Texas State Law requires that you purchase and maintain a minimum of Liability Auto Insurance for your vehicle. Let Alvarado Taxes and Insurance help keep you protected.An auto insurance policy is there to help cover the cost of repairs to your vehicle and medical costs in the event of an accident; Think of it as protection for a rainy day.
Understanding Insurance Coverage can be confusing; which is why we have broken them down to help make it easier to understand.
LIABILITY INSURANCE
Liability Insurance in TEXAS provides coverage for any injuries & property repairs for the other party (if you are found at fault) in an accident. The State of TEXAS requires each driver to carry at least minimum Liability limits of $30,000 per person, $60,000 per occurrence, and $25,000 in property damage. However, your premium can increase or decrease based upon the coverage limits you select.
Liability insurance pays to repair or replace the other drivers’ car and pays the other parties medical expenses when you are at fault in an accident. Liability insurance is made up of Bodily Injury Liability and Property Damage Liability.
Bodily Injury (BI) Liability provides important protection if you injure someone and/or if an injury in an accident results in death while operating your car. This form of auto insurance is important and something you want to keep at a consistent level, even as your car gets older and declines in value. In the event of a serious accident, you want enough insurance (higher limits) to protect assets that may become subject to a lawsuit.
Property Damage (PD) Liability provides you with protection if your car damages someone’s property, and it also pays for your legal defense costs if you are sued as a result of these damages.
Together, Bodily Injury Liability and Property Damage Liability coverage makes up the minimum state required coverage for all Texas drivers.Liability coverage does not pay to repair or replace damages to your vehicle and/or any medical expenses you may incur in an accident if you are at fault. Consider purchasing additional types of coverage such as medical payments, collision, and comprehensive to pay for these expenses.
COMPREHENSIVE & COLLISION INSURANCE
Comprehensive & Collision insurance help cover the repairs or replacement of your car.Choosing a lower deductible will increase your premium and choosing a higher deductible will decrease your premium.
If you lease or finance your car, Comprehensive & Collision is typically required by the lender.Together Comprehensive & Collision insurance provides full protection for your vehicle in the event of an accident, whether you are at fault or not.Comprehensive Insurance provides protection for your vehicle if it is damaged by something other than a collision with a vehicle or object, such as: Fire, Theft, Vandalism, and Collision with an animal, or other covered perils.
Collision Insurance is a form of car insurance that pays for damage to your car when your car hits, or is hit by, another object. Alvarado Taxes & Insurance offers a number of affordable insurance deductibles. You can opt for a higher deductible in order to lower your premium.Deductible refers to the amount of out-of-pocket expenses you are responsible for to cover the repairs to your vehicle in an accident. Common deductible amounts include $250, $500, or $1,000.
Comprehensive & Collision provide full protection for your vehicle in the event that you cause an accident or another unpredictable event causes damage to your vehicle. Glass coverage is also included under the comprehensive portion. When you add comprehensive and collision to your policy, this is typically referred to as “full coverage”.
PERSONAL INJURY PROTECTION (PIP)
In the state of TEXAS, you can carry either PIP or Medical Payments coverage.PIP coverage begins at $2500 and Medical Payment Coverage begins at $5000. PIP also covers you while you are walking as a pedestrian.Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Insurance typically pays for the medical, hospital, funeral, and/or lost wages incurred by you and any passengers injured in an accident in your car regardless of who is at fault for the accident.
Personal Injury Protection covers you and your passengers in the vehicle, without any standard deductible to pay before it pays out. It can cover the hospitalization and rehabilitation for you and your passengers, up to the policy limits that you choose. PIP only applies towards medical expenses, not any property damage. PIP also covers substitute services if the auto related injuries prevent you from performing your standard household tasks. The state of Texas requires all drivers who do not want this coverage to reject it in writing, via a special rejection form.
UNINSURED & UNDERINSURED MOTORIST PROTECTION
1 out of 5 vehicles in Texas is driving around uninsured. (Source: TexaSure.com). UM provides coverage for any injuries and/or medical expenses caused during an accident if the other party is uninsured or if you’re involved in a hit-and-run accident.
UMPD provides coverage for any damages to your vehicle caused during an accident if the other party is uninsured and has a standard deductible of $250 per occurrence.Given the number of uninsured motorists driving around today, this is very important coverage to have, even in states with no-fault insurance.
Alvarado Taxes & Insurance 3 different types of uninsured motorist protection insurance:
Uninsured Motorist (UM)Insurance also known as Uninsured Motorist Bodily Injury (UMBI) Insurance, it pays for you and your passenger(s) injuries such as medical expenses, in an accident caused by an uninsured driver, and/or a hit-and-run driver.
Uninsured Motorist Property Damage (UMPD) Insurance
This type of coverage pays for damage to your vehicle in an accident caused by an uninsured driver, and/or a hit-and-run driver.
Underinsured Motorist (UIM) Insurance
This Insurance covers your vehicle in the event it is damaged from an accident by another insured driver that doesn’t have enough coverage limits on their policy to cover the damage to your vehicle; in that case, having this coverage on your policy will cover the remaining difference for any damages to be repaired or replaced.
Uninsured motorist will cover you in those situations where you get hit by someone who didn’t decide to carry auto insurance. With roughly 1 out of 5 drivers on the road today without insurance, this coverage certainly comes in handy if you are one of the unlucky ones to get hit by someone without any coverage.
The underinsured motorist coverage works similarly, but it would only pay out when you get hit by someone who does have auto insurance, but your bodily injury damages that they caused are more than they carry, leaving them underinsured. Just like your bodily injury, the UMPD would pay to fix the damage to your car caused by the other driver, and you only have to pay the $250 deductible.
MEDICAL PAYMENTS COVERAGE
Not all health insurance policies pay for auto related accidents.You can carry $500 to $5000 per person in medical coverage. Medical payments also covers you while you are walking as a pedestrian or bicycling. Medical payments covers the medical, hospital, and funeral expenses for you and any passengers injured in an accident in your car, regardless of who is at fault.
Medical payments are known as goodwill, no fault type of coverage that will protect you and your passengers in the vehicle. There is no deductible to pay before it kicks in, and it pays out on a per person basis. Regardless of how reliable you think your health insurance policy is, medical payments can help out on several different levels after an accident.
RENTAL REIMBURSEMENT
Rental Reimbursement is an optional coverage with an additional low premium.Not all auto insurance policies include insurance coverage while you’re driving a rental car.You must have comprehensive and collision coverage in order to add rental reimbursement to your policy.
Rental Reimbursement is coverage that provides you reimbursement for the expense of a rental car if your vehicle is disabled from an accident and in the repair shop. This coverage cannot be used for leisure purposes.
Rental Reimbursement is an optional coverage that you can pay for, in the event that your car is in the shop due to a covered accident, and you still need to get to work or perform your daily tasks. There are different limits that you can choose from to be properly covered when renting another car. Rental car coverage can add up quickly after an accident, and this additional coverage might be worth the extra cost after an accident.
TOWING & ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE COVERAGE
Towing coverage will assist in towing your car to the nearest facility when your car can’t be driven due to a covered loss.
Roadside assistance provides support across the United States if you run out of gas, lock your keys in your car, get a flat tire or even need a battery boost.
Alvarado Taxes & Insurance offers towing and roadside assistance as an optional add-on to your auto insurance policy for an additional low monthly premium.
If your car is in need of a tow after an accident, or you find yourself with car troubles on the side of the road, you can add this peace of mind coverage to your auto policy.
DISCOUNTS
Everyone loves getting discounts and saving money; and at Alvarado Taxes & Insurance, we offer a variety of discounts to help you save money on your insurance premium. Ask your agent if you qualify for any of our discounts today.
Multi-Car Discount
The more vehicles you add to your policy, the cheaper the price is per vehicle.
Proof of Prior Insurance (POP) Discount
Provides discount for having has insurance for the past 6 months or more, without any lapse in coverage or some lapse depending on underwriting restrictions, generally 30 days. In order to qualify for the full discount, the name of the insured needs to be listed on the declaration pages and/or insurance ID card.
Homeowners Discount
If you own a home you may qualify for a homeowner’s discount. The home has to be under the name of the insured or joint name, in order to get the full discount.
Customer Loyalty / Renewal Discount
If applicable, once a policy is renewed, without any tickets or accidents, a 5% discount will typically be applied.
Marriage Discount
Because one may be considered more responsible if they are married, you may qualify for a marriage discount. Your spouse can be either included or excluded from your policy to get the discount.
Paid in Full Discount
By paying your 6-month or 12-month policy premium in full, you will get a discount on the overall premium.
EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) Discount
Most companies offer discounts if you decide to make payments through your bank account, credit card, or debit card via electronic withdraw every month.
Good Driver Discount
If a driver does not have tickets or accidents in their records for the past 5 years, they are eligible for a good driver discount.
The Good Student Discount
Get A’s or B’s on your report card and you can receive a discount.
Anti-Theft Device Discount
Defensive Driving Discount