Successfully Navigating the Grand Canyon of Arizona Auto Insurance
More than any other form of insurance, it is vital that Arizonans fully understand the particulars of Arizona auto insurance before signing the dotted line at the bottom of an automobile insurance policy. First and foremost, residents of Arizona need to know that basic auto insurance coverage is required by law in the state of Arizona, and that failure to comply with state law carries serious consequences, including the suspension of your driver’s license and auto registration (both of which are very costly to reinstate). In light of the statistics that follow, however, it’s clear that acquiring state required coverages are the least of your worries if you frequent Arizona’s highways and byways.
Arizona Highway Safety Statistics
To put it bluntly, Arizona comes up short in several important safety categories when it comes to highway safety. Studies by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicate that of the 139,805 auto accidents reported in Arizona in 2005, fatality rates for those involved were a disturbing 25% higher than in the rest of the country, accounting for 1,183 deaths in the Grand Canyon State. To make things worse, studies done by the Insurance Research Council (IRC) estimate that as many as 22% of all drivers in Arizona are uninsured at any given time (giving Arizona the dubious distinction of having the 5th highest uninsured motorist rate nationwide). To make a long story short, when you consider that Arizona’s base required insurance coverages for Bodily Liability and Property Damage are some of the lowest in the nation, it should be enough to give even the most defensive driver reason for pause when shopping for auto insurance in the Grand Canyon State.
Arizona Auto Insurance Quotes: The Bare Minimum
Let’s start with the basics. The Arizona Department of Insurance requires every vehicle driven on Arizona roads to carry minimum insurance coverages of $15,000/$30,000 for Bodily Liability, and $10,000 for Property Damage. In layman’s terms, that means that if you’re determined to be at fault in an accident, your insurance company will pay a maximum of $15,000 in medical payments for a single individual, and no more than $30,000 in medical costs for all individuals involved. As for the Property Damage Coverage, that $10,000 is the most your insurance provider will pay for any damage to the property of others (including other vehicles involved in an accident). Considering the exorbitant costs of health care, as well as the average cost of replacing a damaged vehicle, it doesn’t take a Wildcat rocket scientist from U of A to figure out that those numbers aren’t going to be sufficient in covering the costs of a serious auto accident in Arizona.
Protecting You and Yours with Adequate Arizona Auto Insurance
Taking into account the factors mentioned above, most residents of the Grand Canyon State are left wondering what coverages they should carry in order to adequately protect themselves when it comes to soliciting Arizona auto insurance quotes. When in doubt, the Arizona Department of Insurance is a good place to start. In a 2008 ADI study of statewide insurance premiums, the Arizona Department of Insurance utilized a policy of $100,000/$300,000 in Bodily Liability Coverage, $50,000 in Property Damage Coverage, $100,000/$300,000 in Underinsured/Uninsured Motorist Coverages, $5,000 in Medical Payments Coverage, and Collision Coverage with a $500 deductible, as a baseline for determining premiums. While that’s a lot more coverage than the state requires, a policy similar to the one listed above is well worth the investment when it comes to protecting yourself and your finances if you drive on Arizona roads.
How to Get the Best Arizona Auto Insurance Quotes: Cutting Your Costs
Just how much should you expect to pay for Arizona auto insurance? According to the ADI study cited above, if you’re 42 years old, married, and insuring two vehicles, your annual premiums could run anywhere from $567 if you’re a government employee, up to a staggering $2,829 per year, depending on your provider. If nothing else, the Arizona Department of Insurance study on insurance premiums proves one thing: it pays to shop around when it comes to getting reasonable auto insurance quotes. According to the Insurance Information Institute (III), the average cost of auto insurance premiums in Arizona runs $873 annually, so it goes without saying that the $2,829 policy listed above is nothing less than highway robbery. And with the knowledge that predatory insurance providers are on the prowl in AZ, the only way to ensure that you’re getting the best possible coverage at the best possible rates is to solicit as many quotes as possible from the get-go. Whether you go it alone, or let a proven quote finding service like NetQuote .com do the legwork for you, casting a wide net allows you to compare providers, coverages, and costs on route to getting the most reasonable auto insurance coverage around for you and your loved ones in the state of Arizona.
