If you drive a car, legally you must have car insurance. It’s important to start with deciding what type of coverage you need. In the State of Texas some coverage’s are required, while others are optional but still good to have.
In the State of Texas some coverage’s are required, while others are optional but still good to have. For example, not all policies have Roadside Assistance. It’s not required but, it sure is nice to have, if you breakdown and don’t have a way to get your car to a mechanic. Below is some helpful information on what your coverage mean:
This covers any personal injury & property damage that occurs in a car wreck that you are responsible for. In the State of Texas, this coverage is the bear minimum required for all drivers. There are various liability amounts available, with the minimum being $30,000 per individual and $60,000 per accident (as well as a minimum of $25,000 for Property Damage).
This coverage is optional in Texas, but is typically required if you have a lien holder on your car (i.e you are still making payments and owe money on your vehicle).
Comprehensive insurance (also known as OTC / Other Than Collision) covers you when something happens other than a collision. For example, if there is a massive hail storm, your car catches on fire, or a deer runs out in front of you.
Collision Insurance covers you in the event of an accident with another vehicle or object like a tree, fence or pole.
The cost of Comp & Collision insurance varies. Things like how much your car is worth, where you live and park your car, and your driving history will affect these rates from one company to the next. We check your rates with several companies to offer you the best deal we can find.
Here’s the deal!
The only reason you wouldn’t want to take this insurance, is if your car has a low value and the cost of what you pay for it out weights what you would receive, if you needed to make a claim. Customers often ask about raising their deductible too. This does help you to save on your payments, but remember you need to be prepared to pay more of your own money, to fix or replace your car, in the event of an accident.
In the event of an accident whether you are at fault or not, Medical Payments or Med-Pay Insurance, covers your medical and funeral expenses for yourself and anyone in the vehicle with you.
Personal Injury Protection (a.k.a PIP) is similar to Med-Pay, in the fact that it will cover your medical expenses, but PIP can also include rehabilitation costs and even lost wages for you or anyone in the car, up to the limits you select.
If you are in an accident and the other driver is at fault, BUT they are breaking the law and have not brought insurance or their insurance limits are too low, this coverage steps in to help you. It covers the cost of any damage/medical expenses that may not be covered by the other person’s lack of insurance.
Here’s the deal! Texas only requires people to have a minimum of $30,000 in liability insurance. This means, if you are in an accident and the other driver is at fault - you will likely only receive a maximum of $30,000 to cover expenses. Not good if your car’s worth $35,000 and your medical expenses are $50,000. It’s usually a good idea to have this coverage.
This coverage is good to have if you breakdown and don’t have a way of getting your vehicle to a mechanic!
True story from Dc Mask himself - your wife is pregnant and you are at the hospital getting a check up. You unload your 7 month pregnant wife, let the valet guy jump in your truck to park it, and a wheel falls off. Yup - true story. In this case, roadside assistance was VERY handy to have. Our insurance covered the costs of the towing and driving, to our local mechanic. Luckily, we had another car we could use while our truck was in the shop. If not, rental coverage would have come in handy then too.
This insurance is designed to help cover the gap between what your car is worth (at the time of an accident - NOT what you paid for it) and what you owe to a lien holder. There are different coverages here, so it’s important to check what’s right for you and if you really need it.
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If you are upside down on your car (i.e you owe more on your loan than your car is worth) you could do with this insurance coverage.
If you read all that, we are proud of you! If you skipped to the bottom and didn’t bother reading any of it, we understand. Either way, it’s our job to help get you covered.
We will help you choose the right limits so, that in the event of an accident, you have the right limits for your situation.
Just give us a call at 817-444-4440 and let us help you figure out what coverage’s you need. We will run your insurance with many different companies. That way we can make sure you are getting the best rates possible.
