The student agents learn an important lesson about distracted driving and their role in helping safe drivers get better rates.

Summary

Commercial opens at the entrance of the University of Farmers campus with bells ringing.

Professor:  Distracted driving, it accounts for 25% of car crashes.

We see a boom box fall from the sky and the distractions for the student agent all start.

Professor: Music, cell phones, food; the list goes on.

Student outside of the car: This is why safe driving is so important.

Professor: Correct.

Student in car: That’s why the best agents help safe drivers get a lower rate.

Hot coffee is poured into the lap of the student driving the car

Professor: Exactly.

More distractions, including a “Saturday Night Live” type friend jumps into the front seat of the car rocking out to the music.

Student driving crashes the driving simulator into a stop sign after glancing over at the passenger in the front seat.

Announcer: We are Insurance

Chorus: We are Farmers

Commercial closes with Farmers logo and the types of insurance that they provide.  On the bottom the only contact information is farmers.com.

Point of the Commercial

Most of the series of Farmers’ University commercials are telling potential Farmers’ customers that Farmers’ agents are highly trained in insurance. This particular commercial highlights not only that agents help good drivers that don’t drive distracted get good rates, but also the dangers of distracted driving.

With how dangerous and more common distracted driving has become, you could say that this is a Farmers’ commercial and a public service message all rolled into one.

What They Want you to Do

With the only contact information at the end of the commercial being the Farmers’ website address, they want you to visit their website. They don’t encourage you to get a quote from them or to contact your local agent in this commercial. So they are really not asking you to do anything, just letting you know about distracted driving, what lines of insurance they write and also where to find them online.

My Opinion

This has to be my new favorite University of Famer’s commercial. While Farmer’s is reaching for funny in most of their other commercials like this, they have never quite made it (in my opinion). But, they hit it head on with this one and all while seriously talking about a very important topic.

The funny thing is that I am concentrating so much on watching all of the different things that are going on while the guy is doing the driving simulation that I am too distracted to listen to the commercial. I had to close my eyes just to pay attention to what they were saying. I guess it’s a good thing that I am not driving at the moment.

Of all the distractions that they show, the lipstick on a pole is the one that gets me laughing. Which distraction is your favorite?

Giving this one a definite thumbs up!

Florida car insurance is mandatory to be able to drive, but the coverages you have to have are just a little different than other states.

Even if you don’t live in Florida, you may have to purchase Florida car insurance.

Just like every other state in the nation, Florida car insurance is mandatory to be able to drive. But, most who visit the Sunshine State have no idea that even though they don’t live in Florida; they still have to carry Florida insurance.

They also don’t realize that mandatory Florida car insurance is different than what their state may require them to have.

Mandatory Florida Car Insurance Coverage

Most states require that you carry liability insurance on your vehicle in order to be able to drive. This means both property damage liability coverage and bodily injury liability coverage. In the state of Florida however, you only have to have one of these.

Florida does have two separate coverages that are mandatory for you to have to be able to drive just like every other state, but because of their “No Fault” laws one of them is different. First, you do still have to have property damage liability coverage to cover any damages that you may cause to another person’s property.

Second, you have to carry PIP insurance. In Florida, PIP is also known as “Florida No Fault Insurance” and to those of us that don’t live in Florida; we know it as Personal Injury Protection coverage. PIP covers injuries caused by an accident for the passengers in your vehicle, regardless of who was at fault for the accident.

The minimum limit that you have to keep on each of these coverages is $ 10,000. You are encouraged to carry higher limits, but $ 10,000 is all the state requires.

Florida Car Insurance Requirements for Nonresidents

Even if you do not live in the state of Florida you may still have to purchase Florida car insurance. If you are in the state for 90 days or more over the course of a 1-year period (365 days) you have to purchase the mandatory minimum Florida car insurance for your vehicle. Keep in mind that they count the 90 days as any 90 days you are in the state and not 90 days in a row.

Florida Car Insurance Requirements for Snowbirds

If you are one of Florida’s many winter residents, you have to maintain insurance on your vehicle even if your vehicle is in storage while you are not there. Florida’s car insurance laws state that any vehicle that has a Florida registration and license plate has to have insurance. To avoid having to pay insurance premiums on a vehicle that you are not using; you have the option of turning in your plate and registration when you leave the state to go back home.

Plates and registrations can be surrendered at the nearest Tax Collector’s office or Driver’s License office. When you return the following winter you can re-register your vehicle again.

Penalties for not Having Florida Car Insurance

If you don’t keep insurance on your vehicle, the state can suspend your license, your license plate and vehicle registration. To get these back you have to provide proof of insurance coverage in Florida and pay a reinstatement fee.

The reinstatement fees for failing to have Florida car insurance can range from $ 150 to $ 500.

Online insurance quotes are the new quoting tool for the internet savvy generation, but this doesn’t mean that these users are insurance savvy also.

Online insurance quotes are not for everyone.  This may sound surprising with how easy these online insurance quotes are to get, but getting the quote is easier than understanding the quote. Before getting an online quote you need to make sure you understand what you are buying.

Without getting a quote from an agent you are on your own to make sure that you have enough insurance coverage for yourself and your vehicle.

Online Insurance Quotes are Lonely

When you get online insurance quotes, you are going to be getting them alone. Yes, the website will help you choose what coverages are available, so you will have some information. However, rarely is there anyone to talk to when you are getting these quotes.

When there is no one to talk to, you have no one that can recommend what types of coverages are going to best protect you after listening to your circumstances. You also have no one there to explain what each coverage protects and why or if you even need it.

Worst of all, if you ever do have a claim or a problem with the insurance company, you are left dealing with everything on your own.

Online Insurance Quotes Can Be Cheaper

Since online quotes take the agent completely out of the picture, there is no agent sales commission being paid out by the insurance company. This means that they don’t add that extra cost to your insurance premium for you to pay.

This is a good thing for everyone that is looking at saving some money on their insurance premium.

Understand Your Online Insurance Quote

Now, when making you aware that you will be dealing with your insurance without the help of an agent it is not trying to discourage you from online quotes. I personally prefer online quotes compared to talking to an agent. However, I understand insurance and I know what my insurance needs are.

The best thing to do if you don’t have a clue about insurance is to sit down and get a quote from an agent. Have them explain everything to you and print out a quote for their company. If you need to understand better then take notes.

After you are done talking to the agent, go home and immediately start getting quotes online. After talking to an agent you should have a little more understanding of insurance terms and coverages. This will make choosing your coverages easier. You will also have the price of the quote from the agent in front of you so you can compare prices to see which quote is cheaper.

Regardless of the price of the quote, you need to go with what you feel comfortable with. If you prefer to pay a little more on your insurance for the assistance of an agent there is nothing wrong with that. There is also nothing wrong with passing up the agent if you feel comfortable enough with your insurance and getting those online quotes.

To save time and get multiple online insurance quotes by entering your information only once, try our quote aggregator.

Your first speeding ticket can increase your car insurance rates depending on two important factors.

Yes, your insurance could very well go up after your first speeding ticket. Whether or not it does depends on a number of different factors though.

First, it all depends on your insurance company. Some companies forgive the first speeding ticket that you receive, others don’t. The only way you will know is if you ask your insurance company or if you wait for your insurance company to find the speeding ticket on your driving record.

Second, the type of speeding ticket that you receive will also determine if it is counted. Did you drive 38 mph in a 35 mph zone? If this is the case, your insurance company may be more forgiving than if you were doing 60 mph in a 35 mph zone.

You placed insurance on your new vehicle to protect it, but don’t forget the insurance to protect its value also.

If you love you car this much, don't forget to put both physical and value insurance on it.

Buying a new vehicle is always exciting. You get to drive something that is shiny, smells new inside and is most likely an upgrade from what you had previously. You are also the first owner of the vehicle so you aren’t inheriting any damages that are going to need to be repaired. If you are lucky there is no maintenance in sight for at least 6 months.

But, what happens if you were to get into a car accident after you drive your brand new vehicle off the lot? What if it was a bad accident and your new vehicle is now a total loss? Did you buy insurance to protect your new car’s value?

Vehicle Value

The amount that you paid for your new vehicle is only what the vehicle is worth while it is sitting at the car lot. Once you purchase the vehicle and drive it out of the lot the value starts to drop. New cars have their biggest price depreciation within the first two years of use.

If you were to get into an accident and took out a loan or a lease on a new vehicle, there could be a problem. The comprehensive and collision insurance coverage on your vehicle will only pay up to the value of the vehicle.

If the vehicle is a total loss and the value is determined to be less than what is still owed on the loan or lease, you have to make up the difference.

Gap Coverage

To make sure that you don’t find yourself still making car payments for a new vehicle that has been totaled, look into Gap coverage. Gap coverage is just like it sounds; it is insurance coverage that pays the monetary gap between what the vehicle is worth and what you owe on it.

Gap coverage is available through both your insurance company and also the car dealership. But, it is best to purchase the Gap coverage from your insurance company for two reasons.

One, the insurance coverage is cheaper through your insurance company. Two, if you purchase Gap insurance through the car dealer it is added to your total purchase price and makes your monthly payments go up. So even after you can no longer use the Gap coverage (usually only effective for 1^st year) you are still paying for it. If you purchase the coverage from your insurance company you can remove the coverage any time you wish and not have to pay for it any longer.

Met Life Full Replacement

Met Life auto insurance has introduced a program that will protect your new vehicle even more than Gap insurance will. If your new vehicle is in an accident that renders it a total loss, Met Life will replace your totaled vehicle with a brand new one. All you are responsible for is paying your deductible.

However, this full replacement coverage is not available in every state so it is best to check with a Met Life agent in your area to see if it is offered where you live. The coverage is only good for the first 12 months that you have the vehicle or the first 15,000 miles that you drive it (whichever expires first). The coverage is also not available for leased vehicles or non-owned vehicles.