Melanie Benson Strick o I need student auto insurance from my college state or home state? I reside in New York but am attending college in Illionos.

Student car insurance :
Response : As per the vehicle registration, the student car insurance will have to be taken in the state in which your vehicle is registered, which will be New York in your case. Now, if you are the owner of the vehicle, than you can change the registration to your college state- Illnos, if you so desire and take the student car insurance from Illionos.
If you decide not to re-register your vehicle in the state of your college, you will need insurance from you home state. However keep the following points in mind :
1) You will have to inform your auto insurance company that you would be using the vehicle in another state and they would charge accordingly, if they want.
2) You should also opt for limits of liability which are applicable to your college state since, this would be the requirement when the vehicle is used in that particular state.

You should consider these factors in determining your auto insurance needs while you are in college:
Required Coverage

If you are attending school in another state, check with your insurance company or agent to make sure you have enough coverage to comply with any minimum insurance requirements in that state. If you get caught driving without auto insurance , you face a fine and suspension of your license plates. Illinois law requires all motor vehicle owners to have the following coverage:

Liability insurance – Pays for bodily injury to another person or property damage you cause due to the negligent operation of a vehicle. Required amounts are; $20,000 per person, $40,000 per occurrence, and $15,000 for property damage. If affordable, higher liability limits of at least 100/300/100 are better.

Uninsured motorist bodily injury (UM) – Pays for your bodily injury caused by a hit-and-run driver or an at-fault driver who has no liability insurance. Required amounts are $20,000 per person and $40,000 per accident. If affordable, higher limits are available.

Note: If you purchase larger amounts of UM coverage, underinsured motorist bodily injury coverage (UIM) is also required.
Other Coverage

Medical payments – Covers medical and funeral expenses for you or your passengers if injured or killed in an accident in your vehicle. It also covers you and your family members if struck by a vehicle while walking or riding in another vehicle. This coverage pays even if you cause the accident.

Physical damage – Pays for damage to your auto. You may have to pay for part of the loss, called a deductible. Illinois law doesn’t require physical damage coverage, but your lender may. Depending on the value of your car, you may decide the cost of physical damage coverage is not worth the additional premium.

Vehicle Ownership

If your parents own the vehicle – If your parent or guardian’s name is on the title of the vehicle, you can be listed under their auto insurance policy as an additional driver, but their premium will be higher.

For the best college student auto insurance rates you need to shop around for auto insurance quotes. You can try a quote at teenautoinsquote.com.

Good Luck.
Thanks.
Kamlesh.

Rese (Irving- Texas): If you are a pedestrian and are struck by an uninsured car how can I get a compensation or if I want immediate treatment what should I do? I am a teenager and have insurance but I prefer walking.

Response: An excellent question. Now the fist option you should go for is to ask the car driver to pay the money out of his pocket. I do also understand that if the driver cannot afford to be insured he would not be able to afford your medical treatment cost also. Let me tell you that if under your teen auto insurance policy which has coverage for uninsured motorist or uninsured driver, than you can claim under your own auto insurance policy for the treatment and injury and your insurance company will pay you. It is highly recommended that teen auto insurance should defintely have the coverage of uninsured motorist.

Here is the latest news of your town which appeared on the P/R web news just today the 29th October 2009.

On average, the number of Texans hit by cars spikes 23.3% during Halloween week, according to Allstate Insurance Company. The insurer recently looked at its Texas auto insurance claims involving pedestrians over the past five years and found a dramatic jump in accidents around trick-or-treat time. Last year, Allstate says its number of claims involving pedestrians more than doubled over Halloween week compared with the rest of 2008.

The Allstate data coincides with a report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety that found October 31 is the second highest pedestrian death day of the year behind Fourth of July.

“Because this Halloween falls on a weekend, there may be even more kids and cars on the road later at night, potentially creating an even more dangerous situation,” said Brent Walters, an Allstate agent in Beaumont. “Whether you’re behind the wheel or walking with your kids, it’s critical to remain alert.”

Allstate says on average, it receives 13.2 bodily injury claims involving pedestrians or bicyclists in Texas during Halloween week, compared with an average of 10.7 a week during the rest of the year.

It is honestly a time to be careful and check your own auto insurance coverage for making sure that you have the right coverage. Uninsured motorist coverage is a cheap auto insurance coverage.
Happy Hallowen.