Los Angeles is not only the highest populated city in California it also ranks the highest in a number of accident categories.

Dropping your car insurance is never a good idea in Los Angeles.

With a population of 3.8 million, you would expect Los Angeles to have a higher number of accidents than other cities in California. Not only does it meet this expectation, but it exceeds it; even when compared to other cities close to its size. So if you are thinking about driving around L.A. without car insurance, you may want to think twice after reading this.

Car Accident Statistics in Los Angeles

In 2010, Los Angeles had 29,354 accidents that resulted in fatalities or injuries per the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS). Of these accidents 2,681 involved a pedestrian, and 2,040 of them involved a person on a bicycle. So 16% of the accidents that had a fatality or injury in Los Angeles involved people that weren’t even in a car.

According to the OTS, these numbers cause the city of Los Angeles to rank as the #1 city of its size for total accidents that had a fatality or an injury. It also ranked #3 for having the highest number of pedestrian involved accidents, as well as #2 for the number of bicycle involved accidents.

But, it’s not just the pedestrians and bicyclist that have it hard in this city; apparently drivers that cause accidents in Los Angeles take irresponsibility to the extreme as the city also ranks #1 for the number of hit-and-run accidents. In just 2010, L.A. had 3,275 accidents that resulted in an injury or fatality where the other driver didn’t stick around after they caused the accident and left others to deal with the damage they caused.

I’m not sure about you, but it sure enforces my feelings that L.A. is a nice place to visit, but not live.

Fun Driving Facts about Los Angeles

Los Angeles has some interesting driving laws that aren’t seen in a lot of other parts in the country. If you are ever visiting, you may want to take note of these laws to save yourself from getting an expensive ticket to add to the rest of your travel expenses:

• It is illegal to smoke with a minor child in the car (actually a California wide law).
• Pay special attention to the Carpool Lanes as the rules on how many you are required to have in your car and what vehicles are allowed can change from one freeway to another, and even within the same freeway.
• You are not allowed to honk your horn at another driver unless an accident is imminent.
• Pedestrians have the right-a-way at all intersections even if there is no crosswalk (this probably explains the high number of pedestrian and bicycle related injury accidents).

Los Angeles Insurance Requirements

Los Angeles insurance requirements are set forth by the state, so there are no different requirements once you get into the city limits. State of California insurance requirements include:

• $5,000 for property damage liability coverage
• $30,000 for bodily injury liability coverage total
• $15,000 for bodily injury liability coverage for one person

Compared to other states, California’s insurance requirements are small but they are very strictly enforced by an electronic database. Any California resident caught without insurance will have their vehicle registration suspended, receive a ticket, and could also have their vehicle impounded. So if you are a resident and you wish to keep driving around, make sure you stay compliant.

Just as a side note, you also might want to consider carrying uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage if you drive in Los Angeles a lot, to protect you from all of those hit-and-run drivers.

Most people wouldn’t recommend driving in New York City, but if do here are some things to consider.

Day or night New York City always has traffic.

New York City is the nation’s most populous city. With having the largest population, also comes the biggest driving headache in the nation; which is why experts stress that public transit is the way to travel if you want to get around the city of New York.

But, if you insist on driving you need to educate yourself about their driving laws and insurance rules, because many of them are nothing like what most drivers from other locations are used to.

New York City Accident Statistics

For anyone that doesn’t think they need car insurance, in 2011 alone New York City had a total of 73,060 car accidents over the course of the year. Out of all those crashes only 250 of them were fatal, which is amazing! That means less than ½ of a percent of crashes that happened in the biggest city in the nation ended in death. On the other side though, 49,634 of these crashes did have an injury.

Compared to the rest of the state the fatality percentage is about the same. But the chance of being injured in a car accident in New York City is much higher than in the rest of New York State. In New York City almost 68% of crashes had an injury, whereas just fewer than 42% of the accidents in the rest of the state had an injury.

Car Insurance in New York City

New York City doesn’t create its own insurance laws, but follows the laws set forth by the state of New York. And the state of New York has quite a number of insurance rules for drivers to follow:

1. Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage is required with minimum limits of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident.
2. No-fault insurance coverage of at least $50,000 is required. This coverage is also known as personal injury protection coverage.
3. Property damage coverage of $10,000, at minimum.
4. Liability coverage of no less than $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident if there are any injuries.
5. New York also has a separate liability coverage of $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident in the event of a fatality.

New York City Driving Laws to Remember

• Don’t drive in NYC unless you absolutely have to, especially if you are just visiting.
• You cannot turn right on a red light unless there is a sign at the intersection that clearly states you can do so.
• Pay close attention to signs. Due to heavy congestion during peak driving hours, there are no left turns at some intersections at certain times of the day.
• Pay attention to no parking zones and parking meters that don’t allow parking during rush hour.
• Never, ever park less than 15 feet from a fire hydrant or in a crosswalk.

The 2013 Smart Fortwo is the tiny car with tiny insurance premium.

One of the tiny cars from the car company Smart.

The 2013 Smart Fortwo is the smallest car on the market today and the cost of the vehicle definitely reflects this. In addition to its low price, the2013 Fortwo’s safety ratings make this an economical car to both drive and insure.

Safety Ratings of the 2013 Smart Fortwo

The 2013 Smart Fortwo earned pretty decent safety ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. It is not a “Top Safety Pick” because it did not earn a “good” rating on all of the safety tests. It was not a “Top Safety Pick +” because of the lack of consistent “good” ratings on the basic tests, and the vehicle was not put through the small side front impact test.

However, even without the distinction of being one of these “Top Safety Picks” the vehicle did pass the safety tests where it mattered. In the front crash test, side impact test, and rollover test the 2013 Smart Fortwo did earn a “good” rating. Where the vehicle failed was in the rear impact test. The 2013 Fortwo may not have earned a “good” rating, but it was still rated as “acceptable”.

2013 Smart Fortwo Recalls

As of this date there has been no recalls for the 2013 Smart Fortwo.

Insurance Thoughts on the 2013 Smart Fortwo

The 2013 Smart Fortwo is going to have an insurance premium that will make drivers rather happy. It is not as safe as the Fiat 500, so the insurance premium on the medical payments or PIP coverage may be higher on the Fortwo than the 500.

The liability premium however, is going to be one of the lowest in the industry. Even if the Fortwo were to hit anything it wouldn’t cause very much damage, so insurance companies are not going to end up paying out much for liability claims from a 2013 Smart Fortwo. The Fortwo is also so small that drivers have few blind spots and have better control of the vehicle compared to other larger vehicles where they have a higher chance of hitting something they can’t see.

With the starting price of the Fortwo at $ 12,490 and only going up to $17,890, the comprehensive and collision coverages aren’t going to be very expensive either. If the vehicle is ever damaged and needs new parts, with low prices like these the parts are not going to cost the insurance company much. Besides, if this tiny car is ever damaged, most likely it will be a total loss and again the cost of the car will keep the amount that the insurance company ends up paying out for the 2013 Smart Fortwo much lower than any other new vehicles on the market today.

As snowbirds switch from one seasonal home to another, their insurance needs to be switched also.

Snowbirds need to remember that their insurance coverage needs to be changed every their residency state is.

Snowbirds may get to enjoy great weather all year by changing the state they live in as the seasons change, but as they do they need to remember to change their insurance also. A valid insurance policy in one state may not provide enough or any coverage once residency is changed to another state. You may even have to get a new insurance company if the company you have your insurance coverage with doesn’t write insurance in both the state you winter in and your home state.

Snowbird Insurance State Switch

When snowbirds make the transition from the southern state they stay in during the winter back to their northern home state they need to remember to switch their insurance coverage. As simple as it sounds, it’s really not because you have to get a new insurance policy every time you switch states.

This may sounds ridiculous, but the reason you have to get a new insurance policy is that insurance laws are different from one state to another. For example, the insurance laws in Arizona are not the same as they are in Montana. So your car insurance policy in Arizona does not satisfy the insurance laws and required coverages that you need in Montana to be able to drive legally.

Each time you change states for long periods of time, even if you are going to return, you have to change coverages to make sure you are adequately and legally covered. If you don’t, you could find yourself without enough coverage in the event of an accident or a cancellation if your insurance company questions your residency.

Snowbird Insurance Company Switch

Insurance companies aren’t licensed to sell insurance nationwide; they become licensed to sell insurance one state at a time. There are some insurance companies that like to stay focused on one state, like DTRIC and Bear River, where as other insurance companies become licensed in many, many more. If your insurance company doesn’t write insurance in one of the states you are travelling back and forth from you may have to get another insurance company.

Insurance Changes to Stored Cars

For those Snowbirds that store a vehicle either at their winter home or their summer home, don’t forget to make adjustments to the insurance coverage on that vehicle. Because it is being stored and staying in the same state it is insured in you won’t have to switch insurance policies or companies, just the coverages you have on the vehicle.

For a vehicle that is coming out of storage because you have returned to that location and now need it to get around, make sure your vehicle is adequately insured by talking to your insurance agent before you drive it.

When you put the car in storage for the season, it is usually safe to remove everything but the comprehensive coverage. Because you aren’t driving it around the government doesn’t require that you carry liability coverage and you generally don’t have to worry about your car colliding into anything to need the collision coverage.

However, before you remove anything talk to your insurance agent for insurance counseling that is specific to your situation and location. There are some personal cases where snowbirds can’t remove coverages, even from a stored vehicle that isn’t being driven.

The new 2013 Fiat 500 rewards economically minded drivers with a sporty, insurance friendly ride.

Fiat has come a long way from these racing cars to the new 2013 Fiat 500 for regular road driving.

The 2013 Fiat 500 may have a bad boy image with Charlie Sheen as the spokesperson, but it is really a car that anyone will enjoy driving. The sporty look and features make it fun to drive, the tiny body and improved gas mileage for the 2013 make it environmentally friendly, and the potentially low insurance premium will bring a smile to all driver’s.

Safety Ratings for the 2013 Fiat 500

The 2013 Fiat 500 is a “Top Safety Pick” of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) this year. The past models haven’t had good enough ratings on the IIHS safety tests to earn this safety distinction. But with the changes to the 2013 500 the safety of the vehicle has improved.

The 2013 Fiat 500 earned the highest rating that the IIHS gives of “good” on 4 of the 5 tests it conducts. The previous years only earned a “moderate” on the front crash test and an “acceptable” on the rear crash test.

The front corner crash test was not conducted on the 500, which is a requirement for a vehicle to earn the distinction of being a “Top Safety Pick +”.

2013 Fiat 500 Recalls

To date there have been no safety recalls for the 2012 Fiat 500.

Insurance Thoughts on the 2013 Fiat 500

All the way around the insurance on the 2013 Fiat 500 is more than likely going to be low.

The comprehensive and collision coverage will be kept down by the fact that the top price of the vehicle is under $20,000. If the vehicle is totaled out from an accident (and this seems likely given the price and size of the vehicle) the insurance company is not going to have to pay out much. If the accident is not severe enough to total the car the damages will probably be minor. Minor damages mean the cost to repair is either going to be very cheap for the insurance companies or will fall under the driver’s deductible so the company won’t have to pay out anything at all.

The safety ratings of the vehicle will keep the premiums of the medical coverages down.

For the liability coverage, the vehicle doesn’t have enough of a bad boy image that younger drivers are zooming around in them causing the accident stats to increase. Also the vehicle is so small that drivers can keep better control of the vehicle all the way around and it is not going to do much damage if it ever does hit anything. So drivers of the 2013 Fiat 500 are probably going to be pleasantly surprised with how low the liability premiums for the vehicle will be also.