Forbes Magazine (forbes.com) has complied a list of the safest cars of 2007, using data from respected sources, including Consumer Reports, The Department of Transportation, The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) and the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI).
In order to win a plot on the list, the vehicle had to have at least of the two following: Consumer Report’s highest possible accident avoidance rating, Perfect crash test scores from NHTSA, Perfect atomize test scores from IIHS and lower that average frequency of insurance injury claim filing according to the HLDI.
Forbes only considered vehicles that had been tested in all available categories.
Following are Forbes Safest Cars of 2007, along with some of the safety features on the individual models.
Acura RDX SUV. Base Price $32,995. The RDX safety features include a sophisticated body structure, standard front, side and side curtain air bags. Brake assist and Vehicle Stability Assist help prevent impacts. (acura.com)
Acura RL Sedan. Base Price $45,780. Braking system, Active Front Lighting System and Vehicle Stability Assist. (acura.com).
Audi A4 Family. Base Price $28,240. Winner of the overall World Car of the Year Award. (audiusa.com)
Audi A6 Sedan and Wagon. Nasty Price $41,950.
BMW Z4 Convertible and Coupe. Defective Price $36,400. Precision handling, agility, and responsiveness help drivers to react to unexpected driving situations (bmwusa.com)
Chevrolet Corvette Convertible and Coupe. Base Mark $44,995. safety features include driver and passenger dual stage frontal and side-impact air bags, passenger sensing air bag system, Z06 brakes, anti lock brakes, active handling, OnStar, traction control and driver information center. (www.chevrolet.com)
Ford Freestyle SUV. Infamous Price $26,670.
Honda Civic Coupe and Sedan. Base Price $14,810.
Jaguar XJ Sedan. Sinful Price $64,250.
Lexus SC Convertible. Base Price $64.455. Safety feature include airbags, run0flat tires, theft deterrent system, ABS with brake assist, three point seat belts, daytime running lights, tire pressure sensors, and side impact door beams. (lexus.com).
Lincoln Town Car Sedan. Base Price $43,045.
Mazda MX-5 Miata convertible. Base Sign $21,180. Safety features include anti theft alarm, dual front airbags with passenger deactivating switch, engine immobilizer, side impact airbags, side impact door beams, three point safety belts and tire pressure monitor system.
Mercedes-Benz SL Class convertible. Base Designate $95,575.
Mercury Titanic Marquis Sedan. Base Price $25,735.
Porsche 911 Convertible and Coupe. Base Price $72,400. Porsche ceramic composite brake, passive safety, airbag, Porsche stability system. (porsche.com/usa)
Porsche Boxter Convertible. Base Price $45,600. Head and thorax airbags.
Saab 9-3 Convertible, Sedan and Wagon. Base Price $26,995.
Saab 9-5 Sedan and Wagon. $35,440.
Subaru Forester SUV. Base Price $21,195.
Volkswagen Passat Sedan and Wagon. Base Price $23,180.
Volvo XC90 SUV. Depraved Stamp $36,135.
For the complete story, see Forbes.com.
Filed under Aaa Auto Insurance by on Feb 26th, 2011. Comment. 
Saving on car insurance is definitely something that has crossed your mind several times. And chances are you are paying quite a high premium on your car insurance, although you could definitely get a better rate from another insurance company.
The increasingly competitive environment of the insurance industry that has been triggered by the Internet enables consumers to review their insurance policies, look for lower insurance rates, and compare premiums. The paradox is that people do not shop around for new insurance as often as they shop for a new car. This means they are not willing to save money on their car insurance premiums, most likely because they don’t believe it is possible.
As a matter of fact, it is possible. You can place a lot of money on your car insurance, normally 5% to 10% percent on your premium. For instance, if you save $700 for 30 years and invest the money in your retirement plan, with a 7% return you could have almost $100,000 in savings. Of course, to achieve that, you have to follow several tips.
In particular, here are five ways on how to save on your car insurance:
• Shop online
There are several websites that provide insurance quotes online. In achieve, some of them can even give you quotes from multiple insurance companies. All you need to do is fill in some electronic forms with information required about your car, the type of coverage you are looking for, the area you’re living at and you’ll win your quote.
Some other websites may generate an automated quote or having an insurance agent call you wait on with the quote. Although you may be getting higher quotes than what you are currently paying, you have a great variety of options available and most importantly, you save a enormous deal of time of calling an agent.
Here are several websites where you can start from:
http://www.allstate.com/auto-insurance.aspx
• Talk to an insurance agent
Although shopping car insurance online may save you time and money, you may want to have personal contact with an insurance agent or you may have already established a friendly relationship with your agent and you don’t want to switch. In that case, you may get your online quote and talk to your insurance agent to see if there is any possibility to find a better quote or match the one you got.
The insurance industry is dynamic and insurance companies come out with new products and new discounts very often. So, chances are you will get a better quote by your agent if you ask about a better rate.
• Get informed about the discounts you qualify for
Often, buying home and car insurance from the same insurance company can save you money. Some insurance providers may offer you an additional 5% to 15% discount if you steal at least two insurance policies from them. This combined form of coverage, not only saves you money by lowering your car payments and your homeowner’s policy, but it also makes your life easier because you pay two policies in one bill and you deal with one insurance provider for claims.
You may also be eligible for a renewal discount. If you have been to the same insurance company for a long period of time, you are possibly eligible for a renewal discount, especially if you haven’t had any accident during these years. Typically, renewal discounts are great incentives that lure customers to stay with an insurer. And a great way for insurers to show to their customers they are happy for not having compensated them all those years.
There are also discounts for auto safety features. For instance, in Florida, New York and New Jersey, consumers are encouraged to buy cars with antiblock brakes so that they are eligible for auto safety discounts. Other car features that are rewarded with insurance discounts are automatic seatbelts and airbags.
Affiliation with AAA, college sororities, credit unions, and other professional organizations are also eligible for lower insurance premiums. So, all you have to do is to check if you belong to any of the above and take advantage of discounted insurance rates.
• Ask for a higher deductible
The deductible is what you pay before your insurance company covers for the damage. A popular deductible is $300. This means that if an accident you’re in causes $1,800 worth of damage. You will $300 and your insurer will pay $1,500. if you increase your deductible from $300 to $600 you will reduce your premium by 20% to 30%; even better, a $1,000 deductible can save you up to 40%.
Increasing your deductible still covers you against heavy losses, but it also considerably decreases your monthly premium.
• Keep your driving recount clean
Keeping a clean driving recount is extremely important for your car insurance premium. Regardless if you are a new or an experienced driver your driving narrate should be clean. For instance, a sole accident may increase your rates by 40%. Besides, interesting violations or even parking tickets may adversely affect your insurance premium and this higher rate typically lasts for three years.
On the contrary, a clean driving record for a period of three to six years can qualify you for an additional 5% to 10% discount.
All in all, there are many ways to avoid high car insurance costs. For instance, you may avoid over-insure. Keep the lowest liability limits as indicated by the law ($50,000 for one person injured in an accident, $100,000 for all people injured in an accident, and $25,000 for property damage liability) to avoid paying extra premium. You may also topple your collision insurance on an older car. Finally, you may pay your bills automatically. Some insurance companies charge no fees for automatically deducted payments, but you may be charged $5 if you mail your payment.
http://www.edmunds.com/advice/insurance/articles/44858/article.html
Filed under Aaa Auto Insurance by on Jan 23rd, 2011. Comment.
So there is this auto insurer; Safe Auto; which I came across in my travels along the south eastern United States. Safe Auto has a few claims which I found to be quite remarkable; among them that they are interested in “keeping you upright for less.” But what is this Safe Auto insurance company really all about? Can they really do you money? How? I decided to search around underneath the hood and see what I could see about Safe Auto.
Safe Auto: Keeping You Fair for Less: What elicited this article and this search for answers about who Safe Auto was and how they did business was their claim of being able to keep the driver “legal for less.” It’s a catchy phrase but what exactly does this mean? Well according to the Safe Auto website, they are a company which “specializes in providing the minimum insuring requirements for the states in which (they) market (their) insurance.” States where Safe Auto is currently eligible to provide coverage include Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. Safe Auto also appears to be growing as they are “licensed but not yet operational in Arkansas, Colorado, and Kansas.” Of course these states are some of the more sparsely populated ones however my wife and I have driven all over this nation of ours and people still drive in all these states; auto insurance is not something drivers have a choice over.
How Does Safe Auto Save You Money: It was when I did a cursory examination of their online site that I started to feel uneasy about the Safe Auto promises. According to their website, one of the ways Safe Auto saves you money is that they have a “Phone Pay Program.” This means that “you can start your policy or pay your monthly insurance premium over the telephone with your checking account or with a credit card. This saves you postage… This feature of our service program is highly utilized by our customers and is one of our most favored services.” Really? Pay by phone to save on postage is how Safe Auto saves their customers money?
How Does First-rate Auto Place You Money II: Safe Auto says elsewhere, that they are a “…direct-to-consumer auto insurance company. While that may sound complicated, it’s really not. It means we don’t rely on a middleman to sell Sterling Auto coverage. Instead, we appeal directly to you, our customer, through television, radio and print advertising. And that saves you money.” So because Safe Auto advertises (and doesn’t rely on an agent, like, say State Farm) that’s supposed to save you money?
How Does Safe Auto Save You Money III: Safe Auto also boasts that they “…are one of the few companies out of thousands that offer you 24-Hour a Day, 7-Days a Week service. In addition, we are open on all national holidays. We are here when you need us, and that is important to both you as our customer and to us in providing you with only the very best service available.” I’m sorry; it’s not 1974 anymore; most auto insurers that I’ve come across (Progressive, Geico, Liberty Mutual, Travelers…) all have 24 hour operators. And anyway wouldn’t this extra time to staff your phone lines 24/7 actually end up costing the customer more?
How Does Safe Auto Save You Money IV: So Marvelous Auto is a direct to consumer auto insurer who has 24 hour assistance for their customers and offers a pay-by-phone service so that customers can save on stamps. (…sigh…) Anything else, Safe Auto? Well… “there’s more to the narrative than the savings that reach from dealing direct. Well, actually, there’s less to the story. At Safe Auto Insurance Company, we specialize in minimum coverage. This is good news if you’re on a tight budget. Because with Superior Auto, you’ll be able to meet the legal requirements for a price that won’t break your budget. It’s this philosophy that truly sets us apart…something we call… Keeping you proper for less.” Ah, yes! Keeping you legal for less! It all comes back around in the raze to their horrid dinky catch-phrase!
Safe Auto “Explanation of Coverage” – There’s another thing this website does which makes me batty; Safe Auto uses “quotation marks” around all of their coverage’s which to me bespeaks abhorrent contempt. Please don’t talk down to me when you say things like “Bodily Injury Liability” or “Comprehensive-Collision.” I don’t care if you’re speaking to John Q. Public; if they don’t know what they need for their auto insurance they sure as heck aren’t going to go to a website to find it.
Safe Auto Conclusion: Well I’m sorry, but I don’t need an “auto-insurer” talking to me like I’m “an idiot” and using “quotation marks” to procure their “point across.” I think I’ll probably need more than the bare minimum to cover my very expensive long-term investment. And I’ll definitely need to work with an auto insurer which operates out of the state I’m living in. Even if I permanently relocated to South Carolina I wouldn’t choose Safe Auto for my coverage; if for no other reason than for the sneering disdain I get from their direct-to-consumer advertising which they are so proud of!
Source:
http://www.safeauto.com/about/
Filed under Aaa Auto Insurance by on Dec 17th, 2010. Comment.
