Do I Have to Have Collision Car Insurance In Alaska?
Reader’s Question:
I haven’t purchased a car yet but I would most likely get it through a loan. Why is it that most lenders would require me to have collision coverage on my car ins here in Alaska?
Sasha
Anchorage, AK
There are two basic types of car ins here in the US; they are collision and liability insurance coverage. In almost all of the states, including Alaska, it is required for car owners to have liability coverage. It is not required for a car owner to have collision coverage; however, most lenders would require you to get collision coverage if you have not finished paying the loan on your vehicle.
Collision coverage is a type of car ins policy that would cover the damages to your vehicle if you get into an accident with another vehicle or property wherein you are at-fault. If you only have liability insurance, you would have to pay for the repairs on the car on your own and that could be costly on your part. For that reason, getting collision coverage for your car ins would be a wise idea for your lease car.
One other type of car ins coverage that may be required by lenders on your lease car would be comprehensive coverage. This would pay for the repairs on your vehicle is it gets damaged by natural causes such as flood, fire, storm; it also covers vandalism and theft. The premium payment for your collision and comprehensive coverage is influenced by the deductible that you will pay should you file a car ins claim.
Tags: car ins, car insurance, collision coverage, comprehensive coverage, liability coverage
Why is Car Insurance in Alaska So Expensive?
Reader’s Question:
Is it true that even short gaps in my insurance coverage can cause my auto insurance rates to go up? I recently moved to Alaska and I was wondering if this could be the reason my insurance rates are bigger here than where I came from.
Chuck
Anchorage, AK
Increased auto insurance rates, or in rare cases being denied auto insurance protection, can definitely be due to lack of or gaps in your insurance coverage. Driving without any form of car insurance protection is not very advisable, and is even considered illegal under the financial responsibility laws of many states, since this makes car insurance providers perceive you as a high-risk driver (due to taking the risk of driving without adequate financial protection). There is basis for this as studies have shown that people who pay high amounts for insurance actually drives in a much safer manner as those without.
There could be other factors involved that made your auto insurance rates there in Alaska. It is possible that it is just simply more expensive to get insurance there in your new location as compared to the old one. If you did not change providers, it is also possible that your comprehensive insurance clause became more expensive due to increased likelihood of accidents caused by snow-storms, skidding in ice and other natural events that may cause damage or loss of your vehicle.
Did you change to a more expensive vehicle? This could also affect but if nothing much has changed other than that you relocated and did not have coverage for an extended span of time, the gap in your coverage could have definitely increased your rates.
Do You Want Cheaper Auto Insurance Rates in Alaska?
Reader’s Question:
I haven’t paid too much attention on our auto insurance until now because we’d want to save as much as we could. In what ways do you think I can be able to have cheaper auto insurance here in Alaska?
Laken
Anchorage, AK
The first thing that you could to do have cheaper premiums on your auto insurance in Alaska is to review your policy. After that, you may speak with an insurance agent regarding the deductibles on your policy and coverage choices on each kind of required coverage. The most important ones include basic, collision and comprehensive coverage and of course, uninsured motorist coverage would cost extra. You may ask your agent or the auto insurance company itself for different quotes with specific groupings of coverage as well as deductibles.
You may also reduce your basic insurance coverage to the least amount that you feel secure with. In the state of Alaska, the minimum amount would be $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident, which would be the payment the insurance provider would cover for every injured individual, and its overall cost. At times, this involves medical expenditures that, again, would have additional cost. You may opt to lessen your property damage coverage as well to the least amount required. Lastly, get as high deductibles as you can for comprehensive and collision coverage and observe the amount that you can save. Say, a deductible of $1000 would save you over $20 each month against a deductible of $500, it more likely wiser to get higher deductible.
I Need My Own Auto Insurance Policy in Alaska
Reader’s Question:
I was under my parents’ auto insurance and I never really paid attention to it because I was not the one paying for it. Now that I have to get insured on my own, I need to know, what protection would auto insurance give me and my car?
Danielle
Anchorage, AK
Aside from the fact that auto insurance is required by law, you would really want to have it. The state requirement for auto insurance if referred to as liability insurance for property and bodily injury. This kind of auto insurance would give protection if you damage a vehicle, an individual or any property. There are also other kinds of auto insurance that would give you protection from uninsured and underinsured motorists who collide with you while you are driving your car or as a pedestrian. You may also have gotten off your parents’ health insurance and don’t have your own yet so this can be very essential.
You have to be certain that you have high coverage to give you protection against personal liability if you are at fault in an accident. However, that is not everything that your auto insurance in Anchorage, Alaska can do for you. There are other kinds of auto insurance such as collision insurance that would cover the damages to your vehicle from crashes that you cause. Also, comprehensive insurance would cover the damages to your vehicle from other things that are not caused by accident such as storms and theft.