Luxury automakers are quick to install the latest gadgets in their newest models. Most, like parking assist and advanced climate-control systems, are expensive gizmos there for the enjoyment of the passenger.
Others, like electronic stability control (ESC), can save lives.
That's what drivers of the Audi A6 will find in the 2008 model. Equipped with a remote-control trunk and Bose sound system as standard features, the $46,006 A6 also comes standard with ESC.
That's a good thing, since some are calling ESC the most revolutionary automotive safety device since the seat belt.
In Depth: Safest 2008 Luxury Cars
"We've seen ESC reduce fatalities by as much as half in some instances," says Russ Rader, a spokesman for the Virginia-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. "ESC is especially great at reducing the fatalities for single-car crashes."
ESC immediately found favor with insurance companies and regulatory agencies when it was first introduced to the mass market in 2004. It works by monitoring and comparing a driver's intended course with a vehicle's actual direction. Hit an icy patch or a spot of gravel on a turn and ESC will brake tires individually to control skidding.
Rader calls ESC "the most important safety feature people have never heard of."
Behind The Numbers
To be a 2008 IIHS "Top Safety Pick," a vehicle must have ESC as an available feature. This year's list is made up of 34 vehicles, most of them SUVs.
Vehicles also must have received the top rating of "good" in each of the IIHS's three crash tests--the 40-mph front impact, 31-mph side impact and 20-mph rear impact tests are designed to mimic real-world conditions.
Luxury autos (those over $30,000) making the grade include the $34,995 Subaru Impreza WRX STi and the $31,935 Totota Tundra.
Unfortunately for the penny-pinching worrier, many Top Safety Picks don't come cheap, and additional safety features raise sticker prices.
What auto features are you most attracted to? Weigh in. Add your thoughts to the Readers Comments section below.
The Mercedes M class SUV, for example, offers ESC as a standard feature, but also comes with a tire-pressure warning system and automatic crash notification, which instantly alerts emergency services if the car is in a collision. With an MSRP of $52,750, the M class is the most expensive car on the list.
While the Audi A6 retails for less, adding optional rearview cameras, cornering lights and Xenon headlamps can cost an additional $6,050 when the premium and technology packages are added.
Still, if safety is what you seek, money should be no object.
Safest 2008 Luxury Cars
Monday Morning Outlook: The Disconnect Between the Economy and the ... - Schaeffers Research
Monday Morning Outlook: The Disconnect Between the Economy and the ... Schaeffers Research, OH - May 19, 2008 The CBOE Market Volatility Index (VIX â€" 16.47) is at its lowest level since October, so portfolio hedging could be viewed as relatively cheap among fund ... |
How To Deal With Your Insurance Company On A Disputed Claim
From About.com
Your Car Accident
When you disagree with your insurance company, about a claim, you have the following 7 options which you can proceed to do, without going to court.
- If your agent is unable to solve your problem, get the name and phone number of your insurance companies Claims Department. More often than not it's an 800 number. Call The Consumer Complaint Department. Talk to them because they should be able to help you.
- Don't hang up until you get the specific name of the person with whom you spoke. (Make a note of the person you talked with and hold onto that until you've finished and your dispute).
- Send a covering letter (to that individual with whom you spoke) that contains all the documents you have to back up your position.
- All insurance companies have either an "Appraisal Service" or "Arbitration Service" which have been created to settle differences and/or disputes. Your policy should explain these options.
- If you've followed their rules for resolving your dispute, and you're still not satisfied, your own state's insurance department should be able to help you.
- If, after hearing from your own insurance company's people (and you're confident you've not been handled properly) you should call 1-800-942-4242 which is a toll-free Consumer Information Service which is sponsored by the insurance industry.
- Trained personnel are available to assist consumers who have complaints. THIS "HELP LINE" OPERATES ON EASTERN TIME, MONDAY THRU FRIDAY, 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM.
- ALSO: An "Independent Arbitrator", who allegedly has experience in insurance problems, can decide if what you've been told is fair.
- You can get to them by calling THE AMERICAN ARBITRATION ASSOCIATION 1-212-484-4000. Or they can be contacted (via the internet) at http://wwww.adr.org.
- MEDIATION: More often than not the Mediator does not have the authority to make a binding decision or issue an award to either party. The mediator only recommends a solution.
Mediation is a solid first step because it can negate the need for further expense on both sides. The first thing you should do is check the language in your auto insurance policy where it will spell out who will mediate (and/or arbitrate) a claim. You should submit a DEMAND FOR ARBITRATION FORM to whoever is listed in your policy. On that Demand for Arbitration Form you can specify whether you want "MEDIATION" or "ARBITRATION".
DEMAND FOR ARBITRATION FORMS are available from your state's Department Of Insurance, or you can print a copy of a Demand Form from the American Arbitration Association's web site - - which (again) can be found at http://wwww.adr.org.
Never Forget These 3 Very Crucial Facts
A. Mediation is much less expensive than Arbitration.
B. The Mediation Decisions are only considered to be advisory.
C. Arbitration Rulings are absolutely binding!
DISCLAIMER: The only purpose of this article "YOUR CAR ACCIDENT & HOW TO DEAL WITH YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY ON A DISPUTED CLAIM" is to help people understand the motor vehicle accident claim process. Neither Dan Baldyga, Vince Ciulla nor About.com make any guarantee of any kind whatsoever; NOR do they purport to engage in rendering any legal service; NOR to substitute for a lawyer, an insurance adjuster, claims consultant, or the like. Where such professional help is desired it is THE INDIVIDUALS RESPONSIBILITY to obtain said services.
Dan Baldyga's third and latest book AUTO ACCIDENT PERSONAL INJURY INSURANCE CLAIM (How To Evaluate And Settle Your Loss) can be found on the Internet at http://www.caraccidentclaims.com or http://www.autoaccidentclaims.com. This book reveals "How To" successfully handle your motor vehicle accident claim so you won't be taken advantage of. It also goes into detail regarding BASE (The Baldyga Auto Accident Settlement Evaluation Formula). explains how to determine the value of the "Pain and Suffering" you endured - - because of your personal injury!
Copyright (c) 2008 By Daniel G. Baldyga. All Rights Reserved
N.J. back in driver's seat with
Philadelphia Inquirer - TRENTON - New Jersey has fixed its auto insurance problem. Five years after the state deregulated the industry, the results are in, and by almost every measure the reform has been a resounding success. Premiums are down. Competition is up. The number ...
2008 BMW 650i wallpapers
BMW 650i wallpapers:
Specifications
| Brakes & Tires | |
| Brakes F/R: | ABS, vented disc/vented disc |
| Driveline: | Rear Wheel Drive |
| Tires F-R: | 245/45 R18 (Std.) 245/40 R19 - 275/35 R19 (Opt.) |
| Engine | |
| Displacement cu in (cc): | 293 (4799) |
| Power bhp (kW) at RPM: | 360(269) / 6300 |
| Redline at RPM: | n.a. |
| Torque lb-ft (Nm) at RPM: | 360(488) / 3400 |
| Type: | V8 |
| Exterior Dimensions & Weight | |
| Length × Width × Height in: | n.a. |
| Weight lb (kg): | n.a. |
| Performance | |
| Acceleration 0-60 mph s: | 5.3 |
| Fuel Economy EPA city/highway mpg (l/100 km): | n.a. |
| Top Speed mph (km/h): | 155 (250) - electronically limited |
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N.J. back in driver's seat with insurance
TRENTON - New Jersey has fixed its auto insurance problem. Five years after the state deregulated the industry, the results are in, and by almost every measure the reform has been a resounding
Car insurance industry against adding ER costs to coverage
Representatives of the auto insurance industry say two bills that require a $15,000 emergency room health plan on every auto policy sold in Colorado will drive up premium costs and force many to pay for the same kind of coverage two or three
From Car insurance industry against adding ER costs to coverage
Florida's Allstate ban first big stand
When Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty banned Allstate last week from selling new auto insurance policies in the nation's fourth most populous state after the company flouted a subpoena regarding its homeowners insurance business, he took the unprecedented step of linking the state's goals for homeowners policies to coveted car insurance
When it's Smart to Comparison Shop for Auto Insurance (Carteret County News-Times)
(ARA) - Does it seem like your auto insurance rates go up every time you sneeze, refill the gas tank or - the ultimate factor - add another driver to your policy? You're not imagining it; numerous factors influence the cost of your auto policy and many of them are simply beyond your control.
Small car is big on gas mileage (Lexington Herald-Leader)
A big jump in gasoline prices Wednesday didn't seem to matter nearly as much to Debra Hensley as the smiles and laughter her little car got from people. "I totally underestimated the gawk factor with this car. It's like Rubberneck USA," the Lexington insurance agent said. Hensley is head-over-heels in love with her Smart ForTwo, a two-seat, three-cylinder car with a one-liter ...
Swiss Re launches new insurance for auto dealers
Swiss Re's commercial insurance, in partnership with Bisys Specialty Programs, has launched a new insurance program for auto dealers.
Backed by the financial strength of Swiss Re and the industry expertise of Bisys, a division of Crump Insurance Services, the program offers quality coverage and security for auto dealers who meet underwriting guidelines.
The program provides specialty underwriting for a full complement of insurance coverage for auto dealers. It entertains risks for franchised or non-franchised retail auto dealers, auto auctions, wholesale dealers, including those with service garages and body shops. Coverage includes commercial auto liability, physical damage, garage liability, garage keepers, dealers open lot, inland marine, crime and property.
Brian Evans, leader of programs business for Swiss Re's commercial insurance, said: "Swiss Re has insured auto dealers for years and Bisys was a natural choice for re-launching our dealer facility. Auto dealers will benefit from policies underwritten by Swiss Re companies and backed by Swiss Re's financial strength."
Cuts High Risk Exemption for New Auto Insurers to 2 Years
New carriers in the Massachusetts auto insurance market will be exempt from high risk assignments for their first two years under an amended rule approved by Massachusetts Insurance Commissioner Nonnie Burnes.
The original rule had permitted a delay period of up to three years for new entries and was criticized by some existing carriers as unfair to them.
Rule 30 of the Massachusetts Assigned Insurance Plan (MAIP) establishes a timeframe for determining when a new carrier qualifies to become an assigned risk carrier (ARC) and must begin accepting assigned risk business. The original rule required a carrier reporting more than $100,000 in premiums or $50,000 in paid losses to file its statistics no later than the December of the second year after it reaches one of these thresholds, a delay that could be up to three years.
After hearing complaints from existing carriers in the state, Burnes issued a decision on May 6 that this potential three-year delay is too generous and reduced it to a maximum of two years during which a new entrant will not receive an ARC assignment from MAIP.
She said this policy aligns the state with 40 other residual markets throughout the country that permit a two-year lag between entry into the market and assignment of residual market risks.
She dismissed calls for eliminating the delay altogether.
Critics, including established carriers in the state Arbella Mutual, Plymouth Rock and Encompass, said the rule would give new carriers a "free ride" at their expense. The newcomers would be able to price their policies without factoring in the cost of high risk drivers, a cost that one estimate pegs at as much as $100 per policy, they argued.
But Burnes said the critics' analyses were not balanced, "less than candid" and "naïve" about the realities of the market.
"The substantial start-up costs, including marketing and infrastructure expenses, that are involved in establishing a business, particularly in a newly competitive and somewhat idiosyncratic market, make it highly unlikely that any new entrant will not have a long-term commitment to our market," Burnes said in her May 6 order.
"Indeed, a prudent insurer's rate structure will anticipate the imminent burden of assignments; if it fails to, the company will be faced with the unsavory prospect of requiring rate increases after only two years in the market," she continued.
She added that her departmentI would be checking all rates to make sure they are adequate.
Burnes also said that the companies that oppose any delay in eligibility for MAIP assignments "conveniently fail to acknowledge" that the state has long had a reprieve period for new entries.
Under the approved rule, once a company is eligible to receive MAIP assignments, its share will be calculated on the same recent twelve-month basis, updated monthly, as other carriers' share. Thus the MAIP 'brings a new entrant up to par with existing companies immediately," she maintained.
In the May 6 order, Burnes addressed several other assigned risk rules that some carriers and producers had questioned.
Rule 21 establishes the timetable for identifying the type of risks that may be placed in the MAIP during the first year ending March 31, 2009. Some critics had suggested it failed to guarantee access to insurance for some drivers. But Burnes found otherwise. "Every driver who cannot obtain insurance on a voluntary basis during the transition year is guaranteed insurance either through an exclusive representative producer or through the MAIP," she wrote.
Through March 31, 2009, a carrier considering a MAIP-ineligible risk from a producer who is not an ERP may either write it voluntarily, elect to write the risk and cede it to the reinsurance facility (CAR), or decline to write it. So no MAIP-ineligible risk will be unable to buy insurance, the commissioner noted.
Rule 29 clarifies that risks insured through group marketing plans may not be placed in the MAIP. The carrier must provide the risk with a voluntary policy. The rule was amended, however, so that carriers will receive voluntary credits for these group policies.
Producers had complained about Rule30C, which requires a carrier that decides to write a MAIP risk voluntarily to pay the producer of record for that risk a commission. The commission obligation ends in 2001. Producers argued the commission should be paid until the policyholder leaves the producer's agency. But Burnes declined to change the rule.
She also rejected a request from direct writers that they be allowed to assign selected producers to handle assigned risk business rather than being required to have all of their producers in the state trained to handle assigned risk business.
Finally, she upheld a rule that allows MAIP member carriers with Limited Assignment Distribution Agreements with other carriers to service all of their assigned risk business to charge the LAD's rates rather than the voluntary rate of the member carrier itself.
The law on high risk premiums, known as the Lane Bolling amendment, guarantees a high risk will be charged a premium that is no greater than the premium charged by a servicing carrier. But, Burnes concluded, it does not guarantee assignment to a particular servicing carrier or its rates.
How Really Much Should You Pay for Auto Insurance
How much does the average person pay for auto insurance? Probably more than they would like. Often the bill just gets accepted as a necessity and we simply write out a big check each month.
What you don't know can be costing you a lot of money. When is the last time you checked with different insurance companies to see what other offers are out there? If it's been a while, you owe it to yourself to look immediately so you can start saving today.
With the Internet, there's no need to call around and spend hours on the phone. Cheap-Insurance-Rates.com is a site dedicated to helping customers find the right auto insurance for them at the right price.
By visiting the site and filling out a simple form, you can compare offers from multiple insurance companies, all in a couple minutes. By letting the insurance companies compete for your business, you can save up to 70 percent on your policy.
And best yet, the service is free and there is no obligation to buy. There is no credit check required and you can get quotes from all 50 states. The site is equipped with state-of-the-art security so the information you provide will only be shared with the pre-screened insurance professionals you are matched up with. If you find the right policy for you, you can buy it same day.
With gas prices soaring, the price of owning and driving a car continues to increase. It's important to save money where you can. Start by examining your auto insurance. By seeking auto insurance quotes regularly, you can make sure you are not being taken advantage of and can get a much better deal.
Visit Cheap-Insurance-Rates.com and fill out a simple form to start comparing and saving today.
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