How important to you is finding cheap Waco auto insurance coverage? If potentially saving thousands of dollars is something you may be interested in then why not take a few moments and learn all that you can about finding the best Waco auto insurance coverage and then start shopping for some Waco car insurance quotes online.

Waco Traffic's Affect on the Price of Waco Car Insurance

Drivers in Waco, Texas are connected to the rest of the state via Interstate 35, Route 6 and Highway 85. You can get to Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin or San Antonio with relative ease, although fairly heavy traffic which has an upwards affect on the cost of auto insurance. Waco is about 80 miles from Arlington and 90 miles from Dallas. Of course, you're more likely to just drive over to Austin. In any case, having a Waco auto insurance policy to protect yourself against accidents, other drivers and the natural elements is legal and wise.

How Waco Auto Insurance Rates are Set

Even though you may live in Waco, the rates for your car insurance premiums are affected by our proximity to Austin and the fact that many residents commute to work daily. In downtown Waco, about 17,000 people drive to work each day, that's about 80% of our population that lives and works here in the city. Plus, we've got many local airports bringing visitors into town at any given time. It's safe to say that if you live in Waco, you need to have decent car insurance coverage in place.

That means that drive time is prime time for a lot of car accidents, and if you are one of these commuters then your Waco car insurance rates are likely to reflect this fact. Even so, you can expect rates to fall into a range of about 30% above or below certain benchmarks set by the state. The Commissioner of Insurance does allow those companies who cover high risk drivers to charge fees above these rates.

You'll find standard, preferred and high-risk companies. If your driving record and other measured criteria are good enough to get a policy from the preferred providers then you will get the best rates possible. The criteria considered can include your driving record, type of vehicle, where you live, your age and other factors.

Factors that Impact Your Need for Waco Auto Insurance

Waco is not known as the home of the rich and famous. In fact, over 27% of the population is considered to be living in poverty. While you may think this equates to a lot of people using public transportation, it also equates to a lot of uninsured or underinsured drivers out on the road. This means that having uninsured or uninsured motorist coverage is something you should consider.

One statistic working in the favor of Waco drivers is that auto theft rates have decreased significantly. In 1999, there were 930 thefts per every 100,000 vehicles and by 2007 that number had fallen to 431. While this has a positive impact on your rates, you can lower it even more by installing anti-theft devices on your vehicle. Ask your insurer how much of a discount you'll get for things like a tracking system, car alarm or wheel jack. Then you can decide how much to invest on these devices.

When considering the insurance coverage you want to have, keep in mind that here is Waco, we get tornados. In fact, we get 166% more of them here than in the country as a whole. In regards to car insurance this means you probably want more than just liability coverage. Liability only covers damage to the people in the other car, or to any property you damage when an accident occurs. In order to be protected against acts of nature, you will want to have comprehensive coverage added to your policy.

Knowing What Kind of Waco Auto Insurance to Get

When it comes to purchasing coverage there are Texas state required minimums, and the amount that will actually protect your assets when an accident occurs. In the Lone Star State, you need to be able to prove that you can pay for any accidents you cause. Unless you are a trust fund baby, then the simplest way to go about this is by getting liability coverage in 20/40/15. Those numbers refer to the amount, in thousands, which will go towards bodily injury liability to a single person in an accident, to cover all injuries in a single accident, and to cover property damage in a single accident.

If you risk driving without coverage, and too many people do, you can be fined up to $300 for your first conviction and up to $1,000 for any following ones. Of course, by that second conviction it's likely that your car and license will be taken away. If that's not enough to convince you that you need coverage, just consider the potential costs involved in a single car accident. If you total someone's new Mercedes, the cost is going to be far beyond the $15,000 in property liability damages.

Here is what the different coverages that you can elect to add to your Waco auto insurance policy will do:

Medical Payment coverage will take care of any medical, hospital or funeral bills for you, your passengers and your family. This is true no matter who causes the accident.

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) offers the same base coverage as Medical Payment coverage; however, it goes beyond that and pays out 80% of wages lost due to the accident and any costs incurred by hiring caregivers after the accident. If you don't have a lot of savings in place, you should consider this coverage.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage will pay out when the other driver is not properly insured, or in the case of a hit and run. Your insurer is required by law to offer you this coverage, and if you refuse it you must do so in writing.

Collision will take car of the damage to your vehicle or replace it as necessary.

Comprehensive is what you need to take care of issues like vandalism, fire, and weather related "acts of God", like those tornados mentioned earlier.

There are more riders that you can add that will pay for towing, rental cars and other things like that. Just keep in mind, that adding additional coverage will raise your cost. So it's imperative that when you are comparing policies you compare apples to apples.

Compare Waco Auto Insurance Quotes!

One great way to do that is to use an online Waco auto insurance quote tool. Generally, these are offered by a third party source like us that is not affiliated with any single insurer. You should be able to enter all your information, the type of coverage you are looking for, and let the quote tool go off and do the research for you. Then, you can follow up by calling individual Waco auto insurance companies to ask more detailed information as needed. Go to the top of the page to get started comparing Waco car insurance rates online now!