The 10 most expensive and 10 least expensive cars to insure
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released its list of the Ten Most Expensive and Ten Least Expensive Cars to Insure. Both lists are based on an assessment of car models from 2004 until 2006. Based on these lists, the usual favorites - small and fast cars - require owners to pay higher insurance premiums. According to Russ Rader, the spokesman of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, “Contrary to the idea that smaller cars can help you avoid crashes, the data shows that small cars get into more accidents. If you feel like you have a vehicle that can zip in and out of traffic, chances are you’ll do that.”
When you factor in the fact that young drivers prefer smaller and faster cars, you can be sure that they will be paying higher car insurance premiums. This is not to say that young drivers are reckless drivers or that only those who own sports cars are liable to pay for higher insurance premiums. But people who own sports cars tend to drive faster than those who don’t. And younger people tend to take risks more often than older drivers. Speed is one of the factors that cause vehicular accidents, especially among inexperienced drivers who have not mastered how to control a fast car yet.
Among the cars with high rates of collision are Subaru Impreza WRX 4WD (2nd), Nissan Sentra SE-R (7th), Mitsubishi Lancer, and Acura RSX (6th). These cars are often driven by young drivers and at a faster speed. The Scion tC is the car the comes fifthin the list of Ten Most Expensive Cars to Insure. This car is also driven primarily by young people, thirty-five percent of whom are below the age of 25, according to Kim Hazelbaker, the senior vice president of the Highway Loss Data Institute.
The model that tops the Ten Most Expensive Cars to Insure list is the Cadillac Escalade EXT 4WD. This car is considered desirable due to its appearances in shows such as MTV Cribs and to the fact that it is owned by most pop stars. The Cadillac Escalade EXT 4WD’s desirability also makes it a popular target for car thieves. Naturally, car owners are willing to pay more for the insurance. Other cars that made it to the list of Most Expensive Cars to Insure are Hyundai Tiburon (3rd), Suzuki SE-R (8th), Nissan Sentra (tied at 9th place with Mistubishi Eclipse), and the Chevrolet Cobalt two-door (10th).
As for the least expensive cars to insure, these are usually modern versions of family cars, such as sedans, SUV, or minivans. Since these cars are often driven by people who bring along their babies or children, they are less likely to drive carelessly. Therefore, they are less likely to get into vehicular accidents or collisions. The car that tops the list of Ten Least Expensive Cars to Insure is the Ford Five Hundred 4WD (also known as Ford Taurus), which is not considered as desirable to thieves as the Cadillac Escalade EXT 4WD. Other car models that made it to this list are, the Buick Rendezvous 4WD (2nd), Buick Lucerne (tied at 3rd with Buick Rainier 4WD and Honda Odyssey), Ford Freestyle 4WD (tied at 4th place with the Subaru Outback 4WD), Buick Rendezvous (tied at 5th with the Honda Pilot), Chrsley Town and Country LWB (6th), Honda Pilot 4WD (7th), Buick LaCrosse (tied at 8th place with Chevrolet Uplander, Ford escape, and Volvo V70), Dodge Grand Caravan (tied at 9th with Ford Freestyle 4WD), and Ford Explorer 4WD (tied at 10th place with GMC Sierra 1500 4WD, Toyota Highlander, and Toyota Sienna).
Bad Credit, Good Deal?
Most people are careful to keep and maintain a very good credit score. The general advice is that a good credit score will help you get better interest rates when you apply for a loan. Also, service providers such as mobile phone companies or insurance agencies check your credit report to see if you pay on time. Making timely payments is a sign of being a responsible individual. Because of that, companies would naturally want to do business with you.
However, it seems that this is not the case when you purchase a car (or any vehicle for that matter). Apparently, a good credit score would not be able to help you get the best deal or the price that you want to have. Any possible loss in profits from sales to people with bad credit ratings will be off-set by profits from sales to people with good credit scores. If you have always paid all your bills on time, this is definitely bad news for you. So what should you do when you want to purchase a new car? Should you try to prevent the car dealers from checking your credit report or from notifying your own bank?
You don’t have to hide any piece of information. Even if you do try to do this, the car dealer will be able to find out anyway. One of the first things that you should do is to get a copy of your credit report and check for any inaccuracies. Credit report companies may not be obligated for make the necessary correction in your reports so you yourself must do something about this. Check your own records against the information noted in the report. If you there are any inaccuracies in your credit report, avoid consulting credit repair companies. Such companies claim to fix your credit rating, but this isn’t entirely possible. If spending your money on them isn’t bad enough, you might even find out later that your credit score is now lower from what it was before you asked help from these credit repair companies.
Having a bad credit score usually means that you have lesser options whenever you apply for a loan. But with car purchases, a bad credit score means that the car dealer will not be able to offer any add-ons or extras to the deal. A person with a bad credit core can end up paying for less than someone with a good credit score. Try to get a pre-approved car loan so you’ll know about all the terms noted with the purchase. This will make it less for the car dealer to add anything to the price tag.
Australia Testing Vehicle Speed-Limiting Devices
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, deaths related to motor vehicle crash in New South Wales, Australia was recorded at 370. This number is considerably lower than those recorded in the previous years. New South Wales is considered as the third largest among all the cities in Australia. It also has the most people, with its residents accounting for 32% of the total Australian population. So it is not surprising that the government has taken an initiative to make the roads safer for all residents. Laws were passed to ensure that all drivers will always wear seat belts or use helmets, whichever is applicable to them. The traffic law enforcement and the designs of roads and vehicles were also improved. In addition, the government increased people’s awareness on road safety and regulations related to such.
There has been a new addition to such efforts to lower the number of motor vehicle crash-related deaths, as the government puts intelligent speed adaptation (ISA) units to a test. These units are placed on a vehicle’s dashboard and works with a computer that checks the vehicle’s speed. The device uses the global positioning system (GPS) to check the speed limit in the area where the vehicle is located. The speed limits in New South Wales have already been recorded into a GPS receiver. Whenever the vehicle goes beyond the speed limit in the area, the device would make a sound to inform the driver about it. When this warning is ignored, the device would limit the supply offuel and as a result, force the vehicle to slow down.
When the ISA units prove to be successful in preventing the occurrence of speeding in the roads of New South Wales, the government would lose around $80 million from speeding fines. Although it seems that the use of ISA units would also save the government from spending billions on any speed-related fatalities and injuries. Since the ISA units will take care of speed-related incidents, the police can now concentrate on other motor-related occurrences such as beating the red light, road rage, hit-and-run, and other related incidents. The police can also monitor any motorists who may be doing other things, like talking on phone or putting on make-up, while they are driving.