The 2013 Kia Optima is 1 of only 13 vehicles to earn a new special safety designation.

The 2013 Kia Optima not only looks good, but it is very safe.

The 2013 Kia Optima is an ideal car for those that are looking for a safe car for themselves and their family. It is also perfect for those that are looking for a vehicle that won’t cost them a lot to purchase or to insure.

Recalls for the 2013 Kia Optima

No recalls could be found for the vehicle at this time.

2013 Kia Optima Safety

The safety of the Kia Optima has come a long way in the last 10 years. From 2001 to 2006, the Kia Optima could barely manage to earn an average rating for safety with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

In 2011, all of that changed. With a redesign of the Kia Optima that year, it looks as if the company started to take the bad ratings that their car was receiving to heart, as from that year on the vehicle has consistently earned much better safety ratings. In fact, Kia has managed to make such a drastic improvement in the safety of the vehicle that the 2013 Kia Optima was awarded the title of “Top Safety Pick+” this year.

A “Top Safety Pick+” designation means that a vehicle passed all of its safety testing with a “good” rating. The “good” rating is the highest rating that the IIHS give to vehicles. The only category that a “Top Safety Pick+” can get a lower rating in is the Small Overlap Front Crash Test., and the rating can be no lower than “average”; which is just below a “good” rating.

Being a “Top Safety Pick +” means that the vehicle is the safest of the safe vehicles that earned the ratings of being a “Top Safety Pick” or received “good” ratings in some of their crash tests. This special designation was just started in 2013 and only 13 vehicles were good enough to earn this rating.

Insurance Thoughts for the 2013 Kia Optima

Owners of the 2013 Kia Optima are going to enjoy the insurance rates they will have, as long as they themselves have a good driving record.

The liability coverage on this family sedan, that is smaller than an SUV or truck, is going to be close to average if not below. The vehicle is not going to be able to cause the type of damage that larger vehicle will, so the insurance company would pay out less for property damage and medical bills than they would for a larger vehicle. The Kia Optima is also not associated with reckless drivers; which means that the accident statistics on the vehicle will be lower than they would be with sportier vehicles that are more likely to be driven by higher-risk drivers.

Comprehensive and collision coverage is also going to be average if not below. The Optima has been around long enough to have a fairly decent after-market parts supply for insurance companies to use to keep repair costs down. For total loss value, the price of the 2013 Optima ranges from $21,000 – $26,800 putting it on par with the other sedans in its class.

Medical payments and personal injury protection is where the biggest savings will be, thanks to the “Top Safety Pick+” rating from the IIHS. A rating like this means that the occupants in the 2013 Kia Optima are safer than in other vehicles and the insurance company is less likely to be paying out very much in medical bills for those in the vehicle.

An independent 17-year-old driver falls into a void that puts driver and parents in a pickle.

Unfortunately, with a 17-year-old driver they are still considered a minor in the eyes of the law. Minors are not able to enter into legal contracts, like car insurance policies, without parental consent.

In the best case scenario, a parent would have to be on the insurance policy with the 17-year-old; even if they are not living in the same house as the parent. It is best to talk to your car insurance company directly as to the procedure they follow with an independent 17-year-old driver.

Every year winter driving sends many people straight into car accidents because they forget how to winter drive.

Even the prettiest roads in the winter can hold dangerous winter driving conditions.

I don’t have to tell most of you that winter is here. From freezing temperatures in places that are usually sunny vacation destinations to overnight snow accumulations that are breaking records, not only is winter here it is here with a wallop.

Every winter, even the most experienced winter drivers have to be reminded that winter driving requires adjustments in the way they handle the roads and our vehicles. For those that are experiencing winter driving for the first time, here are some simple suggestions to get through this winter.

Avoid Winter Driving if Possible

The best way to prevent getting into a winter driving accident is by not driving in the winter. When the roads are bad, and you have no place to go, stay home. There is no reason to put yourself and others in danger by driving on bad roads just because you are having a craving for fast food or you really want to go shopping.

Practice Responsible Winter Driving

Winter driving is a whole monster in itself, and there are things you need to do to be ready for it. Here are some ideas to try and swing the odds back in your favor of not having an accident this time of year:

• Have winter tires put on your vehicle to increase traction.
• Drive slower when there is any hint of the roads being slick.
• Clean all the ice and snow off your windows.
• Leave more room between you and the person in front of you.
• Take turns slower to prevent slid outs.
• Give yourself more time to get where you need to be so you don’t get in a hurry.

Winter Driving May Require Different Insurance

Because the chances of you getting in a car accident in the winter is higher than during the warmer months, you may want to take a look at your insurance coverage to make sure that you have is enough.

For example, if you are carrying the minimum liability limits that your state requires, what would happen if you hit a patch of black ice and caused a multi-car accident? Your state minimum insurance coverage is not going to be enough to cover all of the other vehicles. What is left after your insurance coverage is exhausted you will have to pay for yourself.

If you don’t carry rental car insurance because you can walk to where you need to go if your vehicle is ever in the shop after an accident

, are you going to want to walk everywhere when it is in the 20s and snowing?

Regardless of how safe of a driver you are, winter driving accidents happen to even the safest drivers.

Getting your deductible back through the subrogation process can take a varied amount of time.

Question: After an at-fault accident, where the other party admitted fault, how long should it take to get my deductible back since our insurance company paid for the repairs?

Answer: Unfortunately, the only laws that are in place for subrogation is how long an insurance company has to file a subrogation claim with the other insurance company. How long it will take to get your deductible back from the other insurance company always varies due to the other insurance company’s policies, as well as fault being assigned.

If the other party has already admitted fault to their insurance company, getting your deductible back should not take long. However, subrogation goes through the following process which does take time:

1. Your insurance company has to send the subrogation claim to the other company.
2. The other insurance company has to accept the claim and investigate.
3. The other insurance company has to accept fault after their investigation and then approve payment.
4. Payment is sent to your insurance company.
5. Your insurance company finally sends you a check.

If your subrogation claim has been in process for a while, you need to contact your insurance company to find out the status.

For those drivers that are always looking for the safest cars to drive, the IIHS has just the list for you.

Did the car you’re looking at buying make the list of the safest cars?

Year after year the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) tests vehicle after vehicle and provides ratings of the safest cars. These safety rating not only help consumers that are looking to purchase a new vehicle, they also help the insurance companies.

Insurance companies use the safety rating to determine the base premium of some of the coverages for each car with this information. The safer cars will have lower premiums, and vehicles determined to be not as safe as they should be will have higher premiums.

Of all the vehicles tested by the IIHS, here are the safest of the safe cars for 2013, and how the IIHS determines which ones make the cut.

How the IIHS Determines the Safest Cars

The IIHS tests vehicles on how well they perform in front crash tests, side impacts, rear impacts, and rollover crashes. After the testing, each vehicle is rated as good, acceptable, marginal, or poor in each test and overall.

The safest cars that pass these tests are rated as a “Top Safety Pick” and the safest of the safe are rated as a “Top Safety Pick+”. To be a “Top Safety Pick+” the vehicle has to earn a good rating in at least 4 of the 5 official categories of “moderate overlap frontal crash, small overlap frontal crash, side impact and rollover, plus evaluations of seat/head restraints for protection against neck injuries in rear impacts” (IIHS). The 5th category can have no lower of a rating than acceptable.

While the IIHS has been awarding vehicles with the “Top Safety Pick” designation since 2006, the designation of “Top Safety Pick+” is something that was just introduced in 2013.

The Safest Cars for 2013 per the IIHS

These are the vehicles that were rated as a “Top Safety Pick+” of the 2013 models. The list is alphabetical and not in any particular order of one vehicle on the list being safer the other vehicles below it.

Of the 13 vehicles that made the list, all of them are midsized cars and 11 of the 13 are moderately priced.

• Acura TL
• Chrysler 200 (4-door)
• Dodge Avenger
• Ford Fusion
• Honda Accord (2-door)
• Honda Accord (4-door)
• Kia Optima
• Nissan Altima (4-door models built after 11/12)
• Subaru Legacy
• Subaru Outback
• Suzuki Kizashi
• Volkswagen Passat (built after 10/12)
• Volvo C60

Which of these safest cars are you looking at buying