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Do You Have a Personal Insurance Agent?

Best Insurance Agency Gilbert, AZWhen it comes to buying insurance, you can purchase it online yourself through a well-known insurance carrier, a captive agent or you can buy it through a local insurance agency. When you buy it online yourself, you may find it can be more challenging to manage your insurance policy. When you have to call an 800 number to ask a question about your policy or make a claim, sometimes you may feel like you aren’t receiving a personal touch.

As a local insurance agency, we want to share the benefits of having a personal insurance agent when it comes to purchasing insurance.

Do you have a professional insurance agent you trust?

Just like having a doctor or dentist, we want to be a professional you can trust when it comes to buying insurance. Insurance can be tricky and difficult to understand. We are here to explain the differences in insurance coverage to ensure you have the right coverage for your specific needs.

Have a quick insurance question? Email or call your agent directly.

We love answering all your insurance questions. We get questions all the time from our customers.

  • Do I need to buy rental car insurance for my upcoming vacation or will my personal auto insurance cover me?
  • I am renting a U-haul, do I need to buy their coverage?
  • Do I have any gaps in my insurance coverage?
  • I just purchased a boat, does my homeowner’s insurance cover me or do I need additional insurance coverage?
  • Should I purchase flood or earthquake insurance?
  • Should I increase my limits on my umbrella insurance? I just purchased my first investment property.
  • Should I have life insurance at my age? What are the benefits?

Questions like the ones listed above are easily answered from our agents! We are here to answer all your questions. With a simple email or call, you can get an answer from your insurance agent directly.

My insurance premium increased significantly and I haven’t turned in any claims. Help!

If you purchase insurance from a well-known insurance company directly, it may be hard to find a better rate at renewal without having to sacrifice insurance coverage. Luckily, local, independent insurance agents represent several companies instead of just one. If you find your insurance premium is too high for your budget, reach out to your agent at renewal. We can shop similar coverage with a different insurance carrier. You might be surprised to find several quotes to choose from!

If you don’t have a personal insurance agent, reach out to our agency. We’d love to review your current insurance coverage, answer your questions or simply be the personal, professional agent you need in your life. Our agency can help you with all your auto, home, business or life insurance needs.

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Looking for an Auto Insurance Discount? Consider Telematics.

Telematic Auto Insurance Discount Gilbert, AZMany insurance carriers offer telematics for an auto insurance discount. If you are seeking out additional auto insurance discounts to lower your monthly or annual premium, talk to your insurance agent to see if your carrier offers telematics. Many carriers do!

How does telematics work?

A telematics device monitors how you drive a vehicle. Your insurance carrier mails you a vehicle tracking device, you insert it into your vehicle’s onboard diagnostic port under your dash and then it monitors how you drive for an extended amount of time. Once it is setup, it runs all on its own until it is time for you to return it back to your insurance carrier.

The telematics device determines how safe of a driver you are based on measuring your speed, how hard you brake when stopping your vehicle and how many miles you drive. It also looks into what time of day you drive. It is important to note that not all insurance carriers follow the same guidelines or look at the same data.

Curious to see how safe you drive? Talk to your insurance agent to see if your carrier provides a driving report. The telematics device can show a detailed report of your driving habits that can help you become more aware of your driving behaviors. By reviewing this information, it can help you become aware of your current driving habits and if you are currently considered a safe driver.

Once you have completed the timeframe of using the telematics device, you’ll mail it back to your insurance carrier and they will review it.

If my insurance carrier offers telematics, should I do it?

It’s up to you! Not only do you receive a discount for participating, but your insurance carrier may continue to provide discounts in the future for being a safe driver. Some carriers also give you a discount every 6-12 months for being claims-free. This could be rewarded with a mailed check or a discount at renewal.

Talk to your agent about telematics or receive a free auto insurance policy review.

As your insurance agent, we want to ensure you have the best auto insurance coverage for your needs. If you are unhappy with your current premium rate, we can shop our carriers for additional discounts like telematics or simply quote you with other carriers. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

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April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month – Tips to Be a Safer Driver

Distracted Driving Awareness MonthApril is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 3,142 lives were lost from distracted driving accidents. This increased 10% from 2018.

What is considered distracted driving? Any time you cannot have 100% full attention to driving your vehicle is considered distracted driving. Behaviors can range from talking on the phone, texting, talking to a passenger in your vehicle, eating, brushing your hair, adjusting settings in your vehicle or playing with your vehicle’s GPS while driving your vehicle. Unfortunately, distracted driving is more common than it should be.

Take this month to practice safe driving by eliminating any of the previously mentioned behaviors while driving. This will not only make you a safer driver, but keeps other vehicles on the road safer too.

Cell Phone Use

Cell phone use can be one of the most dangerous behaviors while driving a vehicle. Sending a text message while driving can take your eyes off the road for several seconds. Talking on the phone also creates enough distraction while driving. Here are some things to consider practicing this month –

  • Keep your phone in the back seat when driving to avoid looking at it, texting or talking. You could also consider other areas of your car like your trunk or glove box. If the glove box is tempting, place farther away from you like the back seat or trunk.
  • There are options to put a do not disturb setting on your phone while driving. This can help eliminate the distraction.
  • Make phone calls or texts before or after driving your vehicle.
  • If you are riding with a passenger, let the passenger be in charge of your phone for calls or texts.

Be Aware of Other Distracted Driving Behaviors

Do you find yourself eating in the car often? Grooming? Frequently fiddling with your entertainment system? Reaching in the back seat dealing with children? If you are guilty of these behaviors, how can you work to eliminate them?

Be a Good Role Model

Especially if you are a parent to children, you should demonstrate how to be a safe driver. Children see what you do and can easily follow in your footsteps. Cell phone use can be one of the most dangerous behaviors so practice never using your cell phone while driving. If you do not have kids, keep others you love accountable. Not only demonstrate safe driving practices while you are behind the wheel, but call out any of their behaviors you feel are unsafe while in the passenger seat.

While our agents cannot teach out how to practice safe driving, we can shop to find you the best rate for your auto insurance. Call our office for a free auto insurance quote. We’ll shop our carriers and provide you with several quotes to choose from. We’ll explain your coverage options too.

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