Proposition 33 is a controversial proposition in the state of California that affects drivers with a lapse in their insurance coverage.

Proposition 33 is being introduced as a law that would allow insurance companies to give drivers a discount for having continuous insurance, regardless of what insurance company they have been with. On the surface this sounds like a great idea, until you find this one paragraph in the proposition:

“1861.023. (a) Notwithstanding paragraph (4) of subdivision (a) of Section 1861.02, an insurance company may use continuous coverage as an optional auto insurance rating factor for any insurance policy subject to Section 1861.02.”

The above paragraph will allow insurance companies to start using whether a driver has continuous coverage or not as a rating factor when someone applies for insurance.

What’s the Problem with Proposition 33?

The problem with Proposition 33 is that it seems to be disguised as a discount being added to insurance policies. Yes, drivers would get a discount for having continuous insurance when they switch to another company, which apparently is not something that is done in California at this time.

However, there are two problems. One, the proposition seeks to reverse a California state law that makes it illegal for insurance companies to use continuous coverage as a rating factor. So insurance companies are saying that this is a bonus discount that they can now add, but it also would mean that they could charge people that didn’t have continuous coverage more for their insurance now.

This brings us to problem number two; the higher insurance rates for those not driving. People that choose not to drive because they walk or use their bike will face higher insurance rates if they ever do decide to get insurance. It also means that people who have had their vehicle totaled due to an accident would have to keep paying insurance on a nonexistent vehicle, just so they didn’t have higher rates when they did finally get a new vehicle.

Support for Proposition 33

Most of the support for California Proposition 33 is coming from insurance companies and insurance agencies. Mercury Insurance is leading the support with over $8 million in donations, with the next highest donation amount being $15,000 from Del Sol Group.

It makes you wonder with the insurance companies and agencies are spending so much money on this proposition, what’s in it for them? Why would they spend so much money just so their customers could get a discount on their insurance rates?

Opponents of Proposition 33

Opponents against Proposition 33 include Consumer Watchdog Campaign, Campaign for Consumer Rights, and the Consumer Federation of Ca., among others. Compared to the amount of money that is being contributed to see that Proposition 33 is passed; the opponents against Proposition 33 haven’t even come close to the amount. Opponents have raised less than $100,000 to try and prevent the proposition from getting passed by voters.

What are your thoughts on Proposition 33?

Source: www.kcet.org

The 2012 Mercedes S63 AMG is an impressive vehicle with an insurance premium that makes an even longer lasting impression.

The 2012 Mercedes S63 AMG insurance is as expensive as it looks.

Starting at $139,000, the 2012 Mercedes S63 AMG is an impressive luxury sedan. Some of the features that come standard on it, like the ceiling airbags and split video screens in the dashboard, are things that most people don’t even know exist.

These interesting features and high price of the 2012 Mercedes S63 AMG do make for higher insurance rates though.

Price for the 2012 Mercedes S63 AMG

As state above, a new 2012 Mercedes S63 AMG starts at $139,000. This doesn’t include the other bells and whistles that you can add to it, like the blind spot sensor. A used 2012 Mercedes S63 AMG, starts at $70,000.

IIHS Safety Ratings for the 2012 Mercedes S63 AMG

There are actually no safety ratings for the Mercedes S63 AMG through the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Safety ratings from the National Highway Transportation Safety Authority (NHTSA) are not available either.

However, even though there are no safety ratings available for this particular Mercedes, the company as a whole has a reputation for making safe vehicles. Also, after checking every other Mercedes that the IIHS has rated, all of them except for one (the R Class) was rated as “Top Safety Picks”. One would think that if their less expensive cars are “Top Safety Picks” that the more expensive models are as well.

Insurance for the 2012 Mercedes S63 AMG

Honestly, the insurance for this vehicle is going to be high. It doesn’t matter if it is the safest vehicle in the world, you have excellent credit and a spotless driving record; you are still going to pay a high insurance premium. The reason for the high insurance all goes straight to the worth of the vehicle.

Once you start getting into vehicles with a price tag like the 2012 Mercedes S63 AMG has, insurance companies are going to pay out so much more if the vehicle is ever damaged or totaled. Not to mention that a lot of these Mercedes need to be taken to a shop that specializes in working on a Mercedes-Benz vehicle; which means that they charge more for their services.

This is why it actually it was actually ranked as one of the top 15 most expensive vehicles to insure.

So, before you decide that the 2012 Mercedes S63 AMG is the car of your dreams, get quotes for insurance on it to make sure you can afford the premium, first.

Nationwide Insurance creates a great commercial that may be so good that it’s distracting.

Summary

Commercial opens with the Nationwide Insurance flag unfurling in the wind.

Announcer: In the Nation, we can’t make every annoying thing disappear.

Scene shows man looking in mirror disappointed and then surprised when his pot belly disappears.

Announcer: But we can eliminate deductibles.

The scene changes to an annoyed man in an airplane seat that is being used as a pillow by the man sitting next to him. The sleeping man disappears and the man left is surprised, but then smiles.

Announcer: Nationwide Insurance members who have vanishing deductible, get one-hundred dollars off for every year of safe driving.

Scene shows a busy city freeway at rush hour. All of the cars then disappear to the pleasure of the remaining driver left on the road.

Announcer: We put members first, because we don’t have shareholders. Join the Nation where deductibles go…….

New scene shows a well-dressed girl and her tattooed boyfriend in the front of a house where her disapproving father is looking out the window. The boyfriend and his car go *poof*. Father is shown with a smile on his face at the window once the boyfriend and car have disappeared.

Jingle: Nationwide is on your side.

Commercial closes with a blue screen and the Nationwide Insurance logo on it. Below the logo is 877-nationwide, local agent and jointhenation.com.

Point of Commercial

The commercial is Nationwide’s way of showing you how vanishing deductible works. They also had the same type of commercial with Danica Patrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. when the vanishing deductible was first introduced.

What They Want You to Do

They want you to be impressed and visualize all your troubles disappearing. Once you realize that really can’t happen, then they want you to think how nice it would be to at least not have a deductible to pay if you were in a car accident.

If you listen hard to the commercial, there are also other perks to this program in additional to the vanishing deductible.

My Opinion

When I watched this commercial online I didn’t think anything of who the announcer was, and I watched the thing 3-4 times. It wasn’t until I heard the same commercial on the radio that I realized it was Julia Roberts talking. I am not sure if that is good or bad.

I am thinking that it is good because they captured my attention with what was happening on the screen. That means that there is a higher chance that I will remember the commercial.

However, this is also bad. I was so intent on watching what was on the screen that I wasn’t paying attention to what was being said. It also means that if asked later, I wouldn’t remember whose commercial it is. There is a little Nationwide logo on the screen for the whole commercial, but it is not really noticeable unless you are looking for it.

Overall, it is a good and I would have to give this Nationwide Insurance Commercial a thumbs up.

It’s always nice to know which cities are the safest to drive in and which ones you need to have the defenses up for.

Did your city make the list of safest driving cities?

Every time I write an article like this, I feel like I may be starting some underlying rivalry between cities. But in my defense, I am just relaying information to my readers that was released by someone else, so please don’t nasty comment the messenger to death (insert polite laughter here).

Our safest driver list comes to you from Allstate Insurance; which makes sense. If anyone would know how many accidents occur in each city it would be an insurance company.

How Did Allstate Calculate the Safest Cities to Drive In

Because Allstate did such a great job explaining what they did, I am just going to share that:

“For the past eight years, Allstate actuaries have conducted an in-depth analysis of company claims data to determine the likelihood drivers in America’s 200 largest cities will experience a vehicle collision compared to the national average. Internal property damage reported claims were analyzed over a two-year period (from January 2009 to December 2010) to ensure the findings would not be impacted by external influences such as weather or road construction.

A weighted average of the two-year numbers determined the annual percentages. The report defines an auto crash as any collision resulting in a property damage claim. Allstate’s auto policies represent about 10 percent of all U.S. auto policies, making this report a realistic snapshot of what’s happening on America’s roadways.” (http://www.allstatenewsroom.com)

In other words, Allstate looked at their own claims records and took the average of collisions in the largest 200 cities to get their data. So take it with a grain of salt, because this is just from Allstate’s data. If another insurance company like GEICO or The Hartford did the same thing, they may come up with a completely different list.

Safest Cities to Drive In (Per Allstate)

1. Sioux Falls, SD
2. Boise, ID
3. Fort Collins, CO
4. Madison, WI
5. Lincoln, NB
6. Huntsville, AL
7. Chandler, AZ
8. Reno, NV
9. Knoxville, TN
10. Springfield, MO

In all honesty, out of the ten cities listed here, I have only been to Boise. Compared to other places I have lived and travelled to, driving in Boise isn’t all that bad. I guess I was still surprised to see it make the list of safest cities to drive in though.

The 2012 Mitsubishi Lancer is a sporty, small sedan that still carries with it a reputation that can hurt its insurance rates.

2012 Mitsubishi Lancer

The Mitsubishi Lancer has been around since 1973, but most didn’t really pay attention to it until further in to the 90s and later. Today, there are 7 different versions of the 2012 Mitsubishi Lancer available:

• DE
• ES
• SE
• GT
• Ralliart
• GSR
• MR

2012 Mitsubishi Lancer Safety

The 2012 Mitsubishi Lancer has been named by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) as a Top Safety Pick for 5 years running. Earning such high marks on the tests given by the IIHS 5 years in a row speaks very highly for how much Mitsubishi values the safety of their vehicles. Of the 7 versions of the Mitsubishi Lancer that are available, only the Ralliart model failed to receive the Top Safety Pick award.

To earn this Top Safety Pick distinction a vehicle has to receive a “good” rating in the following 4 categories:

Frontal Crash Tests

Side Impact Tests

Roof Strength Tests (rollover crashes)

Seat/head restraints

The “good” rating is the highest rating that the IIHS gives to vehicles. For vehicles that do not meet the criteria for a “good” rating, they given “acceptable”, “marginal”, and “poor” ratings.

2012 Mitsubishi Lancer Insurance Potential

There are several things going for this 2012 Mitsubishi model that will keep its insurance low.

First, the vehicle is not expensive. The 2012 Lancer starts at $16,000, meaning that not only is the vehicle inexpensive, but the replacement parts are also. Insurance companies like inexpensive parts, and they love after-market parts. Because the Mitsubishi Lancer has been around since well before I was born, after-market parts are not hard to come by for insurance companies.

Second, as a Top Safety Pick from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, this vehicle is going to provide the occupants of the vehicle with excellent protection in the event of an accident. More protection means less medical bills for the insurance companies to have to pay out on your insurance.

Third, the vehicle is small. Smaller vehicles create less damage when their drivers crash into things; meaning less money the insurance company will have to pay out to another party.

Even with all of these good points, the Mitsubishi Lancer did not make the list as one of the top 20 vehicles that are least expensive to insure. Why?

Because of the reputation the vehicle has. Lancers are known for being racing cars and are very popular with younger drivers. Neither of which insurance companies like to insure.

Regardless of reputation though, a 2012 Mitsubishi Lancer will still have a decent insurance premium because of the dominant good qualities it still has.