Norman Car Insurance

If you live in Norman, you must follow the auto insurance laws of Oklahoma to legally operate your own motor vehicle registered in the state.

Due to the fact that auto insurance is the law and failing to comply with the law can result in being fined or imprisoned, it is very important to learn the ins and outs of Oklahoma auto insurance law before you register a car or get your license.

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If you are not sure where to begin, you can get all of the consumer information on Norman car insurance that you need to make an educated decision right here.

As you are shopping for car insurance in the state of Oklahoma, you need to consider more than just pricing.

You will need to review the minimum mandatory auto insurance requirements, what types of coverage you can purchase, and ultimately which companies licensed to sell products in Oklahoma have a positive reputation in the industry.

Only after you know the most important things can you begin to compare insurance rates to make your decision based on pricing.

If you fail to do your homework, you could easily end up with a poor-quality insurance plan that is provided by a company that offers poor service. Read this guide and you can get step-by-step tips so that you buy the best plan from the best carrier licensed by the Oklahoma Insurance Division.

Step 1: Understanding the Norman Auto Insurance Requirements

Before you can buy any type of financial product you should have a basic understanding of the product itself.

When you are talking about car insurance, which is a state-mandated requirement, it is crucial that you know what the requirements are so that you can avoid being penalized or being convicted of a misdemeanor.

All residents in Norman who have a vehicle registered in their name through the DMV in Oklahoma are required to buy and maintain their own Oklahoma car insurance.

Even if you do not own the vehicle, the vehicle needs to be insured to be operated on roadways without being impounded if you are pulled over by a peace officer.

What are the penalties for driving without insurance in Norman?

If you are thinking about getting behind the wheel before you buy state car insurance, it is a good idea to learn about the penalties.

In a state that is ranked number 1 for the number of uninsured drivers with 25.9 percent of the population driving without coverage, it is easy to understand why the penalties are getting stiffer and judges are buckling down.

Currently, if you are caught without a proof of insurance, the citation fine will be $202. In addition to the fines, you could also face a license suspension or a registration suspension for failing to carry insurance. Reinstatement fees of $275 and impound fees can add up.

There is a new law that took place in 2014 that states that officers can seize your uninsured plates at the time of citation so that you take care of the issue within 10 days.

If you are caught driving uninsured in Norman or other cities in Oklahoma, you may not just have monetary penalties. You may even face time in jail, up to 30 days per offense.

With more than half of a million vehicles on roadways being uninsured, the jail time for violating the law could go up in the near future.

How much insurance do you need?

The state law says that no one may drive their personal vehicle unless it is covered by an acceptable liability policy. An acceptable liability policy is one that is provided by a carrier that is licensed to do business in the state and that meets minimum limit requirements.

In Norman, you must always have Bodily Injury coverage and Property Damage coverage at all times regardless of if you are pulled over by law enforcement or not.

Here is a straightforward breakdown of the requirements:

• Bodily Injury - Pays for any physical damages that you cause to a third-party person to seek treatment and recover. Also pays for funeral expenses if someone passes away from injuries sustained in an accident. Norman residents can have no less than $25,000 per injured party, up to $50,000 total per car accident.

• Property Damage - Pays for the property damages you are found liable for in a collision. Only the damage to third-party property is covered under this coverage. If you would like your property to be covered you will need a separate type of protection that will cost additional money. Norman residents must have no less than $25,000 per collision.

As a state that operates under a tort system, anyone who owns a vehicle must be able to pay for the damages that their vehicle causes.

This means that household members and permissive users are also covered if they borrow your vehicle. If the driver lives with you, you must list them to prevent having your claim denied.

Step 2: Understanding Additional Options

Basic coverage is not designed to protect you against all of the possible threats you can run into on the road. Basic coverage will help you satisfy the requirements so that you are not penalized, but if you are in a serious accident, having basic cover can lead to financial ruin when you are under-insured.

Here are the other types of coverage that you can add on to a policy so that you have greater peace of mind:

Coverage For Your Car

Is your car financed or leased? Could you reasonably afford to replace your vehicle or pay for collision repairs if you did not have coverage on it? If you cannot bank on paying your own bills, you will need some form of coverage for your car.

Physical damage coverage, which includes comprehensive and collision, pays for your vehicle repairs minus your deductible.

Comprehensive will kick in when the covered vehicle is damaged by a loss like fire, vandalism, hail, wind, falling objects, theft or other non-moving claims. Collision pays when you are in an accident regardless of fault, but your company will recoup if the other party is found at fault.

Rental car and towing options are also available if your car is damaged or disabled.

Rental car coverage will pay for a replacement if you have a loss, and towing coverage is a roadside assistance addition on your insurance plan.

Coverage for Your Family

Liability will not pay for your own medical bills. If you would like insurance that will, you can purchase either Medical Payments cover or Uninsured Motorist protection.

Medical payments will pay--up to the limit per person--for medical treatment. It does not require investigation because the coverage pays no matter who is at fault.

Uninsured Motorist coverage will pay when someone who is at fault for your injuries does not have insurance or has very low limits. In Oklahoma, when 500,000 million people are estimated to not have insurance, having Uninsured Motorist is in your best interest.

Your Uninsured Motorist limits can only be as high as the limits that you carry for Bodily Injury.

Step 3: Choosing the Best Oklahoma Insurance Carriers

The first step that you should take once you have chosen coverage types and are ready to get quotes is to qualify insurers.

Not all companies in Oklahoma are created equal, and failing to do your own research can land you in hot water down the line. Price comes last after reputation.

Financial Strength

One of the most important things to research is financial stability. Financial stability is important for companies in the industry because they need financial strength to pay for claims and stay profitable.

You can find the financial ranking of companies by accessing a rating agency that analyzes financial records and assigns letter grades to each insurer.

One of the most reliable agencies is A.M. Best and the ratings are public record.

Complaints

Complaints in the industry are public record. If it is found that a company has misrepresented coverage or denied claims that are relevant, they will have negative findings on their reports.

You can review the complaint index of any Oklahoma company that you would like to do business with by visiting the Better Business Bureau website and entering the company name. Any trends in complaints could be a red flag.

After you consider what is important, you can begin to consider what is most important to you-- price.

All insurance companies set their own rates by getting approval through the Department of Insurance. Some rates target risky drivers and others target drivers with blemish-free records. To do your own rate comparison, you can easily use an online rate comparison tool from your own personal computer.

Be sure to enter your information as accurate as possible and get dozens of instant auto insurance quotes for Norman car insurance in an instant.

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