Oxford Auto Insurance

Learning to Assess Your Risks

Life is full of risk. Sometimes, the realization of this can cause us to ignore risks in favor of a comfortable ignorance that allows us to sleep at night. The ability to face and accurately assess your risks can give you the power to protect yourself effectively, and invest in insurance policies that can help protect you should a potential risk become a reality.

What Risks do You Face?

One of the first ways you can realistically determine the risks you need to protect yourself against is to take a look at your assets. There are many you will want to protect which could endure losses you can’t afford to replace on your own. This can include things such as your home, car, health and life.

Next, you should consider damages that could create losses against your assets and the likelihood of being exposed to them.

Consider events such as:

• Theft
• Inclement weather or violent storms
• Illness
• Accident

Once you’ve got a handle on what risks you are exposed to, and the likelihood of their occurrence, the next step is to determine what your financial exposure is. Every risk has a potential cost, and insurance policies help you protect your financial future from the damage these costs can bring. One good example of this process can be found in health-related policies. You may decide that based on your health history, your family history and your age, that you have little risk of illness but, like anyone else, you have some risk of major accident. Major medical insurance protects you against many of the costs associated with treatment of damages due to an accident. Choose a policy limit that you feel accurately reflects your financial risk exposure. To complement your limits, and help control costs, you can choose a policy deductible that you can afford to offset the insurance company’s responsibility.

Insurance agents are trained in recognizing risk and helping consumers to determine what kind of financial protection is reasonable for them. For the best Chicago auto insurance, Give Oxford Insurance a call today and we can get you started on the road to insurance protection you can afford.

What To Do If Your Car Is Stolen

According to the FBI, during every 40-second period of 2009, one vehicle was stolen. And while some areas of the country are more prone to incidents of vehicle theft than others, this is still not a comforting average.

It’s more than possible that you could be one of the lucky few who never have to deal with auto theft, but just in case you do end up a stolen vehicle statistic, here are some tips to help you react to the situation properly.

• Note your surroundings: Take a moment to look around and take note of what you see. Is there broken glass around or other evidence of a break in? Your insurance company may wish to know this before they get a copy of the police report. But remember, look—don’t touch.
• Go to a safe area: If you are exposed to the elements or traffic, you may want to get to a safe, sheltered area before you call the policy to report the crime. Just make sure you stay near the location so you can show the police where you car was before it was stolen.
• Call the police: Have your driver’s license, license plate, a list of all the items in your car, available.
• Call your agent or insurance company: Your agent, or insurance company, will want to know many of the same details as the police ask you for. They will also want to know that you have already called the police to report the theft, so be sure to call them after you have.
• Call your lender: If you have an outstanding loan on the vehicle then your lender is just as exposed to risk as you are. Call them to let them know that the vehicle has been stolen and that you have reported it to both your insurer and the police.

As always, a good offense is the best defense. Make sure to have your car equipped with the appropriate anti-theft mechanisms and always follow safe vehicle storage techniques.

Be sure to check with your Oxford Insurance Group agent for tips on keeping your Chicago Auto Insurance rates low.

Auto Coverage for Your Teen's Part-Time Job

It’s a rite of passage when a teenager gets their first part-time job. As their parent, you're happy because hopefully they'll learn how to manage money and develop some measure of responsibility. Unfortunately, a positive experience for your teen could become a negative one for you if they use the family car to perform their job.

For many teenagers, getting a part-time job means delivering pizzas or newspapers, working as a crew member for a landscaping company, or driving for a van service. One of the requirements for employment is that they have their own means of transportation, but what if that transportation is your family car?

Even though your car is insured under a personal auto insurance policy, if your child gets into an accident at work you could be surprised with a claim denial. For this reason, it’s important that you immediately notify your carrier when your child starts driving the family car for work. The insurer will likely charge you an extra premium, but it's a small price to pay should your child get into an accident on the job. You should also find out whether there are any policy exclusions that might be applicable.

Many insurance carriers are reluctant to cover your teen if they use the family car for these typical part-time jobs because they often carry a great deal of risk. These jobs require the car be driven to different locations and at various times of the day and night. Because there are so many variables, it becomes extremely difficult for the insurer to adequately price the policy to cover the risk they are underwriting.

You may find that you have to purchase a commercial auto policy, which could be more expensive than your personal automobile policy. A commercial policy provides coverage for situations encountered while conducting business that aren’t normally covered under personal auto policies.

Although it may cost more, a commercial auto insurance policy is worthwhile if your child intends to stay at their job for any length of time. Many students keep the same part-time job throughout their high school and college years because it fits their schedule. If that is the case, be sure that your teen is covered during the time they are employed.

Make sure your teen is covered by your Chicago Auto Insurance with Oxford Insurance Group today.

5 Ways to Get Your Teen to Drive Better

Every parent goes through the five stages of grief once they realize their precious teenage son or daughter is about to start driving. When faced with the image of your one-time newborn sitting behind the wheel and making life and death decisions with their driving, it is natural to experience an onslaught of difficult emotions that can adversely affect the way you react to the situation. But the best way to deal with your concerns over your teen driver is to try to influence their behavior behind the wheel in a reasonable manner. Here are four tips to help you give your teen the tools and incentive to drive better.

Be an example: If you do all the things you ask your kids not to do behind the wheel, you can’t expect them to take you seriously. It doesn’t matter that you are a more experienced driver than they are, teenagers don’t always reason on those terms. Instead, lead by example and observe all the same rules that you want them to follow. Doing so will help them respect you and your rules more and will encourage them to follow those rules even when you aren’t around.

Reward good behavior: Safe driving should not need any more rewards than the reward of being accident-free, but with teens you do sometimes have to offer incentives in order to help them avoid making costly mistakes. Reward your teen in small ways when they act appropriately and exercise good decision making skills behind the wheel. Some teens also respond well to rewards systems that allows them to anticipate a certain reward if they avoid accidents and bad driving behavior for a pre-determined amount of time.

Educate your teen: It’s not always enough to tell your teen driver not to do something, sometimes you also need to teach them why they shouldn’t do it. That often makes a greater difference than just telling them to avoid X, Y or Z. So find teaching materials that show your teen why certain activities and decisions don’t mix well with driving.

Give consequences: Just as good behavior should be rewarded, bad behavior should have consequences. Let your teen know before they take the keys what consequences they will face for certain behavior. But remember, consequences only work when you stick by them, so be sure you are prepared to enforce them.

Encourage your teen to make A’s and B’s in school: Most Chicago car insurance companies offer a nice discount for teens who keep at least a B average in high school or college. College kids typically need to take at least twelve credit hours to be eligible for the discount

If you treat your teen’s driving privileges as a privilege and work to communicate with them through positive feedback and consequences, you can influence your teen’s driving without drama, resistance or stress.

Make sure your Chicago Auto Insurance agent is there for you in the event of an accident. Contact us at Oxford Auto Insurance today!

What Changes Should I Make to My Chicago Auto Insurance Policy When I Have Children?

Insurance isn’t really a “buy it and forget about it” type of product. Insurance should be dynamic—evolving and accommodating all the changes in your life as they occur, because in order to provide adequate protection, your policy must reflect your current levels of risk, need and exposure.

When you have children, many of your insurance needs will change, including your auto insurance needs. For instance, you might consider changing the:

Deductible: The deductible on your policy is your out-of-pocket responsibility for each incident. While before you might have had a high deductible in order to keep premiums low, now that you have a child it is a good idea to drop the deductible so that you don’t have to worry about having the cash set aside to cover your burden of the damage and instead can expect more benefits from the actual policy.

Bodily injury limits: With more passengers in the car, there is more risk of bodily injuries. Changing your limit increases the likelihood that you will be able to get the money for proper treatment from your policy.

Uninsured motorist coverage: If your state doesn’t require uninsured motorist coverage, then you may have opted to skip this important benefit. Now that you have a child, you should rethink this since you have increased the amount that you have at risk. You see, if an uninsured motorist hits you and causes damages, you have little recourse to seek reimbursement for these damages unless you take them to court and attack their personal assets, assuming they have any. Uninsured motorist coverage ensures that you receive payment from your own insurance company if you sustain damages by an uninsured driver.

Comprehensive coverage: In order to save money, many people opt for just the minimal, state-required auto insurance coverage. But as a parent, you now have more responsibilities. You also have little people who depend on you to have a mode of transportation to take them to recitals, practices, birthday parties and more. Comprehensive coverage ensures that you can replace or repair your vehicle in the event of damage caused by an act of nature or theft.

When you become a parent, your whole world changes. It’s no longer just your budget, it’s your family’s budget, too—and it’s no longer your Chicago auto insurance policy, it’s your family’s policy. Provide them with the right protection and make sure to include their needs in the policy.

 

Make sure your Chicago Auto Insurance agent is there for you in the event of an accident. Contact us at Oxford Auto Insurance today!

Car Insurance Untruths

Drivers are obligated to carry car insurance in nearly every state.  It covers the driver in the occurrence of a fender-bender. Auto insurance is important; but, there are many falsities related to it. This piece will address the general untruths that several Americans assume about auto insurance, and will educate you on certain auto insurance aspects.

1.    Full Coverage is a general phrase concerning what car insurance policies include, still, it is deceiving as there is not insurance that covers all accidents completely.  Car policies contain limits for the sum they will pay for loss brought upon others.   Also, most car insurance will only pay Actual Cash Value in the occurrence your own automobile is a complete loss.  Actual Cash Value is comparable to the amount you could get for the car before the accident.  It is not related to what it would cost to replace your auto.

2.    Any person over 25 is covered to use my car.  Who is covered to operate your car can differ from policy to policy.  Still, a general car policy will only cover those on the policy and for infrequent drivers that have authorization to operate the auto.  

3.    Red automobiles are more expensive to insure.  This fallacy began when people started to speculate those with red autos were more prone to get pulled over as their car was more visible to cops. The truth is speeding tickets can influence insurance rates; the color of your car does not.

4.    If I let a friend borrow my car and the friend totals my vehicle, their insurance company will cover the accident.  This depends on what state you live in.  Certain states will make the friend operating the car to pay back the insurance company if the auto is damaged due to their error.  

5.    I can buy car insurance after the incident and I'll be taken care of.  Insurance is intended to protect against unanticipated accidents.  This logic could be equated to purchasing a lotto ticket after the numbers were pulled and assuming to win.  

6.    My loan will be paid in full if my vehicle is unsalvageable.  As cited earlier, most insurance policies will only cover the Actual Cash Value of the car, which is equal to what the car cost new minus depreciation.  If you owe more money to the lender than the Actual Cash Value, you very well may end up owing on a car that is non-functioning.  

7.    If I have any personal belongings in my vehicle, my auto insurance will take care of me.  Car insurance is intended to insure the car, not personal belongings in the vehicle.  Personal belongings in the car can be insured on a renters or homeowner policy.

8.    I don't want to put my teenager on my policy because I don't want to be held responsible if they get in a wreck.  Parents are answerable for the actions of their teens.  The car policy does not cause the liability; it provides coverage to the parent for that liability. If the kid is not covered, the parent will still be held accountable for any damage they create.

9.    The only option to get insurance to drive any car is by buying "non-owners" insurance.  Car insurance was intended to provide coverage for the car owner, not the car.  The vehicle isn't going to be the one in front of the judge in the occurrence a lawsuit stems from an auto crash; it will be the person who owns the car.  Therefore, in most instances with some exceptions, the car policy will provide coverage for the policyholder when they are operating other people's cars.

There are many tales related to car insurance. It is best to confront these tall stories so that you are not put in a bad situation when purchasing car insurance. Disproving these fabrications will keep you better familiarized and armed against fallacies before buying car insurance.  Always be sure to go over your concerns with your car insurance agent.

 

Make sure your Chicago Auto Insurance agent is there for you in the event of an accident. Contact us at Oxford Auto Insurance today!

What to Do After an Auto Accident

Nothing gets your adrenaline up and puts you in fight-or-flight mode faster than an auto accident, and that survivalist reaction can make it extremely difficult to act in the most responsible and self-preserving behavior after an accident.

Here is a list of things you should do after an accident that leave you capable of moving about without causing further injuries.

Accident To-Do List

Do not admit any fault.  Refrain from speaking about the reasons or causes of the accident with the other party.  This is not the time to neither admit nor lay blame.  Let the police and/or your insurance company handle those details.

Take photos: The first thing you should do (and as soon after as possible) is start snapping pictures. If your mobile phone has a camera in it then you can start at once before anything at the scene is budged. Watch out for oncoming traffic and make sure you are out of harm's way as you take pictures.

Taking photos before any cars are moved can help your insurer recreate the accident and resolve who was at fault and can be a great way to confirm damage that did, or didn’t transpire at the scene. If your phone doesn’t have a camera, you can always keep a disposable camera in your glove box.

Move cars if possible: Once you’ve snapped a few photos, you should move your car out of the road if at all possible. This prevents further damage and risk from approaching drivers and prevents the road from being obstructed.

Get the other driver’s information: Once you are safely on the shoulder of the road, get the drivers license and insurance card from the other driver. Write down their vital information, driver’s license number and insurance information.  Be sure to also note their license plate number and ask for their phone number.

Call the police: You can really do this step at any point—the sooner the better. The authorities should be called for every accident, even minor ones, so that you get a thorough, reliable report on record.

Call your insurance company: If this is something that you want to classify with your insurer as a claim (some minor fender-benders can be paid for out of your own pocket) then call your insurer while you are at the scene, with all the details still fresh in your mind. Some insurers have traveling claims adjusters that they may want to send out to the scene of the accident.

Take notes: Because you are functioning on adrenaline after an accident, you may find that you have a very foggy memory of the incident a few days later. Jot down notes throughout the entire process of what triggered the accident and what you and the other person or people involved did after the fact. This could prove useful later.

Get witness names: Whether it is you or the other driver at fault, you should get the names and contact information of any witnesses. If you get sued for negligence, a witness can be your saving grace to testify for other factors that may have contributed to the accident.

Remember, your safety should be your main concern after an accident. If you are injured, wait for emergency services before trying to walk around.

Make sure your Chicago Auto Insurance agent is there for you in the event of an accident. Contact us at Oxford Auto Insurance today!

Remaining Safe While in Your Automobile

Even if you live in a state with no official seat belt law, by now, you know that buckling up can save your life. But fastening up is not the only proactive way you to keep you and your family safe in your automobile.

1. Properly engage your airbags: If your car has air bags, make sure they are properly armed. If they have been activated before, you’ll need to have them reset.
2. Use seat belts correctly: There is a reason why seat belts stretch across our chest and not just our lap. These chest straps keep us from striking the dashboard, the seat in front of us, or getting a severe case of whiplash. Make sure to wear your seatbelt as it was intended so you can get a full range of security. 
3. Practice proper and timely vehicle maintenance: Transmission problems can cause your car to seize up in the middle of the road; improperly filled tires can compromise your brake system—there’s no end to the potential accidents that car maintenance issues can cause. Bring your car to the mechanic regularly so he or she can check for these issues before they help cause an accident.
4. Practice airbag safety: Airbags have saved many lives, but they can also be hazardous in some situations. Children under the age of twelve should never sit in a front seat that has driver’s side airbags. If they must, they should be properly fastened in, with the seat set as far away from the dashboard as possible, since airbags can harm anyone who is 2-3 inches from the point of inflation. Because the driver’s airbag is inside the steering wheel, he or she can also be hurt. Try measuring your standard seating position when you drive and make sure that you are positioned at least 10 inches away from the center of your steering wheel.
5. Use rear facing car seats: Airbags are not the only threat to a child’s safety in a car. Children less than one year of age or less than 20 pounds should always be fastened into rear-facing child’s seats in the back seat of the car. Children shorter than 4’9” should also use booster seats when riding in the car. This prevents seat belt injuries in the event of an accident.
6. Adjust your mirrors: It’s easy to get into your car after another driver has used it and forget to readjust your mirrors. This can lead to blind spots that allow you to back into something or change lanes without seeing a nearby driver. Always be sure that your mirrors are appropriately adjusted and that you check your blind spots before making any moves in traffic.

Observing these simple auto safety measures will give you peace of mind and could one day even save a life. Make sure you have the best rate for your Chicago Auto Insurance with Oxford Auto Insurance today!

How do Teen Drivers affect my Umbrella Policy

The premium on my personal umbrella policy went through the roof in the halfway through my policy term. My insurance agent says it’s because we added a teen driver. This seems unfair seeing as how our daughter is a good student and is covered by our car policy.

Umbrella coverage works together with your home and car insurance. For example, if you are in a car accident and badly hurt or kill another person, you can certainly exhaust the bodily injury limits of your car policy. When that happens, your umbrella policy steps in and pays the extra expense you incur, up to the umbrella limit (often $1 million).

As a group, teenagers have the greatest accident rate of any driver, and car accidents are the most common cause of teen deaths. There are many causes for these grim numbers: teens are more inexperienced drivers, participate in riskier behaviors and are easily distracted by cell phones, mp3 players etc. There are certainly precautions you can take to keep your daughter safe in her car. If your state doesn’t restrict cell phone use and texting while driving or impose curfews and passenger limits for young drivers, you can set limits on those activities yourself.

With time and a good driving record, your teen’s car and umbrella insurance premiums will decrease. Meanwhile, you can get a cheaper inclusive rate for your family’s insurance by purchasing your home, car and umbrella coverage from the same insurance agency. Also ask about good student and other appropriate discounts. Increasing your home and/or car deductibles is another way to make insurance more affordable.

Make sure you’re covered with Chicago Auto Insurance from Oxford Auto Insurance today.

Insuring Your First Automobile

When you are getting ready to buy your first vehicle, there are a million things to consider like, whether to choose a car with automatic or manual locks and windows, whether to go for the moon roof or a spoiler, and whether or not to hang fuzzy dice over the rear-view mirror. But there is an even bigger decision on the horizon for a new car owner, and that is what kind of insurance to have on their new vehicle.

The first step in wading through the mire of insurance dos and don’ts is to get a good agent working for you. Agents can compare the prices of many different insurance companies and help you get discounts. Since newer drivers tend to have more expensive rates due to their inexperience, the ability agents have of hooking you up with discounts is an extremely valuable thing.

Then, you must work with your agent to get the proper coverage for your state, your car, and your potential liabilities. Click to read the different types of insurance coverages along with deductibles and limits for each. Call us at (630) 590-6200 to get an Chicago auto insurance quote.