Autumn is the peak season for collisions involving vehicles and deer. Deer migration and mating season generally runs from October through December. Add that along with hunting season and they cause a dramatic increase in the movement of the deer population. As a result, more deer-vehicle collisions occur in this period than at any other time of the year. During this three month period the odds of you hitting a deer doubles, and for the month of November, it triples. Auto insurance claims involving deer spike just the same.


     Thus there's no better time to review your auto insurance coverage than now to see how well you are covered (if at all) in case you hit a deer. Comprehensive coverage is the part of auto insurance that covers your vehicle in case you were to hit a deer. When that happens, comprehensive coverage will pay for the damage up to the value of the vehicle minus whatever deductible you're carrying.


     One thing that many drivers do during this period is add comprehensive coverage. Those who already have comprehensive coverage on their vehicle can also increase coverage by lowering their comprehensive deductible. Many people feel it's a good idea to carry comprehensive coverage in the fall months (or better their coverage by lowering deductible), and then change the coverage back again in January, when the risk of hitting deer goes back down.




Let's look at some Deer – Vehicle Statistics

• The national cost per claim average in 2015 was $4,135, up 6% from 2014.

• The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) noted that deer-vehicle collisions in the U.S. cause about 200 fatalities annually.

• An estimated 1.25 million deer-vehicle collisions occur in the U.S. each year, costing more than $4 billion in vehicle damage.

• The hours between dusk and dawn are high risk times. from 5 p.m. to midnight, and 5 a.m. to 8 a.m.

Cost of adding or increasing comprehensive coverage
   
     This is the part that may surprise you. If you're not already carrying both comprehensive and collision coverage, chances are that you are driving an older vehicle. Most companies will allow you to have comprehensive coverage without carrying collision coverage. So by only adding comprehensive coverage without collision coverage, the premium isn't nearly as high as having both coverages.... Many vehicles will only increase ten dollars or less per month by only adding comprehensive coverage. However, there is a downside to this strategy, see next paragraph.




Quick word on deer collisions and collision coverage


    As I've mentioned before, when you hit a deer it is not filed under collision coverage. It is filed under comprehensive coverage..... However, if you swerve to miss a deer and hit something else then it falls under collision coverage. So if a deer or any other animal causes you to run off the road and hit something else, Not only will that fall under collision coverage, but one car collision claims will also go on your driving record is an at fault accident. Something to keep in mind.


Summary: Increasing auto insurance coverage protection against deer collisions


     As mentioned before it is very easy to adjust your auto insurance coverage at any time. What you'll need to do to protect yourself against deer is add comprehensive coverage, if you don't already have it. If you are already carrying comprehensive coverage, you can also lower your deductible during peak deer season.This would lower your out of pocket expense if you were to hit a deer.


      Another part of your policy that you would want to check on is medical payments coverage in case you or any of your passengers get injured from a deer accident. You can either add medical payments coverage to your policy if you don't already have it. If you do already have medical payments coverage, you may want to look into increasing that coverage. See how much more that would cost for the next higher level and the level above that and compare the prices. You may decide it is worth increasing coverage.


    If you would like me to run an auto insurance quote for you, simply click on the link below. Then click on the state you reside in. And as always, I handle all quotes personally and privately.


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 Most people are not familiar with the term Broad Form Named Driver Auto Insurance. It is a special type of auto insurance policy that can be beneficial for many people. However, a Broad Form Named Driver policy (BFND) isn't available in many states. Of the six states I work in, only Ohio has BFND policies. While these policies may be ideal for some people, they won't work at all for others. So before you take out a broad form name driver policy, you need to understand exactly how the policy works and decide whether or not it will work for you.

• A broad form name driver policy can be very helpful to people for different reasons:

• A person who does not own a vehicle but needs to borrow other people's vehicles on occasion can use it as a backup secondary policy. This would cover you as far as liability in case the owner of the vehicle does not carry the required liability insurance coverage.

• A person who does not own a vehicle but needs auto insurance coverage with an SR22 filing. This usually applies to drivers who have lost their license and are required to carry the SR22 for them to get their license reinstated.

• A person who owns multiple vehicles and only wants liability coverage on those vehicles. With a Broad Form Named Driver policy, you only need to pay one premium to have liability coverage on every vehicle you drive (as long as it isn't for business or commercial use). This costs much less than having regular auto insurance, where you have to pay a premium for each vehicle.

If any of the above scenarios apply to you, then you may want to consider a broad form name driver auto insurance policy. However, a Broad Form Named Driver has some serious drawbacks as well:


Cons & drawbacks of a Broad Form Named Driver policy:

•   A broad form named driver policy only covers one driver, and that is the name insured driver listed on the policy. So if you own a vehicle you Can Not loan your vehicle out to anyone with this type of coverage! If someone were to borrow your car while you're only carrying this type of policy, you would be in big trouble if they were to get into an accident because there would be no coverage. This is very important to be aware of. If anyone else drives any of your vehicles, a BFND policy is NOT for you!

• A BFND policy does not offer comprehensive or collision coverage . So if you own a vehicle that has high enough value to require comprehensive and collision coverage (aka "full coverage"), this policy is not for you!

• A BFND policy does not offer add on optional coverages that are normally available with a regular auto insurance policy. This includes things such as Roadside Assistance, Rental Reimbursement, Towing and accessory coverage. The only coverage offered on a BFND policy is liability coverage, uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage, and medical payments coverage. Nothing else!

       As long as you fully aware of the limitations above and don't have a problem with the shortcomings of a BFND policy, then I will be happy to run a quote for you. Simply click on the link below. And as always, I run all quotes personally and privately.



Get an Ohio Broad Form Named Driver Policy quote with Lyles Insurance


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​There are a lot of older vehicles whose value is not high enough to make it worth carrying comprehensive and collision coverage, which is what actually covers the vehicle you're driving. However, as it is in almost every state, you are required to carry at least the state minimum liability auto insurance coverage to drive legally.


     You may not understand the terms and the numbers when selecting the amount of liability coverage you wish to carry. This article is to help eliminate that confusion, and let you understand exactly what you need to know as far as coverage is concerned.




First of all what is liability auto insurance coverage?


Liability covers you if you're at fault in an accident in which you caused injuries and/or property damage to others as a result. The bodily injury part of liability coverage takes care of the injuries and the property damage coverage takes care of the property damage. Both pay up to the limits you choose to carry.


Understanding what the numbers mean with liability coverage


There are two ways a company may offer liability coverage. The most common way is split limits. Some companies also offer combined single limits liability coverage. Let me explain both.


      Split Limits Coverage: With companies that offer split limits liability coverage, you will see those levels of coverage expressed in terms of three numbers. Common examples would be 25/50/25 (which Is Ohio's state minimum,  50/100/50, 100/300/100, 250/500/250. Let's break down what those numbers mean:

• The first number represents how much in bodily injury damage the policy will pay maximum to any one person.

• The second number represents the total amount of bodily injury coverage that the policy will pay if there are multiple people injured.

• The third set of numbers represent the amount the policy will pay total for any property damage you caused.

• All numbers are represented in terms of thousands of dollars.

     So for example, if you have 100/300/100 in liability coverage: $100,000 is the most this policy will pay for any one person's injury $300,000 is the maximum this policy will pay for all injuries, and $100,000 is the maximum this policy would pay for property damage.




Combined single limits coverage:  With combined single limits coverage the body injury and the property damage are all combined together and the total amount that this policy will pay for Liability (both injuries and property damage) is expressed as one grand total. So if you have a liability policy with a combined single limit of 500, this means that your policy will pay up to a half  million in total liability for body injury and property damage.

Other key points about state minimum liability coverage that you need to know:
    

• Just a few years ago, Ohio raised its state minimum liability coverage requirement. Before it was 12.5/25/7.5. Now, it is 25/50/25. Because of this increase, a lot of drivers wrongly conclude that the state minimum requirement is adequate. However, this is far from the truth:

 

• State minimum liability coverage will only cover you adequately for minor accidents. For major accidents, it's not nearly enough coverage! 25,000 is the most it will pay for any one person's injuries. Someone could run a hospital bill way beyond that with only a one or two night stay in the hospital. Also, if you hit a very nice vehicle or hit multiple vehicles it won't take much to exceed the $25,000 maximum either.  If your policy maxes out before paying all injuries or property damage you caused, you could be on the hook for the difference.

 

• Low levels of liability coverage also limits your own coverage as far as uninsured motorist coverage is concerned. You can not select levels of uninsured motorist coverage any higher than what you selected for liability. So far selecting low levels of liability, you also screw yourself!

 

• Choosing low levels of liability can also limit the amount of discount you can get for policies in the future. Auto insurance companies give significant and sometimes big discounts for those who have already carried continuous liability auto insurance coverage for at least six months.... Many companies determine the level of discount by the level of liability coverage you're carrying. For example, someone who has been carrying 50/100/50 in liability will get more of a discount than someone with 25/50/25.... Someone with 100/300/100 will get a higher discount than someone with 50/100/50... and so on....

 

• Liability coverage is NOT unit priced! That is, doubling your level of liability coverage will not cost anything close to double the price.... In many cases, doubling your level of liability coverage only raises premium only about $2-3 a month... And quadrupling liability coverage only raises premium by about $5-10 a month. Before you choose a level of liabilty coverage, at least take a look at the price of the next higher level or two.... The price may surprise you!

Get an Ohio Auto Insurance Quote with Lyles Insurance


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 If you live in one state and need an SR22 auto insurance filing in another state to get your license back, you may have found out that finding the right auto insurance coverage with the SR22 filing you need at an affordable price can be a real pain! There are two main reasons for this: First, not all auto insurance companies offer SR22 auto insurance filings. Second, there are quite a few states that don't even have SR22 filings. So finding an auto insurance company that will sell a policy with an out-of-state SR22 filing attached to it can be even tougher to find.


       However, if you're currently living in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia or West Virginia, I may be able to help you. It doesn't matter which state you need the SR22 in.... as long as you currently reside in one of the above states, I might be able to help you. But first, you need to know the basics of an SR22 auto insurance filing so that you know what type of coverage to buy.  You will also learn what levels of coverage you need to satisfy your SR22 requirement. Let's start with the SR22 itself:




What is an SR22 auto insurance filing?

• An SR22 filing is something you're required to carry in order to reinstate your drivers license and keep a license valid.

• An SR22 filing is not any type of auto insurance at all. It is merely a state filing that attaches onto an auto insurance policy.

• Think of an SR22 policy as a tattletale clause that is attached to your auto insurance policy. When you take out an auto insurance policy with an SR22 filing attached to it, it is a guarantee to your state's BMV/DMV that you're carrying at least that state's minimum auto insurance liability limits of coverage.

• If your auto insurance policy ever lapses or cancels during the time period you're required to carry the SR22 filing, the auto insurance company is required by law to notify that states BMV/DMV. Once that happens, your license will be suspended again until you take out another auto insurance policy or reinstate the old policy with an SR22 back in force.

        What level of coverage do I need to carry?


This answer depends on both the state you're currently living in and the state that you need the SR22 filing in. You need to look up both states' minimum auto insurance liability coverage requirements. If you need help, any auto insurance agent would be happy to look those up for you.


Whichever of the two states has the higher state minimum requirement, that's the minimum level of coverage that you need to carry. Of course, I recommend you choose higher levels of liability coverage than that. But that is the minimum coverage you will need to get your license back.




    Is it ok to carry two separate auto insurance policies, one in the state I need the SR22 in, and the other in the state I live and drive in?
   
      Yes, it is ok to do that. However, it is usually more expensive than simply combining them both on one policy. I have seen some unique circumstances where it was cheaper for drivers to carry two separate policies. But this is very rare because you're needlessly buying two policies instead of just one.... More often than 9 out of 10 times, it is cheaper to combine them together on one policy.






What about drivers who need an SR22 filing but don't own a vehicle?


For drivers who need an SR22 filing but do not own a vehicle, you will need to attach your SR22 filing onto a special type of auto insurance policy. The special type of policy that you need depends on the state that you're living in.
If you live in the state of Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia or West Virginia, you can apply the same SR22 filing on what is called a named operators auto insurance policy (also known as a non owners policy).
 In Ohio, someone who doesn't own a vehicle can apply the SR22 filing onto any of three types of policies:  a financial responsibility bond, a named operators policy, or a broad formed name drivers policy. All three types are similar but have their differences. An auto insurance agent will be happy to explain those options to you.




     Finding the best price for SR22 auto insurance coverage.


     Your best bet in finding the lowest rate for SR22 coverage is to contact an independent insurance agent who specializes in SR22 auto insurance (also known as high risk auto insurance). They will usually have several companies that will compete for your business. What's even better is that they will do the shopping around for you, instead of having you to shop around one company at a time. This is the most efficient and effective way to find the lowest rate.


   If you would like for me to run you an SR22 auto insurance quote, I will be happy to find you the lowest rate I have to offer. Click on the appropriate link below:




Get an SR22 Auto Insurance Quote with Lyles Insurance here if you own a vehicle.


Get an SR22 Auto Insurance Quote with Lyles Insurance here if you Do Not own a vehicle.


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