Car rental companies and road trips with children

When you're young, you can go anywhere, anytime, and either just hang out or go hang-gliding or anything else ending in "ing" that involves putting your life on the line. You're free of responsibilities and, as you think about the world over a couple of beers as night draws in, it never really occurs to you that having children is a life-changing event. Only when confronted by the practical reality of two toddlers does it occur to you that hang-gliding with them suspended from your belt might not be a good idea.

So the burning question is where do you go and what do you do when you get there? Let's start with a fairly obvious problem to avoid. If you've been carefully training these little ones to sleep when it gets dark, going too far north into Alaska is a bad idea since the sun tends to stay in the sky more hours than you like. Stay in the southern regions where it goes dark at a sensible time. Now think about how much kit you need to keep the toddlers clean and fed during the driving. In addition to the seating to keep them safe, you need easy access to all the stored essentials without having to stop and dive into a crowded trunk every time you need something. Now think about breast-feeding. You need adequate room and it might be a good idea to have curtains at the windows in the back of the vehicle.

Do a strategic run-through in your own vehicle to get an idea of how much space you're going to need and then check on what makes and models will give you what you need with a miles-per-gallon rate that won't break the bank. Once you have the field narrowed down, it's on to the internet to find one of your preferred makes and models from car rental companies at a price you can afford. That's potentially going to need some negotiation with the car rental companies to get child-friendly seats of the right size fixed in place ready for you.

Cheap car insurance and those black boxes

Over a lifetime, there's probably a balance in the good and bad surrounding the children we produce. But there are certainly times when we bitterly regret taking the plunge, as it were. There are those times at school or when early experiments with cigarettes and alcohol go horribly wrong. There's all that attitude we get. But the worst comes when we're supposed to calmly shell out on driving lessons and then, to add insult to injury, to buy a cheap car for them to drive and to pay for the insurance. The fact finding cheap car insurance for teens is like winning the lottery seems not to occur to them as they assert the divine right to disappear from sight for hours on end, driving who knows where, while all we can do is sit in prayer the next call will not come from the police or hospitals telling us when we can come in to collect the broken bits of body.

Then, suddenly, we might be tempted by the arrival of telematics - not those fuzzy TV characters with rhubarb growing out of their heads, you understand. The Co-op, we can't go wrong with them, can we? have been running ads for their Young Driver Scheme. Instead of the usual "the sky's the limit" approach to insuring the young, they will fit black boxes that will watch our kids like a hawk. If their spy finds our children have suddenly converted into angels on four wheels, we will be rewarded with lower premiums. That sounds like such a good deal until we remember our children are more likely to be recorded hotdogging around the local park at 2 in the morning - a stunt that will ensure we never see a premium under four figures for the next however many years until they leave the nest and start paying their own way in life. So although there's that terrible lure of cheap car insurance for us to pay, we parents have to remember Big Brother watches and sees both good and bad. And the bad can be very expensive for us, if not for our young drivers of the year.

What's the relation between the driver's age and insurance quotes?

Auto insurance quotes can vary greatly as they depend on numerous factors. Some of these factors are more obvious while other may raise an eyebrow in customers who don't share the insurance providers' logic. And some of these factors may even seem a bit discriminatory. Such is the status of driver's age, which is a topic for heated debate between customers and insurers. The thing is that depending on your age only you can get very different auto insurance quotes while choosing the same amount of coverage for the same car. At times the discrepancy can be double the amount, so it really gives a headache to certain groups of drivers who are unfortunate to be of a certain age. But before you start arguing with your provider it is recommended to learn why exactly it is so.

Insurers regard the driver's age as a determining factor for their driving skills and experience. This link is based on the statistical data accumulated throughout the decades and thousands of auto insurance claims settled. The rule of thumb is that the older is the driver the less likely he or she is to produce an accident due to the accumulated driving experience. Of course, as with any rule there are many exceptions, and there is also a point when age starts to deliver a negative effect on driving skills. But since the majority of distinct age group representatives correspond to this rule, auto insurance providers charge people differently depending on their age.

The most vulnerable group of drivers in this perspective are the teens aged below 25 years. According to general statistics, young drivers tend to be more aggressive in traffic and produce more accidents due to lack of skills and experience. That's why they always get the highest auto insurance quotes. Another vulnerable group is comprised of the elderly drivers aged over 65. At that point people start developing conditions that decrease their reaction speed and awareness, so more accidents are produced because of that. Still, while getting high auto insurance quotes, senior drivers usually get good discounts from insurance providers to neglect the negative financial impact of costly insurance.

The group that benefits the most from their age are adult drivers aged between 30 and 55. It is the most productive period of life for many people when enough experience is accumulated for being a safe driver. But as previously mentioned, it doesn't necessarily mean that all drivers of that age are perfect drivers. And there may be other factors involved rather than age when calculating auto insurance quotes for them.

Cheap car insurance and SR-22

Driving is a privilege. When you do something to have your license revoked it is usually a game changer. You might feel trapped, as if you are no longer independent. Yes, you can ride the bus, walk, ride a bike, or ask friends and family to get your form here to there. By the time you have the chance to get your license back you are ready to do almost anything.

You will probably have paid a hefty fine, and may even need to take a safe driving course. (The safe driving course should help you secure relatively cheap car insurance.) For most states, the ‘almost anything’ is proof of liability insurance. You will probably need proof of insurance in order to get your license re-instated even if you no longer own a car. Generally, you will need to carry that insurance for at least 3 to 5 years despite not owning a vehicle. In that time you are required to buy a non-owners policy, sometimes called a SR-22. SR-22 is the document that some states require you to carry at all times when you are driving, along with your license.

Most insurance companies sell non-owners policies. They usually go to people who have lost their license, or someone who travels a lot and uses rental cars, borrowed vehicles, or vehicles they do not own for several days a month or multiple weeks per year.

Non-owners auto insurance policies are a liability policy. You are insured for any damage to property or to a person that you inflict resulting from a collision you caused. Like all auto insurance you pick the maximums you think are best for your situation. Remember that liability limits mean that is the maximum dollar amount that the insurance company will pay for a claim, not the maximum amount awarded, or total costs of an accident. If you choose a policy that has maximums below the actual costs, what you own privately may be used for compensation to the injured parties.

SR-22 or non-owners policy is not a collisions policy. It does not cover the cost of repair to the car that you were driving. Nor do they cover an automobile that is registered in your name or one that the owner’s residence is the same as yours.

If you recently re-gained your license and are looking for cheap car insurance, make sure the company you choose conforms to the SR-22 requirements of your state.

Gender ruling and the affect it will have on cheap car insurance

Unless you’ve been living with your head in a bucket over the last two years, you will know that, come 21st December, 2012, there can be no further discriminations based on gender. No matter what you might think of the judgment itself, this creates a short-term opportunity to get cheap car insurance over the next twelve months. So let’s start at the top and see where it leads us. According to experts, the average male driver on his own policy will see very little change out of £1,000. The statistics have always shown the male of the species to be a faster, less careful driver. Whereas women, always the more careful and safety-conscious, are paying an average of £500. Yes, half the average male premium! So much for men being better drivers!

Yet if those men can add a spouse to the policy, they can make big savings for the next twelve months. Here’s how it works. On the 21st December, the way the premiums are distributed between men and women will change to a more even spread between the sexes. On average, men will pay slightly less and women slightly more. In fact, insurers believe stable couples make good insurance risks anyway. But if you change your policy from single to joint, you can lock in savings for the next year, assuming your spouse drives on a regular basis, of course. Remember that insurers don’t like fronting, i.e. the main driver not being a regular driver as a “trick” to get a lower car insurance premium rate. It’s estimated that a young couple still under the age of 25 will save about one-third of the premiums paid separately. Around £500 can be saved in a year by the average couple and some money will be saved by even the older drivers that are already getting the lowest rates.

This potential advantage will only last one year and it’s not certain what the joint rates will look like next year. More importantly, although this can produce cheap car insurance, it can also cost more if you are proposing to join one very experienced driver with one who is inexperienced or has a bad claims record. Before you make any kind of decision you should, as always, use you common sense and look around for quotes first.

Cheap flights and the problem of noisy children

Over the last two decades, there’s been a revolution in the way we assess childhood behavior. In the good old days because the pharmaceutical industry began inventing new drugs to treat all these new diseases and disorders, we had well-behaved children and those we were forced to tolerate. Now the medical profession has invented Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and now prescribes several varieties of pill to control it, we have a cultural dilemma. In the good old day, parents would give their “naughty” children a gentle blow to the head or some other sensitive part of the body and, repeated as necessary, this tended to produce a sullen silence. Today, we’re not supposed to use corporal punishment, at least in public. Instead we administer pills and sit back quietly hoping they will soon take effect and give everyone’s eardrums a rest.

The problem with traveling comes down to two factors. Children are more likely to make a fuss when they are bored and, let’s face it, sitting for hours waiting for a flight or on a plane once it has taken off, can test the patience of even the best of children. Then there’s the problem of tiredness. Some children react by going to sleep – something to be encouraged. Others lose their tempers, shouting and throwing anything to hand.

A recent survey found slightly more than a third of passengers on cheap flights were so deeply frustrated by the failure of the parents around them to control their children, they agreed they would pay more to travel child free. It was worth a few extra dollars to have peace. Scale that up to business and first class and opinions were equally divided on whether children should be excluded. So what do you think? Should airlines offering cheap flights change the options so you can pay a little extra to travel without children? Or is this something the long haul legacy airlines should introduce? How many times have to sat with a child kicking the back of your seat, or pushing the seat in front down into your lap? Would it not be better to deal only with thoughtful and sensitive adults?

Cheap car rental and avoiding problems with young children and food

As soon as independence begins to assert itself, parents have a choice to make. When it comes to food, there should be no negotiation. Children should eat what they are given. If you begin bargaining over what can or cannot be eaten, or resort to bribery to get healthy greens eaten, the slippery slope is encouraging your children to turn every meal into a battleground. While this is less of a problem at home, the moment you get into a public eating area, this empowers the children. They know you don’t get to shout at them. All punishments are in the future. So they get to play up. To reduce the problems, ask the company supplying your cheap car rental whether there are food guides for traveling with toddlers and young children in that area. If none are available, do your internet research before you set off. It’s fatal to assume diners will be child-friendly.

You should be looking for places that allow families to eat together, and have the furniture to make this possible. You also want small portions of nutritious food. For future reference, if children get too used to eating large portions from the early years, this becomes a very difficult habit break should they become overweight. If you find other children eating calmly, this is a great boost because it generates peer pressure for your picky eaters to eat their food quietly.

Some young children want to start feeding themselves early. If you know they will be on public display, give them plenty of practice before you set off. That way, when it comes to wielding the implements in a diner, they will be less frustrated. Use your common sense as to when to offer help. At all times, listen to what your children are actually saying or trying to say. This will head off potential disputes.

With these tips in mind, get confidently into the cheap car rental and drive off on the road trip of a lifetime. Played properly, these will be memories to treasure.

Cheap auto insurance may disappear because of an internet rant

Let’s start with a case of individual injustice. In June 2010, Kaitlynn Fisher went through stop lights on green. Halfway across the junction, an SUV came through the red light and smashed into her car. She was killed. The driver of the SUV was underinsured. Kaitlynn was insured by Progressive and one of the terms was a duty to pay up to $100,000 if an uninsured or underinsured driver caused injury or death. Except the law of Maryland is a nightmare. The insurance company is not obliged to pay out if its insured was in any way to blame for the accident. Hence, if a court was to find one driver 99% to blame, the 1% fault attached to the other driver would defeat her claim. This is an amazing law. To make it worse, there’s no right to sue the insurance company directly. The relatives of the deceased has to sue the other driver and get a ruling the deceased was not even 1% to blame for the accident. So that’s just what they did.

What makes this story remarkable is that Progressive sent a lawyer to the trial who addressed the judge and jury, and sat beside the defendant, offering advice. According to Progressive, this lawyer was protecting its interests and not representing the defendant. The fact the lawyer was protecting Progressive’s interests by arguing Progressive’s policyholder was to blame is irrelevant.

Not surprisingly given the adverse publicity, Progressive has now reached a settlement with the family of the deceased. However, consider the potential effects of this publicity. Progressive was able to offer cheap auto insurance because it used every possible trick in the book to avoid paying out. If it now feels the glare of the public’s attention, it may well change that business model. This would mean more generous settlements to avoid going to court and, if court action cannot be avoided, always arguing in favor of its policyholders. This means paying out a lot more money to all those insured and represents the end of cheap auto insurance rates. A mildly ironic outcome for those fighting an injustice.

Prednisone and the disappearing nutrients

There’s a sad fact most doctors prefer you not to know. Because so many drugs have side effects, there’s as much money spent on drugs intended to be treatment, as in physicians’ time and other treatments spent to counter those side effects. As a country, this would not be so bad except for one small detail. Almost half the population of the US is taking at least one prescription drug. About one-fifth are taking three or more drugs. The result of this overmedication is a significant number of people are walking around suffering from adverse side effects. One of the more common of these side effects is the loss of nutrients essential to the smooth operation of your body. For example, if one drug on its own or in combination with others reduces the amount of magnesium, zinc and potassium, this can increase your blood pressure, cause your heart rhythm to become erratic, and leave you feeling unusually tired and depressed. Doctors not familiar with this effect will tell you this is part of the development of your disease or, simply, that you’re getting old. Some will prescribe something new as a tonic, often making the problem worse.

Nutrients are essential to the continued metabolic health of all cells. As they are used up through our everyday activity, they should be replaced from the food we eat. Let’s think about how this loss of essential nutrients comes about. Many drugs can reduce your appetite. This may be intended as in the weight loss drugs, or unintended as in the drugs used to treat attention deficient disorder. Either way, if you eat less, you may be taking in less of the essential nutrients. Indeed, some weight-loss drugs and statins bind to the fat in your diet and prevent you from absorbing any nutrients from them. The more powerful antidepressants and steroids cause problems with the metabolic system. This can produce cravings for unhealthy, sugar-rich foods and skew your diet. In some cases involving stimulants and Prednisone steroid or another, the metabolic rate speed ups and the essential minerals in the cells are used up faster. Worse, some drugs to treat the more serious problems falling under the heading of heartburn reduce the amount of stomach acid which limits the amount of goodness extracted from food as it passes through. This can cause malnutrition in seniors.

Rather than continue to list all the different ways in which your store of nutrients may be used up, let’s cut to the important part of this message. If you are taking any drugs over a period of time and you find your symptoms changing and your general health declining, you should talk to your doctor. It’s entirely possible your disease or disorder is worsening, but if your new problems are related to the side effects of your drugs, you should discuss either changing the drugs or their dosage. In addition, it may be helpful to take a multivitamin mineral formula. This will allow the drugs like Prednisone to continue their good work without your body losing essential nutrients.

Take Advantage of The Discounts for Auto Insurance

The first glance at auto insurance quotes might make you feel overwhelmed at the premium cost. Many people begin searching for ways to save money – some people even consider going without insurance! But that doesn’t worth sacrifising lives, the more especially as the on ethinhа you should learn is taking advantage of car insurance discounts and save money. So below are some of the most common discounts for car insurance.

Many people searching for insurance have more than one vehicle to insure. This can be due to a family, or work vehicle. Many times you can receive a discount for having multiple vehicles. This is called a multi-vehicle policy, and most major insurance companies offer it. Similarly, if you have other needs such as life, renters, boat, or home insurance, you can often get all of these policies through the same company and qualify for a discount. You may need to comparison shop and find out the prices for quotes individually and together, but on average, combining policies saves money.

Many time companies or organizations will provide discounts on insurance. There are many universities, farm bureaus, clubs, and other businesses that qualify. You may need to change insurance companies to take advantage of this discount, but it might be worth the savings. Also, upgrading your vehicle might save you some money. Certain safety features such as automatic seat belts, anti-theft systems, and anti-lock brakes can get you a discount on your auto insurance quotes. Research what your car already has and what is available to add yourself to find out where the savings are.

Some of these discounts are out of your control (how many cars you have, where you work) but there are several auto insurance discounts you can get based on your lifestyle. Discounts are available for company loyalty (staying with the same insurance company), having a safe driving history, or taking a defensive driving class. This might take a little effort, but the savings are there!

As you can see, there are many ways to save money on car insurance. Research, comparison-shopping with auto insurance quotes, and some slight lifestyle changes is all it takes to shave the cost of your premium. Remember to research other quotes each time you renew your policy to make sure you’re getting the best deal each year.

Finding the best rates of car insurance

One of the most consistent pieces of advice you will get is to always shop around, whenever you find people offering advice on how to find the most affordable policies. That means getting quotes from as many different insurers as possible, and then comparing what each one offers to find the best deal. To find the right terms, you need to understand how insurers set the rate. That way, you know what to look for when comparing the quotes.

Where you live, your family circumstances and exactly who you are will be just a few of the things that are connected with the whole underwriting process. The statistics drawn from decades of information about traffic accidents do not lie about general patterns of behavior. Young and inexperienced drivers make mistakes and are involved in the most accidents. Single male drivers are the most at risk. At the other end of the age scale, drivers of both sexes also start having more accidents as their eyesight starts to fail and their reflexes slow down. These groups always pay the highest rates.

Then we come to where you live. Although the Californians voted to reduce the importance of ZIP codes, insurers will always be interested in the crime rates for the area where the vehicle will be kept at nights. If there’s a lot of vandalism and grand theft auto is more than a game, the rates will be higher. Moving out of the larger cities and into the countryside, rates fall because there’s less traffic on the roads and so a lower risk. Now look at the make and model you want to insure. When repairs are cheap and it will not cost a lot to replace the vehicle should it be totaled, the rates for collision and comprehensive will be lower. But ask for quotes on high-powered sports cars and the rates will come back higher. Most people buy them to drive them fast. Driving fast can be close to driving recklessly and risk more accidents. Finally we come to your track record. If you have many years experience with no recent tickets and no claims, the rates will tend to be lower. But if you have missed installment payments and made claims, the rate will be higher. There will also be higher rates if your credit score is low.

Once the car insurance company has considered all the factors, you will be placed in one of three categories. If you are “preferred” this means the insurer thinks you are unlikely to have an accident and so make a claim. This usually reflects a clean driving record for the last five years. The “standard” group are drivers who represent a moderate risk. This is usually a family vehicle, modestly powered and not driven longer distances, with only minor problems with tickets and claims. If you are classified as nonstandard, you are considered high risk and will face the highest rates.

Car insurance is quite a science but each insurer values factors differently. The rates may also differ between companies because of the quality of those insured. If a company has a high percentage of preferred drivers, the rates will be lower for everyone. So the only way to find the best premium rate for the next twelve months is to get car insurance quotes from all the major companies now. That gives you the best chance of finding the best terms.

Finding the Cheapest Car Insurance for Your Leased Car

If you regularly get a new car at a cheap monthly payment, leasing rather than financing car may be a good option for you. There are many benefits to leasing a car, and although it's a great option for some, you still must undergo the hassle of finding the cheapest car insurance available. Here is some useful information to help you find insurance for your leased vehicle:

Be Knowledgeable about your Options

Some insurance companies, especially smaller ones, do not accept leased vehicles for coverage. If you are using a major insurance company, you will likely not have a problem. However, to make sure, it is necessary for you to contact your company and confirm coverage. Even if your agency covers leased vehicles, the rate can be completely different from that for a financed car. Searching around and comparing companies is the best way to find the cheapest car insurance available.

Understand Deductibles

Finally, it is possible that you will be required to pay a higher deductible for a leased vehicle. As long as you do not get into an accident, this is not a problem - the higher the deductible is, the lower your premium. This helps you to get the cheapest car insurance. Insurance companies require higher deductibles for leased vehicles because there is a greater risk to them when the car is damaged or stolen. These requirements should be in clearly defined in your policy.

Understand the Types of Coverage

Leased vehicles typically come with different car insurance coverage requirements than a financed vehicle would. It will be necessary for you to carry full coverage when leasing a car. Full coverage includes comprehensive and collision insurance. If your car is stolen or totaled, the car company is no longer able to lease it to future drivers. Therefore you are required to pay the company for future loss. Since you are required to have more coverage, your premium will be higher.

Research Coverage Limits

Not only will you need more coverage, but your insurance company might also require you to have higher coverage amounts for your leased vehicle. On average, leased vehicle coverage includes $100,000 per person liability coverage for bodily injury if you are at fault for an accident. If multiple people are injured, there may be a cap of $300,000. For property damage, you will probably be looking at coverage of $50,000 per accident.

Car insurance rates in California go back to court

Mostly people think auto insurance rates a rather boring subject. We pay them reluctantly, but see the benefits when we have an accident. Yes, some politicians get excited every now and again. They get out their megaphones and start telling the world what’s wrong with the auto insurance industry. But not many of us care. These campaigns don’t factor into the decisions at the ballot box when it comes to voting for our representatives. Perhaps they should. It would be a good use of democracy to be able to vote in a state government that would, at a stroke, make all insurance premiums cheaper. But, for now, the only time to use the ballot box to make a judgement on insurance matters is when Propositions appear. Nowhere do the fights become so bitter so quickly than in California where Proposition 33 is headed to the courts months in advance of the vote.

The Sacramento Superior Court now has to decide on an action against state officials and consumer advocate Harvey Rosenfeld alleging the summary written for the ballot and the more general pamphlets intended as supporting information for voters are “inaccurate” and likely to prejudice the minds of the voters. At its simplest level, the argument in favor sees discounts offered to drivers with a good track record if they switch insurers. This is a reward for safe drivers and shows competition is working well in the industry. The argument against says that if all the good drivers are seduced away from some insurance companies, the car insurance rates for the bad drivers will have to shoot up to compensate. As it is, there’s a cross subsidy with the good drivers subsidizing the bad. That why sharing the risks across a broad group provides a good average premium rate for all.

For those who live outside California, this is a rerun of almost exactly the same court case when Proposition 17 was run as a ballot issue in 2010. Despite the rejection of the voters last time around, the same team are back again with a new ballot measure and are fighting to get the most favorable wording on the ballot. It’s cheap auto insurance for the few, and expensive insurance for the rest.

Quotes are made of numerous factors - learn them to save on car insurance

Many people have a general idea of what to do to get cheap insurance premiums but typically do not understand all the factors that make up car insurance quotes. Some factors are out of your control, but others you can change in order to get a better deal on car insurance. If you don't know what these factors are, you can't change them to be in your favor!

Insurance companies need to make money. In order to do so, they need to take risk into their calculations - insuring a risky driver may cost them a lot of money, and this is reflected in the premium. The factors to determine risk are pretty consistent across insurance companies, though how each factor is weighted may vary. Insurers also have their own statistical information on risk, which may result in different premiums for the same person at different companies.

The universal factors determining car insurance quotes

Location

Where you live may affect the amount of your premium. If you live in an area with higher auto-theft rates, crime rates, or that is more populous, you will likely pay more for car insurance.

Age and Gender

Accident rates tend to vary across ages and gender - more specifically, the younger you are the more likely you are to get into an accident, and males get into more wrecks than females.

Type of Vehicle

The year, make, and model of your vehicle are also considered in your quote. Certain cars are considered safer than others and some cars are cheaper to repair.

Credit Rating

Statistically speaking, insurance companies have found that how well you keep up with your bills is correlated with your likelihood of having an accident. This is why many companies look at your credit history and score. Working to raise your credit score may get you better rates in the future.

Driving Style

The more you drive, the more likely you are to get into an accident. People who drive above a certain mileage per year will likely have higher premiums. Also, some companies provide trackers for you to attempt to get cheaper insurance. Driving after midnight will lower your discount.

Driving History and Prior Claims

The number of accidents, tickets, and insurance claims you've had will have an affect on your premium. Typically, this record goes over the last three years for accidents and five years for insurance claims.