North Richland Hills Car Insurance
In North Richland Hills, Texas, anyone who owns a compact car, sedan, SUV, or truck is required by law to carry personal auto insurance on their vehicle.
Failure to comply with this state-mandated piece of legislation can lead to extremely expensive fines and other forms of punishment that are imposed by the courts.
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For people who are new to vehicle ownership or those who are new to the Lone Star State, buying auto insurance can seem like a very intimidating mission.
Not only must you know how much insurance you are legally required to carry, you also need to know how much insurance you actually need.
Read this consumer guide to North Richland Hills car insurance and get tips while you learn the facts.
What Are the North Richland Hills Car Insurance Requirements?
Anyone who lives in North Richland Hills must follow the civil and criminal codes written in Texas.
Since there is a Texas car insurance law called the Financial Responsibility Law, you are required to abide by this law by carrying an adequate level of insurance or proving that you are financially responsible.
The purpose of the car insurance law is to make it so that anyone who has a driving privilege in the state is able to pay for the damages or the medical bills accrued by victims that they injure while they are behind the wheel.
Why Buy Auto Insurance When There Are Alternatives?
While paying a deposit through the Department is an option to prove financial responsibility, most would prefer to hold onto their own money and purchase an auto insurance plan for financial protection.
With auto insurance, you do not use your own money to protect you from financial loss.The policy, at a minimum, will help you pay for damages that you have been found to be liable for.
It may also provide you with coverage to repair or replace the vehicle or for medical coverage to treat your injuries.
If you were to choose an alternative option, you would be stuck to pay for the losses with your own money and possibly your wages or assets. If your financial well-being is important to you, buying North Richland Hills car insurance is the best choice.
How Much Car Insurance Do You Have to Buy?
When you choose the option to buy car insurance to satisfy the law, you need to satisfy the minimum car insurance limits before you will be considered to be in compliance.
Minimum requirements vary from state to state and can also be changed if the state officials feel like changes need to be made. Currently, in the state of Texas, you can have basic liability coverage.
Liability coverage consists of Bodily Injury and Property Damage cover.
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Bodily Injury
Not all accidents lead to injuries, but in those that do, the cost for treatment of the injured party can get expensive. In a state like Texas, that operates under the tort system, you must pay for any injury that you cause to someone who is not in your household.
Bodily Injury will pay for hospital bills, medical transport and other forms of treatment if you injure a pedestrian or third-party in another car.
Your coverage will pay a limit per person, up to a higher limit for all damages in the accident.
You must have no less than $30,000 for each injured individual, no less than $60,000 for each car accident.
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Property Damage
In virtually all accidents, at least the accidents that must be reported, some type of property gets damaged.
In most cases, the damaged property is a car, but other types of property that could get damaged in North Richland Hills include fences, utility poles, lamps, benches, walls, property, and more.
Your car insurance policy will pay up to your Property Damage limit no matter how much property you damage while you are driving your car or any vehicle that you are borrowing. You must carry no less than $25,000 for the total property damage in an accident.
When you are reading a quote or you are reviewing your declarations page, these limits are typically written in the thousands. You may find that the limits are written 30/60/25, which may be confusing unless you understand what this basic coverage means.
What Other Types of Coverage Can You Buy in North Richland Hills?
Every car insurance policy includes liability coverage, but not every policy includes other optional forms of cover. If you want more than just the basics, you will need to consider raising your liability limits and opting to carry other alternative types of cover.
A comprehensive North Richland Hills policy will protect you from legal issues and also protect you and your family when you are in a vehicle or even as you walk as a pedestrian.
Coverage for Your Injuries
Do you have medical insurance? Do you have a high deductible plan? Do you drive passengers often? If you do not have insurance, you have a high co-payment or you have passengers with no insurance, you should consider adding some form of medical protection.
There are two types of coverage that will pay for your injuries on your own policy: medical payments and uninsured motorist.
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Medical Payments
If you are injured in an accident, medical payments will kick in to provide you with money for medical treatment expenses that are incurred at a local hospital or doctor office.
Medical payment is the only type of coverage that is not based on fault, so even when you are at-fault for an accident, you can receive payment. The limits are per person and not per accident.
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Uninsured Motorist
Statistics show that about 20 percent of the population in the state of Texas is uninsured. This means that there are about 13460 uninsured drivers in North Richland Hills alone.
Texans are currently paying about $900 million to protect themselves against these drivers with Uninsured Motorist cover.
Uninsured Motorist cover will pay for you and your passengers' injuries. You can carry limits that match your bodily injury limits on your plan.
Coverage for Your Car
Can you pay to repair your own car if you are at-fault? If your car is stolen can you replace it? Do you own your car outright? If you answered no, you need physical damage coverage called comprehensive and collision.
Comprehensive will pay for damages to your own vehicle if it is lost or damaged by fire, theft, vandalism, glass breakage, or other claims.
Collision will pay for damages to your own car no matter who is at-fault in a moving loss.
How to Save Money Off of Your North Richland Hills Insurance
Just because it is the law does not mean that you do not want to save money on a product you have to carry. If you want to save money, you can either buy a bare-bones plan or you can be a resourceful consumer.
For those who do not want to compromise protection for low monthly payments, here are some tips on saving money:
- Comparison shop with multiple insurers
- Obey the rules of the road
- Insure all household vehicles with the same company for discounts
- Buy other lines of insurance with the same provider for multi-line discounts
- Ask for Good Student Discount for drivers under 25
- Buy safer vehicles for more risky drivers
- Do not buy full coverage on older vehicles with no value
- Complete TX drug and alcohol awareness program for a discount
- Take a safe driver course for a 36 mon36-monthunt
- Get low mileage discounts
The best way to compare pricing is to do so from the comforts of your own home. You can use an online rate comparison tool that will show you the North Richland Hills rates through all of the most popular providers in your area to save time while you save money.
All you have to do is enter your information one single time and you will be instantly directed to the car insurance quotes so that you can comparison shop.
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