Monthly Archives: January 2021

Say NO to the State’s Minimum Coverage!

Presently the minimum legal insurance coverage that you must have to drive a vehicle in Indiana is $25,000 for bodily injury per person, $50,000 for bodily injury per accident and $25,000 for property damage.    

Scenario:  You are involved in an auto accident and the other driver is injured and taken away in an ambulance.  It is determined that you were the at fault driver. You only have the state’s minimum coverage.

Q:   What if that person’s medical bills are $75,000?

A:  The injured person would hire a lawyer and sue you for the remaining $50,000 in medical expenses.

Did you know? 

Your auto insurance bodily injury liability coverage can protect you when you are in an at-fault accident where the other driver is injured.  These expenses often include:

  • Ambulance Rides
  • EMT Expenses
  • Emergency Room Charges
  • Doctors Bills
  • Hospital Stays
  • Surgeries
  • Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy
  • Lost Wages
  • Pain and Suffering
  • Lawyer Expenses
  • Any other expense that can be associated with the accident

Q:  I don’t own anything and I don’t have any money, so what do I have to lose by choosing the state’s minimum coverage?

A:   A law suit that results in a judgement against you can lead to garnished wages; liens placed on real estate and fixed assets that you own now and into the future.

RESOLUTION: Don’t settle for low liability limits on your auto insurance.  The difference in premium between the state’s minimum coverage and an acceptable coverage amount is often very small.  The insurance companies love to sell the state’s minimum coverage because they know they will never have any large pay outs and they still get your money each month. 

For an auto insurance quote that will actually protect you call Bragg Insurance at 317-758-5828 or visit our website at http://www.bragginsurance.com

How Long Does a Traffic Ticket Affect My Auto Insurance?

A traffic ticket can stay on your record for up to 10 years but will typically only affect your auto insurance rates for 3 to 5 years, depending on the insurance company. 

When evaluating your risk factors one of the areas that an insurance company looks at is moving violations.  Most insurance companies include a surcharge for moving violations such as speeding, disregarding a stop signal and tailgating to name a few.  This surcharge will continue for 3 years with most companies, while other companies continue a surcharge for up to 5 years. 

The amount of the surcharge varies depending on the number of tickets, the severity of the ticket, how recent the ticket was and if there are other negative risk factors on the policy.  The surcharge normally decreases over time as the ticket date gets older and older.

Traffic ticket divergent programs do not normally affect how an insurance company surcharges for tickets.  If the ticket shows up on the Motor Vehicle Report (MVR) the insurance company still sees this as a risk factor and will apply the same surcharge. 

Seat belt violations and parking tickets are not considered to be moving violations and normally do not affect your risk factors thus they do not normally affect your insurance rates.

If you’ve had a ticket in the last 5 years but have remained with the same insurance company, you may be paying too much for your auto insurance.  For an auto insurance rate contact Bragg Insurance Agency at 317-758-5828 or visit our website at www.bragginsurance.com