Are Auto Insurance Companies Caught in the Middle or Taking Advantage?

By John Bellafonte

Auto insurance serves two purposes in vehicle ownership. First, it covers the driver and the vehicle against damages in case of an accident and secondly, it helps to protect against drivers who do not have any insurance on their vehicles. The amount of coverage that a person selects is based mainly on the value of the vehicle itself.

The three basic types of insurance coverage available are liability, collision and comprehensive. Collision insurance provides coverage for damages to the vehicle itself along with bodily injuries sustained in an accident. Accident reports give the insurance company all the necessary details of the accident.

When one of the drivers involved in an accident does not have coverage, the costs of damages must be recovered from other sources. Depending on the state, there may be a fund available to help absorb some of these costs. With the proper insurance coverage in place, the insured drivers provider may also help to cover some, if not all of the costs.

The costs for accidents such as these are normally covered by the insured drivers' provider in the form of increased premiums. While this may seem a bit unfair, in the end, the insurance companies are there to make money as well as provide an invaluable service. The responsible driver ends up being the one to pay the bill by the addition of surcharges and slightly higher rates.

The increased premiums allow for the insurance companies to regain some of their losses when an accident occurs involving an uninsured motorist. This also will alleviate some of the cost if the incident involves an underinsured motorist as well. An underinsured motorist may be covered, but not up to the amount of actual damage if the accident was a severe one.

Research studies show that one in six drivers operate a motor vehicle without insurance. This in turns causes the auto insurance companies to have to raise their rates to cover costs. This then puts the extra cost directly on the shoulders of the responsible vehicle owners who make sure that they have insurance on each of their vehicles.

Now you can purchase uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage to protect against uninsured drivers. Your premiums may increase slightly, but you will have the peace of mind that accompanies knowing you are covered if you run into an uninsured driver. It's a worthwhile consideration to make. Today, insurance companies don't have the ability to raise rates just to make a higher profit. They have to stay competitive in order to remain in business. The competition is fierce since so many companies advertise and due business online.

With the advent of the Internet bringing more and more providers to the general public, the competition between auto insurance companies has escalated greatly. Their rates must be kept competitive in order to not only garner more business, but still be able to cover their costs. With the inability to raise rates just to increase profits, the consumer is the one who benefits in the end with this type of competition. - 30406

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