Minimum Auto Insurance May Not Cover Hurricane Damage

Atlanta -- Free-Press-Release.com-- Aug 25, 2011 -- As Hurricane Irene heads toward the Atlantic coast of the United States, many in the region are looking for ways to prepare and to minimize the damage to themselves and to their property. OnlineAutoInsurance.com advises auto owners in the region that if their car insurance policies only meet the state required minimums, they almost certainly will not be able to successfully collect compensation for storm-related damages.

New York, North Carolina and Georgia auto insurance laws—as well as the laws dictating minimum policy requirements in every other state in the nation—do not mandate that car owners purchase comprehensive coverage, which is the only type of coverage that would protect against weather-related damages.

If residents in these states have only the minimum liability policies, they likely will have to pay out of pocket to repair any damages caused by the hurricane.

Despite the fact that no state’s laws require motorists to have this physical damage protection, some owners may have been forced to purchase it. That’s because lending institutions that provide loans for the purpose of buying a new car often require the borrower to get comp and collision coverage in order to protect the car, which is the lender’s collateral.

Source: http://www.gainsurance.org/ExternalResources/Documents/Consumer Services Documents/Automobile Guide.pdf

If it’s not too late, car owners on the East Coast should check their policies to see if they are covered for any damages they may incur during the course of the storm.

Drivers in other parts of the country should also consider getting comprehensive added to a policy, since weather-related threats are obviously not exclusive to the East Coast.

Since the Joplin tornado hit Missouri in May, more than 6,600 auto claims have been filed, and more than $43.5 million has paid out as a result of those claims.

To learn more about this and other insurance issues, readers can go to http://www.onlineautoinsurance.com/georgia/ where they will have access to informative resource pages and a quote-comparison generator that can be used to quickly evaluate their coverage options.

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Online Auto Insurance
Benjamin Zitney
http://www.onlineautoinsurance.com/