Introduction- Importance Of Car Insurance
In the post-pandemic world, many are taking their holidays to the road. Road trips have become the new normal when it comes to vacation plans. This booming form of tourism could bring immense revenue to regional economies. However, there is a problem that some might not foresee happening. Importance of car insurance-
Car insurance is one of the most important aspects of preparing for a road trip. Yet, many do not read the fine print of their insurance policy. Failure to read the fine print can be costly as you never know when your road trip might be interrupted by an accident and when you need to claim your insurance. Ensure you have the best car cover for your next road trip with Youi to prevent these inconveniences! Read on more to find out about insuring your car for road trips.
Preparing For A Road Trip- Importance Of Car Insurance
When you think about preparing for a road trip, all that could come to mind is simply preparing your day-to-day living needs and storing them in the boot of your car. However, there is much more to carefully prepare when it comes to a road trip. Other than being aware of the current pandemic travel restrictions, it is important to think about your vehicular needs as well. You would need to consider the designated driver for the trip if you can bring your pet along on the trip, and other things like whether you are covered for roadside assistance. Not thinking about your insurance plan and getting one that is not suitable for you can lead to mishaps, which will result in you having to pay some hefty costs.
Many have decided to let go of their car insurance during the pandemic to save money, but insurance is more important than you think. However, that is not even the biggest concern. Many do not read the terms and conditions of their car insurance policies and this leads them to not understand what their insurance plans cover and do not cover for them.
Just like you would get travel insurance when traveling abroad for a typical vacation, it is important to get car insurance to stay covered when going on a road trip. More importantly, the insurance plan should be suitable for the kind of road trip you are planning and the activities you would be doing.
Get in touch with an insurance agent or company to learn more about the existing policies available before planning your trip in detail. This will help you greatly in ensuring that you understand what you have signed up for and would better inform your decisions when planning the trip. Hence, this should be the very first thing you do when planning your road trip.
Understanding Your Car Insurance Policy
There are so many things to take note of when dealing with your car insurance policy. From policy exclusions to the fine print in product disclosure statements, going through everything in detail may seem like a daunting task. With so many things going on, it is easy to lose sight of what circumstances and situations you are covered for.
Comprehensive Car Insurance- Importance Of Car Insurance
Firstly, getting familiar with common comprehensive car insurance exclusions would be helpful to your case. By being unfamiliar with these exclusions, you could run the risk of voiding your car insurance entirely during the process of claiming your insurance.
Driving With Pets- Importance Of Car Insurance
For instance, pets. In some states, it is illegal to drive around with your pet that is unrestrained in the car. Yet, many still do so. If you’re found out, fines could be given out or jail time even for pets that get injured because they were unrestrained while driving. Since this act is illegal, your car insurance policy can get voided due to your illegal behavior. Other illegal activities like overloading your car above the maximum weight limit can also cause your insurance claim to be rejected.
Age Restrictions
Some policies also have age restrictions on younger drivers. This means that junior drivers might not be able to claim insurance as they are not covered. However, if your policy is not under sich restriction, then the agreed sum you pay when you claim before coverage kicks in will be affected.
Other Unusual Activities
Some activities like sport-related driving, or driving on tests tracks or parks are also not covered by certain insurance policies. So if you are planning for such unusual activities, do make sure to check that your car insurance policy covers what you need before setting off on your trip!
The Issue of Roadside Assistance
Usual car insurance policies would cover aspects of your vehicular needs such as towing to a mechanic or emergency repairs. However, these policies at times do not cover sudden breakdowns and failures. When this happens roadside assistance is needed. Usually, roadside assistance is not included in standard car insurance policies and it is usually offered as an optional extra that you can add to your policy. This comes at an extra cost. Other insurers provide this as an entirely separate product that you can buy without already being a customer.
Having to pay additional costs for roadside assistance deters some drivers from adding this to their coverage. Others may not be satisfied with the towing services that apply to most roadside assistance policies. Whatever the reason, if you opt-out of getting this policy it would be good to make sure that you have mechanical knowledge in your road trip group to deal with any hiccups along the way such as changing a flat tire.
Reading into the fine print of your policy to see the distance of towing that your policy covers together with the restrictions that may be present on accommodations cover and potential hire car over after an incident is important.
The Importance of Shotgun Riders
Whilst being the most comfortable part of the car when going on a long road trip, sitting beside the driver comes with much responsibility. As a shotgun rider, you are the driver’s most important teammate.
Shotgun riders are often expected to be the navigator and it is up to this passenger to make sure that the driver does not go the wrong way. Another responsibility of a shotgun rider is to keep the driver awake. This is role is overlooked because if your driver does dose off, even a minor accident will be a taint on the driver’s history and this could increase the cost of your potential car insurance.
Other things like ensuring everyone is belted up are vital to ensuring that the driver does not accumulate any demerit points. If more demerit points are accumulated, this can affect the cost of the driver’s insurance premium. All this goes to show that the shotgun rider is more than just another person in the car. They play an important role in ensuring that everything goes smoothly for the driver and no extra costs are unnecessarily incurred.
Conclusion
Fine prints, considering roadside assistance, and preparing your shotgun rider are all vital aspects of the preparation process when planning your road trip. If you require more assurance and want to make sure you are covered for the activities you are planning to embark on during your trip, speaking with an insurance agent is the best way to go about it.
