As an auto driver within Austin, TX, it is essential to have the right coverage before getting behind the wheel. This means avoiding common mistakes that numerous drivers make when purchasing auto insurance. Below, Southwest Insurance Center takes you through some red flags to avoid during your next purchase.

Getting Insufficient Coverage

Numerous drivers are likely to get the mandatory covers and forego optional coverage to reduce their premiums. While compulsory policies will likely protect 3rd party injuries and property damage, the costs of vehicle destruction and treatment costs will not be covered. This leaves you with out-of-pocket expenses that you may not have bargained for, leading to a long-term financial burden. Ensure that you get sufficient coverage to protect yourself and your passengers in the event of an emergency.

Failure to Understand the Various Auto Insurance Policies

Auto insurance policies come in different forms, with each catering to specific requirements. If you need coverage for impact accidents, collision coverage will be your go-to, while non-impact accidents are taken care of by comprehensive coverage. Other examples of policies include medical payments coverage that caters to your treatment expenses and uninsured coverage that protects you when an uninsured motorist hits you. Before signing up for any cover, ensure that you understand what each cover deals with.

Failure to Disclose All Information

Insurance providers rely on transparency to provide auto insurance, which allows you to enjoy various covers. Make it a point to disclose all required information, such as your car usage and the drivers likely to use your car. If, for instance, you have teenage drivers, inform your providers to help you get ideal coverage for risk-prone parties. Failure to do so could lead to out-of-pocket costs or leave you without cover.

Wherever your needs lie, make it a point to call Southwest Insurance Center today. We will help you get customized coverage for your Austin, TX drives.

As a Texas driver, you are required to carry auto insurance. Fortunately, your choices, when it comes to auto insurance, are many. Aside from the state auto insurance minimums, or the legal requirements that must be met, you have many choices and perhaps additional requirements that you may need to meet. However, these decisions can best be made with the help of a  Southwest Insurance Center team member. Our Austin, TX agents are here to serve you.

Personal Auto Insurance Coverage 

Fortunately, personal auto insurance coverage affords Texas drivers a wealth of different coverage options that can be tailored to their unique situation. For example, if you are leasing your car or have a car loan, you may be required by your lender to carry full auto insurance or comprehensive auto insurance. This type of coverage not only covers liability for property damage and bodily injury to others, but it covers your car as well. This is protection for the lender in the event that something happens to your car before it’s paid off. This ensures that the lender will receive financial compensation for the car. 

Other Considerations…

Best yet, if you own your car outright, but still want to purchase additional coverage, you can. Perhaps you want to purchase coverage beyond the state minimum requirements or additional coverage in the event that your car is totaled. Personal auto insurance affords Texas drivers many options that can be tailored to fit their unique situation. However, the guidance of a Southwest Insurance Center agent can be beneficial when it comes to making decisions about your personal auto insurance coverage. Give us a call. We’re here to answer questions and guide the decision-making process. We can make recommendations regarding liability, medical payment coverage, comprehensive, and collision coverage. 

There is quite a bit that is worth knowing about auto insurance in every state. If you live in the city of Austin TX, you can consult with the professionals at Southwest Insurance Center to see if they will answer your questions and provide you with options.

In the state of Texas, you are required to show proof that you are able to pay for the accidents you would cause. Most of the time, drivers will fulfill this requirement by purchasing auto liability insurance. Liability insurance covers repairs and replacements that are needed for the other driver’s vehicle. It will also pay the expenses that the others incur medically when you happen to be at fault in an auto accident.

You need liability coverage in most cases. In Texas, you will need to have a minimum of $30,000 of coverage that will cover injuries per person and up to $60,000 for each accident. You also need $25,000 of insurance coverage that is payable for property damage. You can also think about purchasing additional liability coverage, and there are other types of coverage as well. These include comprehensive coverage, collision coverage, personal injury protection coverage, medical payments coverage, uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, rental reimbursement coverage, and towing and labor coverage. You will need collision and comprehensive coverage as well if you still owe money on your vehicle.

When you purchase coverage, it will typically cover you, your family members, and anyone else who is driving your vehicle with your permission. Of course, you should talk to your agent to see if anyone is excluded, since it may differ from policy to policy.

If you drive a car in Austin, TX, you should contact the professionals at Southwest Insurance Center to see how they can help you with auto insurance coverage. They will be able to answer any questions that you might have and perhaps even steer you towards the insurance plan that is right for you.

Personal auto insurance is a different type than commercial auto insurance. It is insurance for a vehicle that you use for personal reasons, not for work. It includes commuting to and from work, but it excludes commercial activities done with your vehicle. If you need personal auto insurance for your vehicle, contact us at Southwest Insurance Center in Austin, TX to talk about your auto insurance needs.

Coverage for Bodily Injury

In Texas, you must be covered for any bodily injury that you cause to others if you are at fault for an accident. This coverage, called bodily injury or death liability, must meet the mandatory minimum for the amount of coverage for one person who is injured or killed in an accident that you cause. There is another, higher, minimum for the total bodily injury or death caused by the entire accident. 

Coverage for Property Damage

Accidents often cause property damage. If you are at fault for an accident, you are responsible for paying for the damage to a car, building, or other property that the accident causes. Texas requires you to have property damage liability coverage in a specific amount to cover these costs. The amount of coverage required by the state is relatively low, however, and many people choose to expand this coverage so that they aren’t in danger of having to pay out of pocket. 

Get Your Required Auto Insurance

Your personal auto insurance must cover the state minimums, but you can also raise them as you see fit to better cover the costs associated with an accident you cause. If you are interested in auto insurance, call us at Southwest Insurance Center in Austin, TX to make an appointment to talk to an agent about this coverage. 

You probably don’t worry about floods in Austin, TX because rarely does Lake Austin engulf Sixth Street like the Gulf of Mexico does Houston, but heavy rains can cause flash floods. You need to know when your auto insurance covers this peril. Southwest Insurance Center wants you to understand how auto insurance protects you and which aspects of a policy protect your investment in your vehicle.

Of course, your best course of action when driving and you approach standing water is to turn around and take a dry route. You cannot control it though if heavy rains simply engulf your vehicle. Since most vehicles have less than 12 inches of ground clearance, just one foot of water can affect your undercarriage and the mechanics of your auto.

You need to discuss your insurance coverage with Southwest Insurance Center before Texas thunderstorm season. While it might be tempting to carry only the minimum state-required auto insurance, that will not protect your vehicle. You need comprehensive coverage in your auto insurance policy to cover flood damage. Comprehensive coverage will pay for repairs or replacement costs when necessary for damage caused by an event other than a vehicular accident.

If you took out an auto loan to buy your vehicle, the financial lender may require you to carry full coverage, so you would have comprehensive within that. This means that if your vehicle got damaged in a flood, you would only need to pay the deductible.

You can add comprehensive coverage if you do not already carry it, but you need to do it before the storm season. You are typically restricted from purchasing comprehensive coverage when a hurricane or other storm with tropical-storm-force winds is forecasted and you live within the forecasted landfall path. striking when reported by the National Hurricane Center.

Contact Southwest Insurance Center of Austin, TX today to discuss your auto insurance. A quick chat with an agent can ensure you obtain the proper coverage before you need it.

Safety features in automobiles once consisted of little more than seat belts and airbags. However, modern technology has provided all sorts of features to make it less likely that your commute will be cut short by an accident. Southwest Insurance Center, serving Austin, TX would like to inform you of some of the better safety features available to you.

A front collision alert system will alert you that you are about to hit something in front of you. A more sophisticated version will actually apply the brakes automatically to avoid the possible collision. A variant of this system will detect a pedestrian and either alert the driver or automatically apply the brakes.

A lane changing alert will inform the driver if he or she is starting to drift out of their lane. Another version of this system will alert the driver if he or she is changing lanes and is about to hit another car that is in the blind spot.

Backup cameras will automatically turn on when the vehicle is in reverse. They are very useful for informing a drive if backing out of a driveway or a parking spot is safe.

Cruise control has been around for a while. An adaptive cruise control system will keep a vehicle a certain distance behind the vehicle ahead, applying the brakes and pushing the accelerator as needed. The feature is very useful when battling rush hour traffic.

Parallel parking is one of the most difficult things to do at the wheel of a car. Parking assistance systems will use sensors in the front and rear of the vehicle to ensure you move into the gap at the curb without hitting anything.

For more information about auto insurance, feel free to contact Southwest Insurance Center, serving Austin, TX.

An auto insurance policy involves three types of coverage — liability, collision, and comprehensive insurance. According to the insurance professionals at Southwest Insurance Center, liability is generally state-mandated. Each state sets forth its minimum insurance criteria.

The difference between comprehensive and collision coverage is a crucial distinction for car owners living/driving in and around the Austin, TX metropolitan area.

Collision Coverage reimburses for damages and losses that are the result of an impact of your car with another vehicle or object. In general, collision insurance is not a legal mandate but maybe a lender requirement for those who lease or borrow money to buy their car. Collision coverage is provided despite who caused the accident.

Collision coverage would likely have these triggers for insurance reimbursement –

• You hit a tree after losing control of the automobile.
• You dent your bumper by backing up into a cement pole in a dark parking lot.  

Comprehensive coverage for drivers in the Austin, TX area would include insurance coverage for anything else that may happen — other than that of an automobile collision. Examples of typical comprehensive coverage include damage or loss from –

• A fire.
• A car window was left open during a rainstorm.
• Vandalism.
• A tree falls on your car.
• Mother Nature — like a car hit by large hailstones.
• Striking an animal — this may vary by policy.

Collision and comprehensive insurance reimburse the insured for damage and loss (i.e., physical damage) to the insured and insured’s automobile, as long as the event is not explicitly excluded from the insurance policy.  When an automobile owner purchases both comprehensive and collision coverage, their policy will be considered a ‘full-coverage’ auto policy.

For additional information regarding insurance for your automobile, contact the insurance professionals at Southwest Insurance Center at 512-280-6100.

Owning a car in the Austin, TX area is a necessity for a lot of people. Due to the importance and expense of this asset, you also need to ensure that you are properly covering yourself with insurance. For those that are in this area, getting a quality auto insurance policy could protect a car owner in many ways. 

Protection from Liability

Being sued for liability is a recurring risk that all people need to take seriously whenever they get behind the wheel. If you are sued for damages following an accident, the expenses to pay restitution can be significant. Due to this, you should make sure that you have liability insurance on your car whenever you are on the road. The state of Texas will also require that you have this insurance at all times. 

Will Give Coverage for Your Car

While you may only be required by law to get liability insurance on your vehicle, most car owners will also benefit from a full collision and comprehensive insurance policy. This full vehicle insurance policy will give you coverage for a wide variety of situations including if your car is damaged, stolen, or vandalized. This coverage is normally also required if you took out a loan to finance your vehicle’s purchase.

Those that are in the Austin, TX area and own a car need to take their auto insurance needs seriously. When you are shopping for your next car, you should contact the team at Southwest Insurance Center. When you do reach out to the team at the Southwest Insurance Center, you can find out more about how a full auto insurance policy will protect you. The team will also review your full personal situation to figure out what type of insurance is right for you. 

Many people have more than one car. When you get a second car, the question often comes up whether it is a wise idea to add the second vehicle to the first automobile insurance policy. That may or may not be the best solution.

When is a separate auto insurance policy a good idea?

Here are some things to consider:

Authorized Drivers: If there will be different driver’s who are authorized to drive each vehicle, it may be better to have a separate auto insurance policy for each one. If one of the authorized driver is very young, such as a teenager, it is likely better to restrict that driver to a lower-valued automobile and have a separate policy.

Use of the Vehicles: If there is any commercial use of one vehicle but not the other one, the policies need to be separate. If a vehicle will tow something, like a boat on a trailer, it may need to have a separate policy and additional coverage for what it tows.

Value of the Vehicles: If there is a significant difference in the value of the vehicles, perhaps having separate policies for them is a better way to protect a very valuable one with more comprehensive coverage.

Coverage and Deductibles: Some insurance companies apply the same coverage and deductible to all the vehicles under one policy. Others allow for these amounts to differ. This may affect your decision.

Specialty Autos: Vintage or antique vehicles need separate auto insurance.

Your Agent Will Help You Decide

There are many reasons why having separate auto insurance for more than one vehicle makes perfect sense. Work with your agent at Southwest Insurance Center, serving Austin TX and the nearby area, to get adequate coverage that is the best fit.

Your agent will check the quotes for the insurance with different insurance companies and compare them with the vehicles combined or separate and then give you a recommendation of the best options.

Call to speak with your agent at Southwest Insurance Center in Austin, TX to get an auto insurance review and a quote for new auto insurance coverage.

Austin, TX is a great place to drive because you can miss out on so much if you don’t have a way to get from place to place any time you like. At Southwest Insurance Center, we help make sure our clients have the auto insurance coverage they need in case they are ever involved in an accident. 

One problem with Texas, though, is that it can be tempting to go fast to cover those long distances quickly. Unfortunately, that can cost you, not just because of the traffic tickets but because you may find your insurance premiums go up after you receive too many points.

Points in Texas

Every time you get a moving violation on your driving record, the Texas Department of Public Safety will assess points. Your driving privileges can be suspended if you get too many points, and the points stay on for three years unless you take an approved class to have them taken off your record. 

This turns into a vicious circle for some people, because they may be tempted to drive while suspended and get more violations.

Higher Insurance Rates

Speeding is associated with accidents, and it shouldn’t be a surprise that even one ticket could cause your insurance rates to go up. In a metro area like Austin, TX, that could translate into hundreds of dollars a year you don’t want to be spending because you made a mistake and got points on your driving record. Since the points stay on for three years, that adds up to a lot of money.

At  Southwest Insurance Center, we understand how difficult it can be to find the best price insurance. We help all our clients to find competitive policies and encourage them to keep their records clean. If you have any questions or want to get a free quote, call Southwest Insurance Center today.