Business Liability Insurance.

We all read the stories in the news about huge, multi-national companies being taken to court over seemingly ludicrous matters - "Coffee too hot", "Peanuts in the peanut butter", "Your fast-food made me obese" - and we all have a chuckle. Yet worryingly, especially if you own a business, many of these cases are actually won by the claimants, leading to huge payouts from the companies involved. What's more, if the correct business liability insurance is not in place, the businesses involved are in serious trouble financially.

Yet it's hard to know exactly what type of business liability insurance you need - cover and needs differ if you are a small to medium sized outfit, a large multi-national company or self-employed working out of your home. What remains true of all, however, is the need to have the right business liability insurance in place, especially as the liability environment in the UK becomes more complex.

Business Liability Insurance - Arm Yourself With Information
Business Liability Insurance is a legal requirement in the UK, but there are varying degrees of cover you can purchase. Smaller businesses often struggle to find insurance for their needs as they may not be able to afford all of the cover on offer under standard business liability policies, and they actually may not need all of the elements on offer under the policy - if you work from home, it can be even trickier to find a policy to suit your needs. It's certainly worth doing some research to establish exactly what kind of business liability insurance you need and which company can best provide it - a search on the internet and insurance comparison sites can often be the best place to start.

Business liability insurance covers the cost of people connected with your business who may become ill or injured in some way - for example, as soon as you hire somebody, the law states you must have employer's liability insurance, in place. Without this, you expose yourself to both breaking the law and potentially being sued by an employee if they are injured at work. Public liability insurance protects your business if a member of the public is injured in some way by your business or one of your employees, and professional indemnity insurance is worth considering if you have a business which offers members of the public advice in any way - if you make a mistake and are sued, your costs are covered.

How To Protect Yourself From Fraud?

If you become a victim of car insurance fraud, you pay. Not only will you pay higher premiums because you may acquire a costly claim, but, as with any car accident, you and your family could pay with your lives. It is important to learn more about fraud protection so you can protect yourself from others who may choose you to be a part of their next car insurance accident fraud scam.

Insurance fraud began when insurance first began. Incidents have been recorded as far back as ancient Greece. Ship scuttling was an insurance scam in ancient Greece where ships were purposely sunk. Later insurance fraud traveled to England then to America. When automobiles were introduced it opened a whole new arena for fraudulent insurance claims. Today, with modern technology, many fraudulent car accident claims do arise from sophisticated organized crime rings that can be hard to detect. Don't let this make you a victim of an insurance scam. Whether the insurance scam is from an organized crime ring or an individual, there are fraud protection steps you can take to help you be more aware and avoid being a scammer’s next victim.

First, it is important to know what types of insurance scams are used. There are many types of car insurance scams. Set-up car accidents can range from vehicles deliberately stopping in front of a driver to cause a rear-end car accident to drivers who pretend they are being helpful but intend to cause a car accident that will look like the innocent drivers fault. Scams can also involve people one would generally trust such as doctors and lawyers.

Educating yourself more about fraud protection against car insurance accident scams is the best way to avoid being someone's next victim. Here is a list of common scams to be aware of:

# Staged Rear-End Car Accidents: A scam driver will quickly get in front of an innocent car and then slam on their brakes. This causes the innocent driver to rear-end the scam driver. Along with collecting money for vehicle damages, the scam driver will often fake medical injuries to collect even more.
# Adding Damage: After an accident, either staged or not, the scam driver will go to another location and cause extensive damage to their vehicle and claim that the damage happened during the original accident.
# Fake Helpers: Scam Helpers will wave an innocent driver into traffic, but then crash into the innocent driver. When it comes time to file the claim, the scam driver will deny waving anyone in. Other ways fake helpers try to scam people is by offering to help an innocent driver find a auto repair shop, doctor, or lawyer. In this case, everyone is in on the scam. The body shop charges you enormous rates, the doctor and lawyer also lie to collect more from your insurance.

Since these scams can happen at any time and place, it is important to be prepared. Awareness is the most important. Watch for drivers who may be following you or examining your driving habits. Also, make sure you leave plenty of room in front of you in order to stop. If an accident does happen, take notes on everything about the other car, the accident, and everybody that was in the other car. Keep a disposable camera in your car to record damage to both vehicles. Furthermore, use your judgment in driving, not others. Make sure you have enough room to get out and just let other cars pass instead of letting others "waive you in." And, when you talk to your insurance company, let them know if you felt something was suspicious.

Steps To Filling Auto Insurance Claim.

These are the steps that one have to follow to file a claim for recovery of his damage:

1. Evaluate whether or not you should file a claim: Did you know that just when you call your insurance company with a question about possibly filing a claim it is often recorded on your insurance record? It is important to keep your insurance record clean and one way is deciding whether or not you should file a claim. It doesn’t matter if the accident is your fault or not, you should ask yourself first if you can pay for the damage. Simply put, if you can pay for it yourself without financial hardship, don’t file the claim.

2. Fill out your what to do after an auto accident worksheet: This worksheet, which when you click on the title is provided for print-out, will help you keep track of the information you will need to file your auto insurance claim. It is important to get every detail of the accident documented and to try to find witnesses that would be willing to talk to your insurance company to back-up your story.

3. File the claim ASAP: You will want to file the claim as soon as possible with your insurance company. Even if it is not your fault, your insurance company will handle the claim process as your advocate.

4. Prepare for a possible call from the other insurance company: If there is a dispute between the two parties in the accident, you may get a call from the other driver’s insurance company asking for your version of what happened at the accident scene. If this happens make sure you document everything you say and the name of the customer service agent you talked too.

5. Finally, getting your car fixed: If you had body damage to your vehicle this is when you will finally get it fixed. After your claim is approved, you will likely get a call from your insurance company about sending an insurance adjuster out to assess the damage or asking you to send your car to a pre-approved shop to get it fixed.

What To Do If You Are Not Able To Find Auto Coverage?

Some drivers have a hard time obtaining insurance. This can result from a number of factors, including a poor driving record, type of vehicle, claims history, experience, etc.

There are insurance companies that write non-If your driving record prevents you from obtaining standard policies in this state.

They include:

* Allstate
* Dairyland
* Farmers
* Financial Indemnity
* Guaranty National
* Infinity
* Leader
* Nationwide
* Progressive
* Safeco
* Viking Insurance Company of Wisconsin

If your driving record prevents you from obtaining a policy in the non-standard market, your agent or broker will contact the Automobile Insurance Plan on your behalf.

More than 55 years ago, the Washington State Legislature created this plan to provide auto insurance coverage to high-risk drivers who are unable to find coverage. To qualify for this special coverage, you must:

* Be a Washington state resident or a member of the U.S. military
* Hold a valid Washington state driver’s license
* Not have any debt from previous auto
* insurance coverage

How To Save Money While Buying Auto Insurance.

Since most of us are required to carry automotive insurance - whether it be basic liability or more - the quest to save money is a common topic. If we go with cheaper, "discount insurance agency" type places, we often sacrifice service - not to mention the trust that many of us put in brand names. If, on the other hand, we go with well-established, trustworthy agencies, we often end up paying a lot more - several hundred dollars a year in some cases. But there are plenty wats to save a little money without giving up qualiy, here they are:

Figure out how much auto insurance you need

If your car is not yet paid off, you will have to have more insurance coverage than someone who owns his car outright. In addition, different states require different minimum amounts of insurance. Many people prefer to have more than the minimum required, just to be covered in the event that an accident does occur, while others prefer to carry only the minimum coverage. Take into account how much you drive, how much your car is worth, how much you have in assets in case you are sued, and how likely your car is to be stolen when considering how much auto insurance you need.

Shop around

Just as you take your time when buying the vehicle, checking several dealerships to get the best price, you should do the same when looking for the auto insurance. A site like this is a great place to start because it gets quotes from all the top companies.

Buy the right vehicle

Some vehicles are cheaper to insure. Insurance actuaries collect information about traffic accidents from all over the US. They rank vehicles according to the likelihood they will be involved in an accident or stolen. Although you may think some vehicles lack style and are boring to drive, it can be worth buying them to reduce your premium.

Drive safely

Insurers rate drivers by age, gender and driving experience. You can tilt the points system in your favor if you avoid accidents and do not pick up tickets.

Check out the ranking points for safety features

You will pay less to insure vehicles fitted with antilock brakes, airbags, and so on. It’s also cheaper to insure a vehicle if it lives in a garage or is parked off the road at night.

Read the policies before you decide which to buy

Check whether the policies give you the cover you need. Read through to see exactly what is and what is not included. Try to fit the policy to your situation, only buying as much cover as you need. Even then, everything may look good on paper, but the crunch comes if you have to make a claim.

Check out the insurance companies

Every state has an insurance department or commissioner, and their websites confirm which insurance companies are licensed to sell auto policies. The best also carry information about the number of complaints upheld against all these companies. Most of the complaints are about the way policies are sold and how the claims are handled. This can give you vital information on which companies to avoid. Even though the premium may cost slightly more, it can be worth paying the extra to get with a company that handles claims well.

What about the new online-only auto insurance?

By eliminating the costs of running a brick-and-mortar operation, insurance companies can offer you better terms at more affordable premiums.

Check your cover regularly

Using this site, it costs you nothing to check whether the quotes for the insurance to cover your vehicle have changed. New companies may have different policies on the market. competition may be bringing down premiums. It can save you a lot of money to change insurance companies every six or twelve months. With budgets tight, never just renew the existing policy. Always check out the market.

Keep a clean driving record

One of the best ways to save money on car insurance is to simply be a good driver. Without accidents or tickets on your record, your auto insurance premiums are going to be much lower.

Know Your Coverage Types.

­What is your car insurance actually insuring? Although you're buying a single insurance policy covering a specific vehicle, a number of components make up the final cost:

* Bodily injury liability: Covers injury and death claims against you, and legal costs, if your car injures or kills someone.

* Property damage liability: Covers claims for property that your car damages in an accident. Because liability coverage protects the other party, it is required in all but three states.

* Medical payments: Pays for injuries to yourself and to occupants of your car. This is optional in some states. In "no-fault" states, personal injury protection replaces medical payments as part of the basic coverage.

* Uninsured motorist protection: Covers injuries caused to you or the occupants of your car by uninsured or hit-and-run drivers. "Under-insured" coverage also is available, to cover claims you may make against a driver who has inadequate insurance. In some states, as many as 30 percent of drivers are uninsured.

* Collision coverage: Covers damage to your car up to its book value. Collision coverage carries a deductible, which is the amount per claim you have to pay before the insurance takes effect. The lower the deductible, the higher the premium. While it is legally optional, a lending institution or leasing company usually requires collision coverage.

* Comprehensive (physical damage): Covers damage to your car from theft, vandalism, fire, wind, flood, and other non-accident causes. Comprehensive also carries a deductible.

Car Insurance Types.

The law requires that anyone who drives a car must have car insurance. Purchasing car insurance involves buying a policy from an insurance provider. The premium you pay depends on a number of factors such as age, gender, and the make, model, and year of the car. When you look for an insurance policy that will provide you with appropriate coverage, it is important to understand the types of car insurance policies that are available. So, what are the different types of auto car insurance options available?

Fully Comprehensive Auto Insurance

Fully comprehensive auto car insurance is without doubt the most expensive. However, with so many cars financed by finance companies, it is also probably the most common type of auto insurance – as the finance companies make it a requirement that the owner insure their automobile fully comprehensive.

In short, as its name suggests, fully comprehensive auto car insurance insures the owner of the car against all manner of events – from an accident to theft of the car. The upside of this type of insurance is there is no need to show ‘fault’ in order to claim. So, if you have an accident, which is not your fault, and the owner of the other car, who is at fault, doesn’t give you his insurance details, or, worse, is uninsured, you can still claim against your insurance company. Similarly, if your car is stolen, then fully comprehensive insurance allows you to claim against the insurance company.

However, do read your insurance policy carefully, as most auto car insurance companies refuse to insure 100% of the value of a car, choosing instead to only insure 80%, or so, of the value. The auto car insurance companies claim that doing this prevents fraudulent losses of cars where the owner of the car either no longer wants the car, or is encountering financial difficulty.

Third Party, Fire & Theft

Third party, fire & theft auto car insurance is a middle of the road car insurance package popular with those who have already paid off their auto loans, but who still have a certain level of intrinsic value in their car.

Under this type of auto insurance, most of the pay-out events covered under fully comprehensive auto insurance are covered – such as fire & theft. However, in the event of an accident, the insurance company is only required to pay-out if you are at fault, and you hit another car. So, in the event that you hit a wall, or only damage your car, the insurance company will not be required to pay. Likewise, if you are involved in an accident with another car, and are not at fault, your insurance company will not be required to pay-out, regardless of whether or not the other person has sufficient insurance to pay for the damage done to your car.

Third Party Insurance

Third party insurance is the ‘basic’ type of insurance, and only covers circumstances where you are involved in an accident, are at fault, and hit a third party. In all other events, the auto car insurance company is not required to make a payment. As such, it is also the cheapest type of auto car insurance you can purchase. That said, this type of insurance is usually only purchased by those car owners who have an old car with little or no value.

Specialized Car Insurance

Finally, strictly speaking any car over 25 years old is considered a ‘classic’. As such, this type of car should be insured as a classic car – with all of the benefits and requirements of such. Although ‘classic’ auto car insurance usually has all of the benefits of fully comprehensive auto car insurance, one significant disadvantage that classic car insurance has is that you are usually limited to the number of road miles you can drive in any given year – so check your policy carefully.