Written by Road Trip and Auto Insurance
With only a few more months until it’s springtime, it’s that time of year again when people are hitting the roads with their vehicles and traveling across the country.
Here are a few things you can do to make sure your auto insurance will cover your vehicle throughout the trip – and help keep your premium low after the trip.
- Make sure you have current coverage. If you pay your monthly installment premium with a check (not an automatic withdrawal direct debit from your bank), you should have a plan to either pay for a few months before you leave or set up automatic withdrawals from your checking account. This way even if you forget about your car insurance while you’re traveling, the payments have been taken care of.
- Carry your insurance card. Even though it’s illegal to drive without carrying proof of car insurance in your vehicle, many people simply forget to put the new card in to replace the old insurance card. Before you leave make sure that you have proof of current insurance somewhere in your vehicle. If you don’t, find the nearest fax machine and call your insurance company and have them fax proof of insurance directly to you.
- Are you traveling with a friend? Will they be doing any of the driving? Even if your insurance company will cover a friend driving your vehicle, it’s a smarter idea still to make sure your friend(s) have current car insurance of their own. If your vehicle is in an at-fault accident and your friends aren’t insured on your vehicle or carry their own policy, regardless of who was driving the claim will be filed against your insurance company and may ultimately be on your insurance file as a claim.
- Speeding tickets and moving violations. Even if these violations do not have an immediate impact on your auto insurance premium, they eventually will. It’s not easy to go the speed limit all of the time especially on a road trip, but, slowing down may save you unnecessary speeding tickets and a premium increase when your auto insurance policy comes up for renewal.
There are many other things you need to pack and plan for when traveling on a road trip, the last concern of yours should be wondering where your car insurance card is, or if you’re even covered. If you follow this article you’ll know where that card is, have current coverage, know if your friends have their own car insurance, and hopefully – avoid speeding tickets.
