An Explanation Of A Vehicle Insurance Deductible |
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Graham McKenzie
23 April 2009
All insurance policies should be understood properly by the payer. Sometimes this can be challenging because of the amount of information contained. Any thing that is not understood, should be explained by the insurance agent, before a payment is made.
While dissecting a possible policy. Pay utmost attention to what will have to paid by the insured besides the premium. This is considered the deductible or excess amount. When this fixed fee seems too high, the applicant is able to design a coverage that suits better.
A typical example to explain the importance of the amount of a deductible is the following. An applicant wants insurance on a 2,500 USD vehicle. There is an accident causing 400USD worth of damage. When the policy is checked, the excess or deductible is 300 USD. The insured would pay 300 USD, and the insurance company would pay 100USD. The insured would have to make the decision as to whether reporting this accident would be wise.
It is urgent to make sure the insured will benefit financially from an accident. Use common sense when deciding if reporting an accident to your insurance company, is a wise decision. It may be a better financial decision to repair the vehicle on your own, or continue to operate it with a dent or two. Filling out a claim, will commonly increase the price of an insurance policy.
There are benefits for not reporting every little fender bender. This is a reward for keeping a safe driving record, and choosing a wise alternative. Either a lower premium, or a check from the insurance company is used.
When reviewing a policy there will be several types of deductibles. There is one that is a base across the board for every insured consumer that chooses the company. The others are used as a method to raise the amount the insured is responsible for, in order to decrease the monthly amount paid.
Sometimes the choice of an additional deductible is out of your hands. When a new driver is added to a policy, the risk level increases and an extra amount will be added to the original deductible. Another example limiting the choice in this matter, is attempting to add an individual that constantly violates traffic laws, or has frequent accidents.
In summary, deductibles and excesses are explained in the policy. The option to evaluate, and change this amount to be more than the base amount, is up to you.