Motorists in the Grand Canyon State may have a lot in common with a lot of Americans and may be wondering, “Why do I need auto insurance”. First in foremost, it is illegal to operate an automobile within the state without having a vehicle covered to compensate for bodily injury or property damage that an automobile owner may cause while operating their car. This is known as financial responsibility and can be satisfied in a few different ways.
In order to register a vehicle in AZ an automobile owner must show proof of financial responsibility with either a certificate of insurance, a bond, certificate of deposit or cash in the amount of $40,000 or purchase an Arizona car insurance policy. This typically answers the reason why a person may need automobile insurance if they wish to operate a motor vehicle; the other methods of compliance are unrealistic to many due to the cost and the majority of Arizonians prefer to obtain an automobile policy from a licensed insurer. Individuals who wish to obtain policies must have minimum liability limits of $15,000 for bodily injury for one person, $30,000 for bodily injury per accident and $10,000 for property damage.
The only way to make sure that a motorists is not paying more than they should for automobile coverage is to shop around and do so diligently. There are numerous companies in AZ and each is likely to charge a particular motorist a different amount based on the various factors used to rate applicants. The more auto insurance companies a consumer finds, the better chance they will have locating the carrier that can offer the cheapest premium; check local newspapers for advertisements, look in the phone book and surf the Internet to contact numerous providers and get as many quotes as possible to ensure a that large amount of rates are found to compare from. It is also a good idea to ask friends and relatives for referrals as well since they can describe their personal experience with the carrier; sometimes a quality insurer is as important as a low price.
When comparing different companies, there are a few important details to keep in mind in order to make a comparison effective. As motorists obtain quotes from various carriers it is vital that the quotations received from each is based on the same level of protection; comparing rates for the minimum requirements from one company and higher limits from another may lead an individual into believing that the one company offering less protection is cheaper when in fact the other would be based on the same coverage. One other important issue to remember is discounts; according to the Arizona Consumer Guide to Automobile Insurance residents should look for the following discounts:
Motorists should be aware that more discounts may be offered and some companies will reduce different percentages for a discount than another. In addition, be sure to inquire about any discounts, they may not always be offered or the insurer may not be aware of certain aftermarket features an automobile may have such as an alarm or Lo-Jack.
Source: http://www.onlineautoinsurance.com/arizona/
