rule, drivers must have this type of protection in place. All vehicles which are being driven on a public highway or a road must be covered. This rule applies whether the car, truck or motorcycle is being driven by its owner or someone else (with the owner’s permission).

Liability coverage is put in place to shield the policyholder from having to pay for damages he or she is responsible for causing in an accident personally. It covers a number of types of claims:

  • Medical bills, rehabilitation costs
  • Lost wages
  • Funeral expenses (in the case of a fatal accident)
  • Property damage (other driver’s vehicle and public property damaged or destroyed in the accident)

Proof of insurance coverage must be kept in the vehicle at all times. The driver must produce an insurance card if requested to do so by a police officer during a traffic stop or following an accident. The insurance card and the vehicle registration must indicate the same name and address to be considered valid.

Vehicle owners in New York must buy their coverage from a company licensed to sell policies in the state. New York doesn’t accept out-of-state insurance coverage. The state also requires insurance companies to file proof of coverage electronically with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). The insurance card alone doesn’t indicate proof of coverage.

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Posted in New York, USA |

NY Auto Insurance: Liability Insurance Coverage

Saturday, August 6th, 2011

NY auto insurance companies must provide quotes which include liability insurance coverage. The state has passed a law stating that all drivers must have bodily injury and property damage liability coverage in place to stay legal.

Bodily injury liability insurance protects the policyholder from having to pay for claims made by the occupants of the other vehicle in an at-fault accident personally. This type of insurance pays for claims for medical bills and economic loss stemming from the accident. It also covers claims made for pain and suffering and the legal fees associated with defending a lawsuit to recover damages.

The government has determined that at least $25,000 must be put in place to pay for injuries and damages sustained by one accident victim and $50,000 to pay for all injuries and damages stemming from the same accident.

Property damage liability protection is also required under New York state law. It pays for the cost of repairing the other driver’s vehicle and any public property damaged in the accident. The minimum level of this type of coverage that all drivers must put in place is $10,000.

Drivers who buy only the minimum level of coverage required by law may not have enough coverage in place to fully cover damages they are responsible for causing in an at-fault accident. Since they are responsible for paying the difference between the level of coverage they have in place and the actual damages personally, buying a policy with a higher limit is a better choice for consumers.

 

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Posted in New York, USA |

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