Pearland Car Insurance
In the classic Gulf Coast region, you have a pride in the ability to endure and thrive in spite of mother nature. Your family has the most delicious seafood recipes known to the world. You know it and you take to heart that your home is a pearl, and that's why they call it Pearland.
Everyone in Texas needs a car. To drive here you need to abide by the minimum legal requirements.
It is not only good practice, but it prevents big, bad fines. Fortunately, according to Texas Department of Insurance, the minimums are pretty reasonable. They will mostly keep you protected, though you probably want to purchase more than the legal minimum.
Here is why. For one, you may have some assets that you would like to protect.
If you buy too little bodily injury liability and property damage liability but have savings, retirement accounts, a home, or anything else you value, being underinsured is dangerous.
If you cause a vehicle accident that causes injuries or death to other drivers or pedestrians, those parties probably will sue you.
On the other hand, if you buy sufficient and reasonable amounts of bodily injury liability and property damage liability, the insurance company takes your place on your behalf. It would step in and use its lawyers to negotiate for you. In addition, the insurance you bought will cover a good portion of the liability for you too.
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You say you have no assets? Do not worry, they may garnish wages if you lose a lawsuit. Yes, it can happen. If you thought you already had it rough by making an hourly wage of 8 dollars an hour, then try subtracting 200,000 dollars from your income spread over 30 years.
Rather than breaking your back to repay a debt with that big of a price tag, buy insurance.
Insurance that covers your liability sufficiently could cost 50 dollars to a few hundred dollars every six months. It is a small price to pay compared to the consequences of not buying it, or buying too little.
The insurance industry recommends purchasing 100,000 dollars per injured for a total of 300,000 dollars per accident for injury liability. In addition, the insurance industry recommends you pick up 50,000 dollars in property damage liability.
Texas Is A PIP State
In some ways Texans are fortunate. Though, when you go to renew your vehicle insurance you may feel like it is just another expense, Personal Injury Protection, or PIP, coverage, is helpful in many ways.
Texas provides a method for even the normally uninsurable to purchase policies, to keep drivers on the road within legal limits.
It is called Texas Automobile Insurance Plan Association, or TAIPA, for short. Policies through this organization are higher than you would normally pay, and you may only purchase the following with them:
- Bodily injury liability
- Property damage liability
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage
- Uninsured/underinsured property damage coverage
- Personal injury protection
Texas also has protections in place against insurance companies not renewing policyholders for filing certain claims. Insurers cannot refuse renewal for any of the following reasons:
- Weather damage claims from hurricanes, hail, high winds, flooding, or tornadoes.
- Animal collisions, including birds
- Flying or falling objects, such as gravel kicking up off the pavement. Though, three claims for this within three years may result in increased insurance rates.
- Filing claims for towing and labor (three in three years may result in increased insurance rates.
- Claims for incidents that are not your fault (two within one year can increase rates.)
Prevention Is Effective
You may not be able to control what other drivers do in their cars, but you can become more aware.
Take a defensive driving course, because it will keep you aware of roadway hazards and how to manage them. In addition, if all drivers on your policy take the defensive driving course, you may save a good deal of money for the next three years.
Maintenance of your vehicle puts you more in control to prevent accidents.
Factoring in the causes of accidents makes for an important learning lesson for you as a driver. It teaches you a lot about what not to do when you get in your car or head out onto the roadways.
- Impaired driving from alcohol, drugs, prescriptions, or over the counter medications
- Poor maintenance
- Distracted driving from cell phone, radios, excessive noise, phone conversations, texting, and reaching for items
- Fatigued driving
- Emotional upset or anger emerging while driving
- Impaired senses, such as not wearing prescription glasses, or being unable to hear emergency vehicles approaching
- seatbelts
It's worth noting you should leave three seconds space between you and the vehicles in front of you.
A great rule of thumb to follow is to allow an extra second for every hazard. If it is raining and you are stuck behind a huge 18-wheeler, allow two more seconds.
If you are also tired and running on too little sleep, add on another second. The reason is that reaction time and the car's ability to stop or swerve will all be affected by these conditions. The idea is to prevent accidents in the first place.
Do not drink or use drugs and drive. Do not use the cellphone at all while driving either.
Phone conversations pull the mind away from driving, which is the most important task and requires full attention. Only 2.5 percent of the population is able to multi-task effectively, regardless of how people self-identify and gauge their own abilities.
If you are behind the wheel of a two-ton vehicle hurtling down the highway with your kids in the backseat, focus on driving.
If you are upset by stressors from home, work, or anywhere else in life, keep it out of the vehicle.
Stay in the moment, do not personalize anything, and maintain emotional control by breathing and remaining calm. Bad decision making comes as a consequence of emotional upset. It serves to give away your power too.
The most important items is wear seatbelts always. And, never drive until all vehicle passengers are also belted in, for good reason.
If there is an accident, there are several aspects to a collision:
Impact on the Vehicle
An accident will always show in wear and tear to the vehicle itself. At the very least, you will see minor scrapes and dents. But if the accident is more severe, your car will most likely suffer damages that need repair before it can be driven again.
External Bodily Impact
If you are in a simple accident and the vehicle stays intact, but you are not wearing a seatbelt, you may be ejected from the vehicle.
In addition, your body may kill other passengers who were belted in and would have survived. If your body hits them while you are ejecting out of the car, your body moves at such a rate that you become a dangerous projectile.
The other matter is that your body receives a great deal of protection by remaining inside the vehicle, rather than outside of it, or hitting the pavement, or getting run over by other vehicles.
Internal Bodily Impact
A car accident can cause a good deal of internal damage. Staying belted in saves lives. It is the difference between being in and out of the emergency room within a few hours or dying. Doctors can patch you up if you wear a belt, whereas people not wearing seatbelts often receive major injuries.
Accident Prevention: Is it worth it?
There are many myths in our society, which perpetuate roadway accidents.
One of the worst myths is that just drinking one or two drinks and driving is safe. It is not.
Drinking impairs judgment and coordination, which are the superhero skills you need to drive safely.
All you can do is take care of the issues you can control. Being cautious is the first step.
Other drivers may be impatient to the point where they tailgate. But did you know that you should not concede to them or defer to them? Simply go the speed limit. Do not speed to accommodate them.
If you go faster and end up hitting an object, you would have an impact at a higher speed. This causes worse injuries and you can receive tickets for speeding, which increases insurance rates.
Do your duty to be a responsible driver. Buy your insurance. Take maintenance and driving privileges seriously. They could save your life.
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