Insurance, demystified.

When you get behind the wheel, you take a risk. You may attempt to be the best possible driver, but you also have to trust that everyone else on the road is driving well and paying attention, too. Auto insurance provides a safety net when drivers make mistakes.

In the event of an accident, you are at risk financially. If the accident is not your fault, and the other driver does not have adequate insurance, you have to pay for all damages to your own car plus pay for any medical bills if you are badly injured.

When you are at fault, you are typically liable for damages to the other person's vehicle as well as the medical costs of injured victims. Additionally, you must cover the repairs to your own vehicle and the costs of legal fees if you are sued. All of your assets are at risk if you are uninsured or underinsured.

Full coverage auto insurance means you have coverage for your own car, not just the other guy's. It typically combines collision and comprehensive insurance, which pay out if your vehicle is damaged, plus liability coverage, which pays for injuries and damage you cause to others.

The state minimum liability limits for Texas is 30/60/25. This is the cheapest, least extensive insurance you can legally buy. These limits stand for $30,000 liability coverage per person, $60,000 total liability coverage (all persons), and $25,000 in physical damage coverage.

Yes. Different areas have varying rates of vehicle accidents. There are a lot of factors involved, and insurance companies track the number of accidents in a particular area, down to the neighborhood and ZIP code level.

If you're in an accident and it is your fault, your insurance rate will increase. But even if the accident was not your fault, your insurance rate may still increase depending on circumstances, claim history, and coverage type.

Yes, however you must have a driver's license to operate a vehicle.

Always make sure you get that police report and then they will always give you a phone number to the local police station. Make sure you follow up with a police officer at their respected police station. You can usually get the accident report within five to seven business days.

Insurance carriers offer different coverages, so just make sure you select the highest options. Also a little FYI, towing packages a lot of times will cover the labor for flat tire change and jump starting batteries.

Yes. All parties involved in an auto accident should trade information. And if the other party won't give their information, you can always call 911 and have an officer come out who will then write up an accident report for the insurance.

Full coverage is usually required by dealerships when you lease a vehicle from them. What that means is basically comprehensive and collision coverage. They usually require at least $500 deductibles.

You're required by law to have at least state minimum limits of 30/60/25. But here at Town and Country Insurance, we usually recommend 50/150/50 to make sure you have adequate coverage if you hit a vehicle that's worth over $25,000.

In Texas, the state minimum is 30/60/25. The 30 is per person liability, 60 is the total. So if you have three people involved in an accident, you got $60,000 total liability coverage. And then $25,000 is the property damage coverage, which would be for the car that you hit.

Exchanging insurance information is required by law. If the other party of an accident is not willing to give you their insurance information, the best thing you can do is wait for a police officer to get there and make sure they fill out the police report for the accident.

Absolutely. The police report will have all the necessary information we need to get the claims process started for you. And it also makes claims process much, much easier.

A police officer should come onto the scene of the accident and fill out a report for you. After the report is filed you should be able to contact your respected police department in the county where the accident happened and have a copy sent to you via email or you can go and pick up a physical copy of the report from the police station. Accident reports are typically available 5–10 days after it is filed.

I would start by getting a police report, note the date, time, exact location, weather conditions, their name, address, and phone number. Make sure you give all this to your insurance company.

A deductible is the amount you have to pay yourself before the insurance company will pay. Deductibles apply to comprehensive and collision coverage which will also take a liability-only policy to a full coverage policy. In general, just remember that the higher the deductible, the lower the cost of the policy.

Standard auto insurance is going to be the basic or the lowest level of car insurance available from an insurance provider.

You can only have rental reimbursement on a vehicle that has full coverage insurance.

First, I would suggest immediately calling the police, no matter how big or how small the accident, call the authorities so there can be a report given. And then at that point, take pictures of the other person's driver's license, insurance, and all vehicles involved.

Liability coverage is for the person or property that you damage. It protects you if you cause an accident and you injure someone or someone else's property.

The minimum amount of coverage that the law requires you to have is $30,000 for injuries to one person with a total of $60,000 per accident, and then $25,000 worth of coverage for any kind of property damage. However, the state minimums are not nearly enough. Here at Town and Country Insurance we recommend either 50/150/50 split limits or a $500,000 combined single limit, whichever fits your situation. They're two ways of writing roughly the same protection.

There's a few things you can do. First of all, most importantly, is to maintain good driving habits, no tickets, no accidents. Another thing is shopping around through different insurance companies to make sure you're getting the best rates.

Uninsured motorist coverage comes into play when the person that hits you doesn't have enough or any insurance at all to pay for your injuries or damages to your vehicle. Uninsured motorist also can pay if you're in a hit and run accident and the other party can't be found to pay for the damages.

Concerns you should have with getting what you pay for is service and being able to connect with an agent or the claims department. Being able to speak to an actual person after an accident. You want to make sure that coverages aren't being skimmed to give you better rates. Claim payouts, and making sure coverages actually apply when there's an accident, are also things to watch for.

You should get an umbrella policy when your net worth exceeds your home and auto liability limits. Extend your liability limits to one million or more, which better protects you against expensive claims and lawsuits, especially if you have particularly high net worth.

While home insurance usually does cover water damage, it does not cover flooding. If you think you might need flood insurance, let us know and we can make sure that you have the right coverage.

You want to have enough coverage that if your house burned all the way to the ground, you would have enough to rebuild it as it was. Here at Town and Country Insurance we have rebuild estimators that help us quote you with the correct amount of coverage.

Your liability coverage with your home policy will cover you for accidents that could happen at your house. So for example, if you have a pool and have some people over and somebody gets hurt in the pool, your liability will kick in and help pay for the medical bills and anything else associated with the accident.

Homeowners insurance may cover a roof leak if it's caused by a covered peril. Some common perils that are on your homeowners policy would be wind, hail, fire, and maybe a tree falling on top of your roof.

Personal liability portion of your homeowner's policy is going to cover you against any kind of lawsuits for property damage caused by you or your family members. It can also pay for damages caused by your pets.

Standard homeowners insurance will often cover the cost of tearing out, replacing the actual slab, and then pouring the slab back in. The catch is, however, that most policies will not pay to repair the actual leak.

Most homeowners policies will allow you to have about $100,000 worth of coverage. However, it's a good idea to raise that up to at least $300,000.

A typical homeowners policy has four key coverages. Dwelling coverage, which helps replace the actual building of your home, and other structures (anything that's not attached to the home on the property). Personal property, which would be anything that would fall out of the house if you picked it up and shook it. Lastly, liability coverage, which is for injuries or damages to other property at your home.

Coverage is not guaranteed from your homeowner's insurance. Typically, mold damage will be covered if the cause of the mold is a covered peril listed within that policy.

General liability insurance is coverage that can protect you from a variety of claims, like bodily injury, property damage, personal and advertising injury, medical payments, products completed operations, damage to premises rented to you, or damages that can arise from business operations.

Certificates are issued at the time the policy is issued along with any additional ones that you need. Make sure you give us a call with information and details and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.

The type of business that you have will depend on the type of insurance that you need. Most small businesses will need a Business Owner's Policy (BOP), which is a combination of business property, business liability, and business income insurance in one policy.

Because there are many factors to consider for coverage, like type of business, location, customers, employees, equipment use, and ownership structure, I suggest you come in and let's discuss your needs. Once we know the risks you are facing, we have a better idea of what you need and what endorsements you might need.

The cost of your commercial policy depends on several factors: your profession, the amount of policies you have, the amount of equipment you own, and the coverage you need. Businesses with higher risk can expect to pay higher premiums. For example, a tree trimming company is going to have a higher insurance premium than a small boutique shop.

A BOP typically covers business owners against property damage and business liabilities.

Texas, unlike other states, does not require an employer to carry workers compensation coverage. However, it is highly suggested.

Business Interruption Insurance is coverage that can help supplement a business's income if the business cannot operate due to a covered loss. This can cover your mortgage, your rent, loan payments, taxes, payroll, revenue, etc.

Umbrella insurance can provide coverage for injuries or property damage, certain lawsuits, and personal liability situations. However, it provides this coverage above and beyond your current homeowners and auto policy.

Your umbrella insurance provides extra liability coverage beyond the limits of your existing homeowners policy. It would protect you in the case of injury, property damage, certain lawsuits, or personal liability situations.

General liability insurance policies typically cover you and your company for any kind of claims involving injuries or property damage resulting from your products, services, or operations.

Client contracts most often require a million-dollar coverage limit for your general liability, and we support that.

It really doesn't. Any kind of personal insurance you have will typically exclude any kind of commercial coverage. So we always suggest having separate policies.

Of course you can do it with us here at Town and Country Insurance. Anywhere that you have a licensed life insurance agency is where you can get it. You just want to make sure they have their life insurance license.

Personal umbrella insurance provides extra liability coverage beyond the limits of your homeowners or existing auto policy. An umbrella insurance would pay out if you're at fault for injuries or damage to another person's property that exceeds your current limits on your home or auto insurance.

Commercial insurance is insurance coverage for businesses or corporations, generally designed to cover the business, its employees, and ownership. The coverage helps protect businesses from unexpected losses.

General liability insurance covers common business risks like customer injury, customer property damage, and advertising injury. It can pay out for legal obligations, such as medical costs for injuries.

Liability insurance pays to repair or replace the other driver's car or other damaged property. And it also pays out for medical expenses when you are at fault for an accident.

Texas law requires drivers to show proof that they can pay for any damages they may cause. Most drivers do this by purchasing auto liability insurance.

While you're on the water, your boat will be covered to the full extent of your policy. Just like a standard auto insurance policy would be while you're out of the water, comprehensive coverage is what's going to give you coverage there. So, for example, if your boat burned down, you would be able to file claims on the comprehensive side and get your boat repaired or replaced.

You may add an endorsement to most boat policies that will cover for fishing gear and sonar equipment. It can also cover personal effects such as clothing, cell phones, and things like that.

There are no laws in Texas that require insurance for your boat or watercraft. However, accidents do happen on the water, and you should protect yourself from damage to you or someone else's property.

A homeowner's policy may provide minimal coverage for certain watercraft depending on your carrier. However, it will be very limited, and you will not be insured on the water. So, to insure your boat for its full value and to be totally covered, boat insurance is definitely recommended.