Arizona Auto Insurance - Arizona Insurance Blog

As an Arizona independent insurance agent and broker one of the best parts of this job is being able to comparison shop with so many different insurance carriers.

We represent top rated and top ranked companies such as Progressive, MetLife, Travelers, The Hartford, Unitrin, Infinity and many others.

Sometimes we help a new client save money by comparing and shopping their new auto insurance. Other time we help an existing client lower their premium by re-shoppping their Arizona auto insurance.

If you think you may be paying too much for your Arizona auto insurance please contact our office today at (480) 659-0229 or click here: Arizona Auto Insurance



This car is a Toyota FT-CH. Concept cars such as this vehicle in the picture are all the rage nowadays, evidenced by the 2010 Auto Show in Detroit. In prior years concept cars were more for show, and no intent on their manufactures to actually produce these vehicles.

Today's concept cars, however, are different. Auto manufacturers like Toyota have a serious desire to build a staple of cars that are hybrid or electric. The Toyota FT-CH, shown above, is one example.



The vehicle in the picture to the left is a GM Granite, a car they hope will gain a foothold with the younger crowd. The Chevy Volt began as a concept car and due to interest from the general public GM put it into full production mode.

Concept cars in days past were big, bold and luxurious. Today's concept cars are a reflection of a new world dictated by high gas prices

Tempe to Reduce Collisions

Police in Tempe are stepping up efforts to reduce collisions at intersections that have a history of high incidents.

The top 10 intersections are being targeted. Officers are being placed in and around those areas to catch speeders and red light offenders. The hope is that by placing officers in a show of visibility that alone will reduce accidents.

Extra patrols are funded through a grant from the Governor's Office of Highway Safety.

At intersections where camera's are equipped, collisions have dropped at 7 locations.

One of the worst intersections in Tempe is at Rural and University. No surprise that it is close to ASU.

Our quotes are free and there never is any obligation. So why delay? Call today or visit our website for a quick quote.

Thanks!
Gary Brown, Owner
(480) 659-0229

A group of Kansas City, Missouri students have built an electric car that gets about 400 miles per gallon.

This really makes me wonder how smart our guys in Detroit really are. If high school kids can pull off a feat like this what in the world is going on with the major automotive manufacturers?

Electric Bikes

Electric bikes are extremely common in some countries, such as China. That nation is expected to sell about 22 million electric bikes in 2010. Europe has seen a rise in sales too.

While they have not yet gained a major foothold in the United States they are gaining in popularity, according to manufacturers. Electric bikes can sell for anywhere from $500 to $14,000, have have rechargeable batteries and can move with speeds up to 20 miles per hour.

Since U.S. gas prices spiked in mid-2008 makers of electric bicycles have seen an increase in sales just about everywhere. The biggest obstacle here is changing driving habits for most Americans. Sales in the United States is expected to rise up to 300,000. That would be a big jump as only half a million total electric bikes have been sold in the states.

China has sold a reported 120 million electric bikes since they began offering the product to consumers.

You do not have to look far to find an electric bike distributor. Stores like Walmart and Best Buy (primarily west coast stores) can carry supplies.

Until you sell your car or truck and opt to ride an electric bike fulltime, contact Choice Insurance of Arizona for a low cost Arizona Insurance quote.

Reducing Your Risk of Car Accidents

The National Institutes of Health conducted a study designed to help drivers be more aware and safer on the road. Their study concludes that older drivers, in particular, can significantly cut their risk of accidents.

A computer program called DriveSharp, comes recommended by insurer The Hartford. The software program, when used 20 minutes per day and three times per week, can reduce accident risks by up to fifty percent. Studies showed that users of the program stopped twenty two feet sooner when traveling 55 miles per hour.

Brain fitness programs were often used by those who wanted to keep their mind fresh and active. Turns out, it can help you stay safer in your vehicle too.

A new Highway Loss Date Institute study indicates that laws banning cell phone use while driving is having no effect on reducing crashes. A study was conducted after three states and one district banned cell phone use (New York, Connecticut, California and the District of Columbia).

While it is believed that cell phone use by vehicle operators has been reduced the number of crashes has yet to be reduced in those states. However, more drivers may simply be using hands-free devices, which are not banned.

Those who advocated the banning of cell phone use by vehicle operators may not have such as stong argument the next time it is proposed in additonal states.

Here are a few teenager cell phone statistics:

75% of all American teenagers between 12-17 own a cell phone.
66% use their phones to send or receive text messages.
82% of teens ages 16-17 have a cell phone
1 in 3 teens (who text) ages 16-17 say they have texted while driving.
40% of teens indicate that they have been a passenger in a vehicle when the driver used a cell phone in such a manner that put themselves and/or others in danger.
In a study and article by the New York Times, the State of Arizona has the 9th cheapest rates for car insurance in the United States. According to this article the states with the cheapest auto insurance rates tended to be those where there is plenty of rural living. That makes sense why Maine and Vermont are ranked 1 and 2 as the states with the lowest auto insurance rates.

This study included 2,400 vehicles made in 2010 and covering 10 zip codes in each state (a small sampling in my opinion).

The states with the most expensive car insurance?

Try Louisiana # 1, followed by Michigan and Oklahoma.

Get this - Montana has the 4th highest car insurance rates in the nation, sort of flying in the face of the whole "rural America" is cheaper theory mentioned above. South Dakota at # 6 seemed odd too.

One surprising twist - Washington DC ranked as the 7th most expensive location. Hearing from others how mad it is to drive there I almost expected it to be the most expensive.

All this means one thing - if you want to get a competitive quote on your Arizona Auto Insurance you should ask an Independent Arizona Insurance Broker.

Over 1,500 car dealerships that were told by General Motors and Chrysler that their dealerships would no longer fit into their plans have filed arbitration claims for reinstatement, according to the American Arbirtration Association. That number represents over half of the elgibile dealerships who lost their franchises to sell new cars for the auto makers.

Typically, there are tough franchise laws at the state level that would have made terminating dealerships more difficult. But by filing bankruptcy the car companies avoided these laws and was able to shutter dealers as they saw fit.

Congress created an arbitration system to settle disputes between the car manufacturers and dealers and likely will help some dealerships get their franchise reinstated. In the interim, many of those dealerships were forced to sell only used cars to stay afloat. The arbritration process is supposed to be concluded, per Congress, by June 14. That is a short time frame to deal with so many different cases.


Get a low cost Arizona insurance quote from Choice Insurance of Arizona.

Making its way through the Arizona Legislature are changes to the Arizona auto glass industry.

House Bill 2463 would, among other things, make it against the law for anyone selling or repairing auto glass to knowingly:

Submit a false claim to an insurer for auto glass repair, replacement or related services if services were not provided, the work was not performed in the geographic location specified, was not authorized in writing by the owner of the vehicle, falsely sign a work order and the work was not performed on the date indicated.

Also, it makes it unlawful to misrepresent the relationship of the glass facility to the insurer, the expense of the glass repair, and for indicating or implying that the insurer has approved the work.

The bill also targets those who offer glass services in places like car washes, who state or suggest that the glass repair is free, when it actually is paid by the insurance company, or cause further damage to a vehicle to increase the work needed and to perform additional work than is actually required.

A couple of keys to this bill are those who do the work in one area (Mesa, for example) but input an address in a rural area because an insurer will likely pay more due to the distance from the Phoenix metro area. It allegedly costs more to do a job in a rural area for several reasons, a lack of competition for one and the distance a glass repair company would have to travel. So by saying the work was done in a small town in northern Arizona, for example, a glass company will be paid more for the job than if they billed it using a Phoenix address.

Another major area that will be addressed by this bill will be to try and reduce the number of windshield replacements that take place when a lower-cost repair would have sufficed. It is not uncommon for a windshield replacement to cost $325-$450 but a simple windshield repair could cost only $75. By reducing those replacements that take place insurance companies will save a lot of money in claims.

Get a low cost quote for Arizona Car Insurance from Choice Insurance of Arizona.

Over 1,500 car dealerships that were told by General Motors and Chrysler that their dealerships would no longer fit into their plans have filed arbitration claims for reinstatement, according to the American Arbirtration Association. That number represents over half of the elgibile dealerships who lost their franchises to sell new cars for the auto makers.

Typically, there are tough franchise laws at the state level that would have made terminating dealerships more difficult. But by filing bankruptcy the car companies avoided these laws and was able to shutter dealers as they saw fit.
Hyundai Motors has plans to introduce a luxury model brand called Genesis that they hope will compete with Toyota's Lexus and BMW's AG series. Hyundai already sells a Genesis vehicle but this move would create an entire brand by that name.

In the past two years Hyundai has boosted its U.S. market share by about 50%.

The new Genesis brand will still be sold by Hyundai dealerships in a separate part of the showroom. Last month the Genesis sedan outsold Audi's A6. One reason may be the price. While the Audi sells for around $45,000 the Genesis starts at $33,000.

Don't be surprised if the next election gives you the opportunity to vote on photo radar, a highly contentious issue in the valley of the sun. Believe me, I know many who abhor photo radar. It's one of those issues generally everyone has an opinion on, whether good or bad.

September 2008 - the date radar camera's were introduced to valley drivers. There currently are around 76 such camera's placed around the valley's highway system to catch speeders. If you are caught driving 11+ miles per hour and your photo taken you will receive a fine in the mail.

A petition filed on January 8, 2010 would, if passed, require speeders be served in person if a ticket goes uppaid, rather than just through the mail system. Under the current system, a portion of fines go unpaid and the goal is to increase the amount of money raised.

Photo radar supporters claim the program saves lives by getting drivers to slow down. Opponents believe the system is simply an intrusive money maker for the state.

Governor Jan Brewer is apparently against photo radar and would prefer to let Arizona voters decide for themselves if they want photo radar or not.

Most Dangerous Cities to Drive

If you have driven around Phoenix and other parts of this valley it would not be surprising to learn that Phoenix is one of the more dangerous cities for driving.

If you think this - you are wrong.

Phoenix did NOT rank in the top 15 cities nationwide of most dangerous to drive, a report put out by Yahoo. Two Florida cities topped the list (Orlando and Ft Lauderdale). In all 4 California cities were in the list as were two Tennessee cities. Besides Phoenix, also missing were cities like Los Angeles, Houston, Washington DC, Boston and New York.

The results were based on fatalities per 100,000 population. Ft. Lauderdale's 22 fatalities per 100,000 led the way.

Ralph Nadar Complaint

Congress created an arbitration system to settle disputes between the car manufacturers and dealers and likely will help some dealerships get their franchise reinstated. In the interim, many of those dealerships were forced to sell only used cars to stay afloat. The arbritration process is supposed to be concluded, per Congress, by June 14. That is a short time frame to deal with so many different cases.
Ralph Nadar is on the offensive and making claims that the U.S. Government is partly responsible for the Toyota quality-issues mess.

Certainly Toyota deserves all the negative publicity they have received. Their mission was to overtake General Motors as the largest auto maker world wide and grew too rapidly, which allegedly contributed to quality control issues.

However, according to Nadar, the government shoulders much of the blame for several reasons. The National Highway Traffic Safety Adminstration has lost much of their engineering staff, lost almost half its budget since 1980, while pro-auto industry lobbyists make inroads with Washington to cover for the automotive industry.

Then there are Reps like (D) John Dingell from Michigan. In reports, he has done much to block reforms to the auto industry, protecting his state's automotive interests.

All this is taking place while vehicles become more advanced and more numerous on the roads.

Choice Insurance of Arizona is an independent insurance agent and broker. We offer great rates on Arizona Car Insurance Ask us for a quote!!

Choice Insurance of Arizona offers Arizona Insurance to cover Auto, Home, Life and Business.

It was not that many years ago when many American consumers opted to purchase larger vehicles for safety reasons. It was believed that in a car wreck you would be better protected in a bigger car versus the small vehicle. And those concerns were probably well founded.

However, today small cars have made great inroads with safety. The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety ran a variety of smaller car models through a battery of safety tests. Here are some of those results.

These vehicles were rammed into a barrier and smashed in the sides with a 3,300 pound sled.

The following vehicles registered Good or Acceptable in these crash tests: Mini Cooper, Suzuki SX4, Toyota Matrix, Pontiac Vibe, Ford Focus, Chevy HHR,

The following vehicles had at least one rating of marginal or poor: Hyundai Elantra, Saturn Astra, PT Cruiser.

The following vehicles won the Insurance Institutes safety award: Honda Civic 4 door model with ESC, Mitsubishi Lancer with ESC, Scion xB, Subaru Impreza, Toyota Corolla with ESC, and Volkswagon Rabbit 4 door.

Finally, arm yourself with great Arizona Auto Insurance by contacting our office today.

Killing Children in Reverse

Most of us have read stories about children killed when backed over by a vehicle. Nearly 300 people are killed each year and an estimated 18,000 injured. Half of the deaths are children, and many are elderly.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has proposed newer vehicles be equipped with a sensor with rear mounted video camera.

Automotive manufacturers have voice concern over the high costs of implementing such a device and certainly those costs would be passed on to consumers. Yet, the NHTSA estimates such a device would add $159 - $203 per vehicle.

According to one auto organization, about 45% of all 2012 models come standard with some type of rear view camera.

Hyundai News

Hyundai put on showcase the first pure electric car, called the Blue On.

The vehicle is powered by a lithium-ion polymer battery. The Korean government is setting a target to have 20% of cars in South Korea electric by 2020. They are planning on offering subsidies and tax incentives to spur interest. Consumer interest is very high in electric vehicles.

The question always seems to come down to cost. It may take years for the tide to rise where electric vehicles are the norm. Costs for most electric type vehicles exceed other similarly sized vehicles. Until the costs come down sales will grow only slowly.

Auto Insurance with a DUI?

One nice thing about being an Independent Insurance Agent is having the flexibility to help clients with varying needs.

That is not the norm in the insurance industry. Every insurance company makes the conscious decision as to what type of business they want.

Many insurance companies try to target the preferred business - clients with great credit and a clean driving record. Then there are those insurance companies whose business revolves around offering insurance to those drivers with a DUI or even a Suspended License.

You may contact an insurance carrier for a quote but they will tell you they do not offer insurance for that situation - a DUI for example.

However, if you call an Independent Insurance Agent he or she will likely tell you they have several carriers who can offer you a competitive quote - even if you have a DUI.

If have a DUI, please contact us for an Arizona auto insurance quote.

We can help with almost any insurance situation. Click Here: DUI Car Insurance in Arizona for more information. We also can help with Arizona Home Insurance.

2009 Crime Stats

Property Crimes and Violent Crimes both decreased by over 1,700 incidents.

That's the good news.

Home burglaries increased by 12% over the same time period.

There was good news across the board in most cases, other than home burglaries. The largest declines were in stolen vehicles. In Mesa they experienced a decline of 36%. Other metro-Phoenix cities reported a greater reduction in vehicle thefts as well from 2008 to 2009. Sexual assaults declined by 23% and murders were down 18%.

The following are declines in order from most to least.

These are decreases from 2009 versus 2008:

1) Stolen vehicles 36%
2) Sexual Assault 23%
3) Criminal Homicide 18%
4) Aggravated Assault 14%
5) Robberies and Thefts 7%
6) Commercial Burglaries 5%


Don't forget that our Arizona Insurance rates are some of the most competitive in the valley!

Sincerely,
Gary Brown, Agent/Owner
(480) 659-0229

When you buy Arizona Auto Insurance there are two categories - Full Coverage and Liability.

Full Coverage - covers your vehicle + damages you cause to others
Liability Only - covers damages you cause to others but not your vehicle

Full Coverage

Collision - covers your vehicle for damages while the vehicle is moving
Comprehensive - covers your vehicle (primarily) for non-moving damages like vandalism or something falling onto the vehicle. But theft is covered under comprehensive too.

Optional Arizona Auto Insurance Coverage: Glass, Towing, Car Rental, Medical, (UM) Uninsured Motorist and (UIM) Underinsured Motorist.

The most misunderstood of the above optional items are UM and UIM. These cover "injuries" in your vehicle caused by someone who either is uninsured or underinsured and carrying too little insurance to cover the injuries in your vehicle.

Arizona DUI's

In 2009 the number of drivers arrested for DUI totalled over 14,000. That is more than 4,000 higher than in 2008. And nearly 1/3 of those arrests were made the final two months of the season when people were enjoying Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years eve parties.

And about a third of the total DUI's were classified as "extreme", when the alcohol content reaches .15 or higher. Extreme DUI's carry additional penalties. A regular DUI is when your alcohol content is at least .08.

If you have received a "regular" DUI your Arizona auto insurance carrier could cancel your insurance. If this happens, please contact us for a quote. We have insurance carriers who will accept your car insurance even with a DUI. And if the rest of your driving record is fairly clean we often can find a surprisingly competitive rate for Arizona car insurance.

Mandatory Limits for Car Insurance

I spoke with someone recently who is very much "in the know" on what happens at the Arizona legislature, particularly regarding insurance legislation. I asked whether the State of Arizona would ever increase the mandatory auto insurance limits.

He believed it was not likely, and that is a big shame. But what is worse - he believes there are members in the legislature who would like there to be NO mandatory car insurance in Arizona.

Currently when someone has Arizona auto insurance they are required to buy bodily injury and property damage coverage. The minimum limits are $15,000 per person for bodily injury and $10,000 for property damage.

(BI) Bodily Injury - covers the injuries to "other" people that you cause with your vehicle. So, let's say you rear end another vehicle and the other party is hurt. Bodily injury pays out to cover their injuries.

(PD) Property Damage - covers the vehicle for the other party when you cause damage with your vehicle. Same example as above, you rear end another vehicle and your policy will pay to fix the other car.

But what happens if you only carry the state minimum limits on your Arizona auto insurance policy? What if you hit someone and total their vehicle and cause serious injury or death?

Those minimum limits won't help you much in the event of a bad accident where you are at-fault.

Consider the cost of a new vehicle today. Brand new auto's may run anywhere from $14,000 - $50,000. How is a $10,000 property damage limiit going to help you with that situation? Imagine slamming into a $35,000 BMW and totaling it. Your policy will pay $10,000 and you will be personally responsible for the remaining $25,000.

But maybe what is worse - you will leave stranded a victim who may have serious injuries without a means to pay their doctor or hospital bills and without a vehicle that you damaged or totalled. How fair is that?

My contact said the Arizona legislature has members who do not believe in mandatory car insurance.

Can you imagine the chaos if Arizona ever allowed drivers to carry NO car insurance? It is ludicrous to elect an Arizona legislative member who does not believe that someone who owns and drives a vehicle should NOT have to also buy insurance to protect those that they injure or hit with that vehicle.

My contact said these certain legislative members are anti-government and do not believe it to be the government's role to mandate insurance. Guess what, I do not care for big government either. But there is a role for government. Should the government have no role in whether someone breaks into your home and steals everything you own? It's about a silly as suggesting the government should not mandate insurance too.

Be sure to request a quote by calling (480) 659-0229 or clicking Arizona Auto Insurance Quote.
Thanks,
Gary Brown, Agent/Owner