There is no doubt that car insurance can get expensive. Depending on the make and model you drive, if you’re married, your driving history and other factors – these all play a role in how much you will pay to get behind the wheel and be covered. Motorcycle insurance is especially important and typically has special factors contributing to the premium you pay. For motorcyclists on the road, it’s imperative that they take a safe driving course to ensure their safety and to watch out for others to avoid traffic accidents. Motorcyclists face the highest fatality rate of any other riders on the road. They are 35 times more likely to be an accident and most of them result infatalities.

Taking a motorcycle safety course is the first step in potentially lowering your insurance premium. Riding group member discounts as well as garage-kept discounts are also available. Calling the insurance company and seeing what kind of exclusive discounts they over can keep you saving money all season long. It doesn’t matter if your credit is bad, or if you have something on your driving record – something can be worked out to get you out on the road.

Custom motorcycles, speed bikes, low-riders, or any other type of motorcycle can be insured and on the road in no time. Enjoy the wind, the ride, and the safety of knowing that you at least have liability insurance with a great vehicle insurance company. To get the lowest rates, complete the safety course and ask an agent about discount programs that are available to you specifically. Get riding and get smiling!

Demographics. Statistically, male drivers are more likely to be involved in accidents than female drivers, so their insurance rates tend to be higher. Likewise, younger and less experienced drivers tend to be more accident-prone, so they pay more for car insurance. Married people are less likely to be involved in accidents, and so they generally pay less for insurance. These and other demographic factors heavily influence premiums.

Vehicle. Certain cars are more likely to be involved in accidents. Insurance companies compute premiums based in part on each model’s accident history; that is, the number of accidents involving each model of car. It is very important to consider the cost of insurance when buying a new car. Certain optional safety features can also influence the cost of premiums.

Driving Record.Insurance companies charge known unsafe drivers more than safe drivers. Every ticket and every accident results in increased insurance premiums for the driver. Conversely, many insurers offer safe driver discounts, lowering premiums for drivers who stay out of accidents for a certain length of time.

Deductible. A deductible is the amount of money the customer is responsible for on a claim; the insurance company pays the rest. Most insurance policies come with a standard $500 deductible. Some drivers opt for a higher deductible in order to lower their monthly premiums. The higher the deductible, the lower the premium.

Location and Mileage. Drivers who live in particularly dangerous areas pay more for insurance than drivers who live in areas where there are fewer accidents. Likewise, drivers who drive less than a predetermined number of miles may qualify for discounts. The less time someone spends on the road, the less chance of an accident.

Having your own motorcycle can give you a sense of pride.While it may be true that it is easier to find an inexpensive motorcycle today than in the past, it is still very difficult to find one that you can afford without putting quite a bit of work into it. At a bare minimum, unless you have a very high income, it will take months to do the work necessary to buy a motorcycle that is worth owning. Considering how much time it takes to earn a motorcycle, the last thing that you want is for one little accident to destroy your investment. Motorcycle insurance is important for this reason.

Motorcycle insurance operates in essentially the same way that any insurance policy does. The basic principle is that you make a payment each month to the insurance company. In exchange for this, the insurance company will pay for damages that occur during a collision. The types of damage that they will pay for will depend on the policy, and a policy that covers more damage will almost always end up costing more. Since the insurance company can pay for the damages without going into debt, and you cannot, this works out to be beneficial for both parties, provided that you have done the necessary research in order to find the best deal.

Another reason to buy motorcycle insurance is the piece of mind that it brings. This is especially true when you purchase full coverage. It might be true that insurance certainly won’t protect your body in the event of an accident, but at least you can rest assured that your financial situation won’t break down as a result of a collision if the unfortunate were to occur.

When buying motorcycle insurance, there are several factors to consider. Some plans only protect you from collision damage, while others might protect the motorcycle from theft or other types of damage that might occur. Depending on what you are willing to pay, this additional coverage might be right for you.

In the United States, it is required by law to carry auto insurance. Drivers who drive without the minimum required amount of insurance could face penalties such as fines, losing their driver’s license and/or vehicle plates, and may also be prohibited from registering a vehicle or renewing a suspended registration. State minimum liability limits differ from state to state. All drivers in Maryland are required to carry the minimum underinsured motorist and personal injury protection liability limits.

MAIF was designed to help motorists who cannot obtain insurance in the private insurance market. It is an independent agency and reports directly to the governor while complying with the state legislature. However, because it is an independent agency, all funds are collected from the insurance premiums and the agency is not entitled to state funding. Therefore, any unpaid debts are not considered to be those of the state of Maryland.

Persons eligible for MAIF insurance are residents of Maryland who are unable to obtain private insurance, and who have a valid Maryland driver’s license or Maryland registration. Individuals who have had too many traffic violations, DUI convictions, or accidents may find it extremely difficult to purchase an auto insurance policy from private insurance companies. MAIF is a low cost alternative to help these drivers obtain liability insurance.

MAIF has several agencies throughout the state of Maryland who can help drivers with a less than perfect driving record obtain liability insurance at a low cost. It is a convenient alternative for drivers who have had their insurance coverage cancelled, or who have been turned down by two or more insurance companies.

Maryland’s approach is somewhat different from that of most other states, which handle uninsurable motorists through the use of a designated pool of drivers who are then randomly assigned (at higher rates) to an insurance carrier doing business in that particular state. In this way, insurance companies in other states can still find themselves required to insure drivers they originally declined coverage for.

In general, MAIF is a self-financing entity which depends on its rate structure for revenue, much like any other insurance company. MAIF does possess the ability to cover any annual operating deficit through an assessment upon the policyholders of all other automobile insurance companies in Maryland, but this assessment has been used rarely and has never exceeded a sum of five dollars per policy assessed.

One significant difference between MAIF and ordinary auto insurance policies is that MAIF cannot be sold on an installment plan. Its policyholders must either pay in full upfront or else make use of a third-party policy premium finance company. More than 1500 private insurance agents are authorized to sell MAIF policies, making it widely available to all qualified Maryland residents no matter in what part of the state they reside.

You can go to the MVA’s website at www.mva.maryland.gov and add your three emergency contacts in just a few minutes.   You will need your Driver’s License Number to complete this process.

1.      Go to the website:  www.mva.maryland.gov
2.      Go to “On-line Transactions” (upper left) & click on “More”
3.      Click on “Emergency Contacts” (bottom of left column)
4.      Follow prompts

Another note… Beginning January 1st, 2012, the MVA will no longer be sending out Driver’s License renewal notices.   It’s your responsibility to keep track of when it’s due for renewal.  And be careful, if you miss your renewal date for over a year, you will have to take a driver’s test again!  Driving without a “valid” Driver’s License is considered a MAJOR VIOLATION & could affect your insurance premium.

FYI…. Your Driver’s License renews on your birth date every 5 years!!!   Check your driver’s license….Is it time to renew??

Be a Good Neighbor & pass this valuable information along to family, friends & colleagues on your email list.

The first thing that goes into determining a person’s rates is his or her likelihood of getting into an accident. Insurance companies make their profit by collecting more from premiums than they payout for claims, so if they need to pay for a lot of repairs they will raise the rates to compensate. If you’ve been in an accident, the insurance company may raise your rates to make up for the repairs they paid for, or because you may be at a higher risk of being involved in another accident in the future. Additionally, if you have a history of traffic citations you may be considered higher risk.

Other drivers who are considered high risk include teenagers and new drivers; because they do not have a long driving history to base the rates on, insurance companies will start them with higher premiums than experienced drivers. Also, men — especially men under 25 — will usually pay slightly more for their car insurance than women. Men are statistically more likely to be involved in accidents, and twice as many men die each year in motor vehicle collisions than women.

Coverage also plays a major role. The more you expect the insurance company to pay for in the event of an accident, the higher your premiums will be. Basic liability insurance is cheaper than full coverage because in the event of an accident you will be responsible for paying the cost of your own repairs.

If you’re looking to change your insurance, you should take the time to understand what goes into your car insurance rate before you start searching for quote comparisons online. Then, once you understand your risk as a driver and the cost of your coverage, you can make an informed choice about your insurance.

“The customer Service is beyond excellent. I know whatever I need, they can provide.”

“Roadway has great rates and service. I’m glad to be a long-term customer.”

There are many factors that insurance companies consider when determining what a person pays in premiums. One of the biggest factors is the amount of coverage a person chooses to carry for Bodily injury. Bodily injury is an amount that pays for damage to another person. Usually the higher the limits of liability the higher the premium amount will be. Some state actually will charge a lower premium for higher coverage’s. It is in the best interest of any motorcycle driver to check if a lower premium is available for higher coverage’s.

Another factor that goes into the rate of motorcycle insurance is a person’s driving record. A person’s driving record states how many tickets and accidents they have in the past five years. Insurance companies will surcharge a premium for anything within the past three years of drive history. When it comes to motorcycle insurance the way a person drives their personal car makes all the difference. A driving record can raise a premium hundreds of dollars by just having one ticket.

The age of the driver is another factor that goes into insurance calculations. Drivers under the age of 21 will pay higher rates than someone who is 25. Younger drivers tend to drive more aggressively which leads to more accidents and therefore the insurance companies have to pay more in claims.

On the other side of premium calculations for motorcycle insurance there are discounts that help keep the rates low. Paying the amount up front usually calls for a discount for many companies. A future effective date has been known to lower premiums as well as having all insurance policies with the same carrier. This kind of discount is called a multi-policy discount.

Maryland has strict laws in place that require drivers to purchase bodily injury liability and property damage liability coverage that meets the state’s minimum requirements. As of January 1, 2011, the minimum bodily injury liability requirements are $30,000 per person and $60,000 per occurence, plus $15,000 for property damage. Drivers who have been found to drive without liability coverage are subject to receive several penalties and fines. Drivers need to protect themselves by purchasing and maintaining liability coverage.

MAIF insurance is designed to assist drivers who need liability insurance and have been declined coverage by private insurance companies due to past offenses on their driving record. These drivers may have been declined for reasons such as a DUI or DWI conviction, poor driving record, or having been found at fault in a collision without being able to provide liability coverage for the damages incurred.

MAIF insurance may also be needed in order to obtain an FR-19. The FR-19, short for the Maryland Insurance Certificate, is needed when drivers want to register or renew a vehicle registration. The purpose of the FR-19 is to certify that the owner will maintain the minimum vehicle liability insurance as long as the vehicle is registered.

Drivers who are interested in being insured by MAIF must be a resident of the state of Maryland and have a valid Maryland driver’s license or Maryland registration. Drivers must also have been denied insurance by at least two private insurance companies. MAIF insurance is also available to those who have had their policy cancelled by their insurance company for reasons that are not associated with nonpayment.