A pair of patent applications from Honda appear to show technology that will bring us one step closer to augmented-reality driving. The patents involve head-up displays (HUDs) and technology that can show people and vehicles that would otherwise be obscured. It’d be like being Superman behind the wheel.

Rate is the cost of insurance. Insurance is based on the history of loss experience for similar risks. What a driver pays for auto insurance is based in part on past experience by that company with drivers categorized by similar factors such as age, gender, marital status, driving record and make and model of car.

There are different versions of no-fault auto insurance laws in 12 states and Puerto Rico. In theory, the system is supposed to discourage lawsuits by allowing policyholders to recover financial losses from their own insurance company without having to prove that anyone is at fault in an accident. Motorists may only sue for injuries and for pain and suffering if their case meets certain minimum conditions. Seven states, including Utah, require that you meet a minimum dollar threshold to be able to bring a lawsuit over damages over and above your economic losses. Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania use a verbal description as a threshold (i.e. severe disfigurement, disability or death). In New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Kentucky, motorists may choose to reject the lawsuit threshold on their insurance policy and keep their right to sue for any auto-related injuries.

Commuters around New Castle, Delaware got a nasty surprise this morning when they discovered northbound I-95 was closed due to a truck crash that buried the freeway in pennies.

According to ABC6, a tractor trailer hit a Jersey barrier on I-95 northbound near the I-295 interchange in New Castle around 2:00 am. The truck, which was carrying tens of thousands of blank pennies to the United States Mint at Philadelphia, overturned after hitting the barrier and burst into flames. New Castle Police and Delaware State Police arrived to find the truck burning amidst pools of diesel fuel and shiny pennies.

Medical payments coverage (MP or Med Pay)coverage(generally optional) pays the doctor, hospital bills, and funeral expenses for injuries to you and the passengers in your car, regardless of who causes the accident, up to the policy limits. Med Pay is sold in states with traditional tort insurance laws. In states where Med Pay is optional, drivers may choose to rely on their own and their passengers’ own health insurance to cover resulting injuries. Most insurance companies offer a wide range of coverage amounts.

Recognize that having high coverage limit on your auto insurance policy is better than having lower limits. In fact who would not agree? Just try to not to overpay for vehicle that are almost worthless.

Do some online research and figure out if paying thousands a year on a vehicle that is not worth insuring. When it comes to auto insurance, most consumers carry only liability insurance for this reason.

Otherwise they would be throwing money out the door to insurance companies. Even your liability limits can be too high and may have room for some savings. Remember that the vehicle state minimum limits are set based on the lowest common denominator and not necessarily what you most likely need.

• Meaning that most people that are “liable” to others during at-fault accident cases will fall within those limits. With Liability being the most important and usually the mandatory part of your auto insurance, there are some exceptions that one should take under consideration.
Basically insurance companies will usually advise to consumers to carry high or the highest liability limits when they own a home or have valuable assets.

The Basics: Ford is expanding an existing recall of door latches to an additional 1.5 million cars. Affected models are 2013-2015 Ford C-Max and Escape, 2012-2015 Ford Focus, 2015 Ford Mustang, 2015 Lincoln MKC and 2014-2016 Ford Transit Connect. This expansion brings the total number of cars affected to 2,383,292.

The Problem: Affected cars have door latches in which a pawl spring tab can break. If this happens, the door may not close correctly, which could lead to it opening unexpectedly while driving. This could cause a crash or allow someone or something to fall out of the vehicle

The financial responsibility law typically, refers to the law that requires motorists to have auto insurance, however most states also permit a bond or cash deposit as evidence of the ability to pay for negligence in causing losses to others from the operation of a motor vehicle. In 47 states and the District of Columbia, it is illegal to operate a vehicle without obtaining proof of insurance.

Called, simply, Wrong-Way Alert, Ford’s new system relies on a windshield-mounted camera to pick up Do Not Enter or Wrong Way signs and pairs it with data from the car’s navigation system. If the car starts driving against the flow of traffic, it fires off visible and audible warnings for the driver. Unfortunately, the system stops short of actually intervening or stopping the car from traveling the wrong way.

What is a Deductible?

The deductible is your out-of-pocket expense that you agree to pay for losses up to set amount, such as $250, 500 or $1,000. If you can afford to carry a higher deductible on collision and comprehensive coverage, the cost for coverage’s are reduced

Consumers should be aware that when some type of change occurs it affect the amount that is paid for auto insurance. Throughout an individuals lives there will be many accomplishments and occasions that will change what the cost of automobile coverage will be. Unfortunately, this can be both negative and positive.

For instance, if a motorist is convicted of traffic violations then they may experience a rate hike from their insurer at time of renewal, especially the conviction is for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Any time a rate increase occurs a consumer should shop around and see if a different company will be able to offer a better price rather than sticking with a current carrier at a higher premium.

On a positive note, there are many instances that will entitle motorists to cheaper policies. A good example is an individual that became insured at the age of sixteen and is now nineteen with three years of driving experience under their belt; this may entitle them to a good driver discount and cheaper coverage.

At the time when they got insured as a newly licensed driver they may have found the company that was willing to accept the risk to insure them at the best rate, but now another carrier may be more competitive, but the only way to find out is by shopping around. The Illinois Department of Insurance advises motorists to shop around for the best product and the best price; this should be done frequently.

Supplemental Dental Insurance

Supplemental dental insurance is an individual or family insurance policy purchased to cover a portion of the dental costs generally up and above or beyond the primary dental plan. Supplemental dental insurance will normally not cover the entire dental care procedure. But instead is synchronized or works hand-in-hand with your basic dental policy.

If you have a primary dental insurance plan that you purchased or your employer provided, the supplemental dental policy typically covers the remaining dental bill.

For example, if the dental plan policy covers half of the dental cost, the secondary or supplement dental insurance plan should cover the remaining balance of your dental procedure subject to any co-payments or deductibles already included in the policy.

A supplement dental insurance plan may also be purchased to cover the dental charges when there are annual dental benefit plan limits or exclusions. Say your primary policy has an annual maximum benefit of $1000 you may be able to purchase a supplemental dental plan to extend this benefit.

Most importantly you need to check with your dental office to see if they will coordinate the dental coverage since the dentist is the one most likely to bill the insurance company and ask you to pay any difference or the co-pay. Thus, a supplemental policy can come in handy.

The advantage that most consumers see from finding an auto insurance company who is willing to provide automobile coverage with a small up front start up cost is that individuals will not have to deep dig into pockets and pay the large amount a policy may cost if it is paid up front and in full. Paying for a down payment and continuing coverage by paying monthly payment is a lot more feasible for motorists.

Policy terms usually are in the 3, 6 12 month range which can be extremely expensive if paid in full. Having the option to pay on a month to month basis can make it much easier to maintain a policy. Paying monthly can also give consumers the freedom to shop around and swich carriers should they find a better deal elsewhere. If a person were to pay for coverage in full, they may have to cancel the policy and wait for a refund of the premium paid.

Locating coverage with a low down payment may be the best option for some motorists, but many should realize that there is also a down side of doing so. It is usually a lot cheaper to pay for a policy in full than to spread the payments out monthly. The majority of insurers will charge a monthly billing fee of around $10 a month that can end up costing an insured quite a bit of cold hard cash over the course of the term of the policy.

In a year an insured can pay fees of over a hundred dollars to a company that does not include coverage. In addition, many insurers will offer a significant discount to customers that pay a term in full. Not all consumers can afford to pay in full, but if feasible it may be worth considering. States offer tools such as the New Jersey auto insurance Purchasing Planner which can answer questions and help a driver decide what the best option may be for their particular situation.

What is a Declaration Page?

The declaration page is the first page of the insurance policy which will typically include your name, address, the insured property, its location and description, the policy period (how long the coverage will be in force), the amount of the insurance coverage, the premiums and additional specific information provided by the insured.  It is important that when you receive your vehicle insurance policy you check the declaration page to make sure there are no errors and that the information provided is accurate.

Like Collision coverage Comprehensive coverage is typical an optional coverage for when your vehicle is stolen or damaged in ways that do not involve a collision. Such as hail damage, glass breakage, fire, vandalism, damage from an animal, flood, earthquakes, falling objects and theft. The price of comprehensive insurance is affected by the risk of loss, meaning the likelihood that an insured car will be stolen or damaged, and the car’s value at the time of the loss.