Posted by Roger Harkins on Thu, Mar 27, 2008
Soon, families all over Texas will be loading up the boat and jet skis and heading out for weekends and vacations designed for sun and fun. In order to relax and relieve your stress, you need to know that your family is safe and protected. That means knowing you have the right kind of boat insurance on all your watercraft before you head off for your family adventure. You need an insurance agency that will work closely with you to plan for the best coverage in your boat insurance policy for your boat, water toys and, even more importantly, your family. In the North Dallas, Plano and Frisco areas, Tri-Star Insurance Professionals, Inc. can be reached at 214-387-0600 for all your boat insurance needs.
John Coyle, of Tri-Star Insurance, has been in the insurance business for nearly 20 years and specializes in serving customers in North Dallas, Plano and Frisco, TX.
Boat Insurance Required By Law
When it comes to insurance for your boat and personal watercraft, the place to start is with Bodily Injury and Property Damage Liability (BI/PD.) This coverage is required by law and covers injuries and property damage in the event of an accident. Your BI/PD coverage will pay for medical costs and lost wages in the event of injuries and will pay for any property damage sustained in an accident.
Texas law requires that you carry at least a 20/40/15 boat insurance policy for BI/PD coverage on your boat. The 20/40/15 coverage translates to $20,000 in bodily injury liability coverage for any one person with a total of $40,000 bodily injury liability maximum for any one event and $15,000 property damage liability coverage.
Additional Optional Coverage
In addition to BI/PD insurance, there are several other types of coverage that you should consider for complete protection and coverage.
- Collision coverage- This option will pay for damage to your own boat from a collision with another boat, vehicle or other property. You choose a deductible, which is the amount you pay out of pocket before the insurance coverage begins.
- Comprehensive Boat Coverage- This coverage will pay for damages to your boat that is caused by risks other than an accident. These risks include theft, fire, earthquake, flood and other events that are beyond your control.
- No Fault Coverage- Personal Injury Protection (PIP) – PIP coverage is not required by law, but it can be a very important option for you and your family. PIP pays medical expenses for injuries resulting from a boating accident, regardless of who is at fault.
- Uninsured/Underinsured Boater Coverage- This option will cover your injuries caused by another boater who has no liability coverage or in the case of a hit-and-run accident.
Don’t let the high cost of repairs and medical bills add to your stress should you have an accident or other damage to your boat. Make sure that you have all the boat insurance coverage that you need to cover your damages, should you need it. The best way to make sure that you have the best boat insurance options for your unique situation is to speak to the insurance experts at Tri-Star Insurance. 214-427-7231.
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Posted by John Coyle on Wed, Mar 26, 2008
Personal Injury Protection is insurance coverage that pays for your medical expenses in the event of an accident. With PIP coverage, it doesn’t matter who is at fault for the accident; you will have coverage for the policyholder and household members and all authorized drivers and passengers. PIP insurance is a mandatory coverage in the state of Texas, but you can sign a waiver declining the coverage.
When you are wondering whether you need Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance coverage, you need a good insurance agency that knows the answers and can give you all the help you need. In the North Dallas, Plano and Frisco areas, that agency is Tri-Star Insurance Professionals, Inc. John Coyle, the owner of Tri-Star Insurance, has been in the insurance business for nearly 20 years, serving people and businesses in North Dallas, Plano and Frisco, TX. Contact Tri-Star Insurance Professionals today at 214-387-0600.
Why Do You Need PIP Insurance Coverage?
PIP pays for your medical expenses such as medical and surgical treatment, dental and eye treatment, ambulance, nursing services, medications needed because of the accident, medical supplies and prosthetic devices. It also helps you or your passengers recover compensation for lost wages and for the cost of someone to perform services like household tasks that the injured party is unable to do on their own. PIP insurance also helps to pay for funeral expenses, should lives be lost in the accident.
Your policy will tell you the coverage limits of your PIP insurance, which refer to the maximum amount paid per person for their total expenses.
Is Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Necessary?
In Texas, PIP insurance is mandatory, unless you sign a waiver declining the coverage. The mandate is there to protect drivers in the event of an accident of their own fault or if the other driver has no coverage. The exception is available because in many situations, these injuries are covered by an individual’s health insurance coverage.
If you have sufficient health insurance that will cover your necessary medical expenses in the event of serious injury, then you may not want PIP coverage. Before electing to sign off on PIP insurance, however, consider whether you can afford any lost wages from a job if you were not able to return to work for an extended period. In addition, PIP insurance covers substitute help and funeral expenses, which your other insurance may not help with.
If these expenses are not of major concern to you, then you can safely choose to waive PIP insurance coverage.
Don’t be caught making an uniformed decision about PIP coverage, however. If you live in the North Dallas, Plano or Frisco area, call the insurance professionals at Tri-State Insurance today at 214-427-7231. Let John Coyle and his friendly staff help you make the best auto insurance decisions for your busy lifestyle.
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Posted by John Coyle on Mon, Mar 10, 2008
As you secure your home with homeowners insurance, know that contents insurance is separate and distinct from the insurance policy you have taken out on the actual structure of the house. Major damage to your home, or the complete loss of your home, can be devastating. Tri-Star Insurance in Plano is committed to relieving your stress and helping you return to normality as fast as they can. While Tri-Star Insurance can’t remove the heartache of losing a treasured heirloom, they can advise you in selecting the best house contents insurance to provide you with peace of mind and financial protection against damage to, or the loss of, contents in your home.
Contents insurance is usually sold alongside home insurance but it can also be purchased as a stand-alone policy, especially for those who desire renters insurance rather than owning their home. Homeowners insurance covers the outside, and anything that is permanently attached to the structure of the home. Possessions that are permanently attached to the structure of the home can only be insured via home insurance. Home contents or house contents insurance pays for damage to, or loss of, your personal possessions while they are located within your home. Some contents insurance policies also provide restricted cover for personal possessions temporarily taken away from the home by the policyholder, or may also include possessions kept in outbuildings or in the garden area attached to the house.
Tri-Star Insurance strongly recommends cataloging your home In order to give both yourself and you insurance company a better understanding of the items that are in your home and that are being insured. An increasingly popular way for people to catalogue the valuables in their home is to travel through the house with a video camera and take video footage of each room.
How does a home contents policy work? Like all insurance policies, home contents insurance works on the basis of the total amount insured. So, when you are filling in your home contents insurance policy submission form, you are asked to provide detail of all the major items that you’re insuring. However, Be advised, however, that most home contents insurance policies have a threshold amount, over which you need to individually declare (and possibly insure) the item as a separate item, and which may not be allowed to include in your overall home contents insurance policy.
Unfortunately, there are no dollar figures that can be calculated for those items of “sentimental value.” Your house contents insurance premiums are calculated on the cold hard cash cost of replacing that item.
All insurance is based on a risk factor, rather, the risk of the insurance company having to pay out. Home contents insurance is no different; therefore, if you live in a neighborhood of high crime, you should expect insurance companies to request higher premiums. Alternatively, if you live in a quiet neighborhood with little or no reported crime, you will enjoy lower premiums.
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Posted by John Coyle on Mon, Mar 03, 2008
When you need comprehensive insurance and collision insurance coverage, you need a good insurance agency that knows the answers and can give you all the help you need. In the North Dallas, Plano and Frisco areas, that agency is Tri-Star Insurance Professionals, Inc. John Coyle, the owner of Tri-Star Insurance, has been in the insurance business for nearly 20 years and he specializes in people and businesses that operate in North Dallas, Plano and Frisco, TX. Contact Tri-Star Insurance Professionals today at 214-387-0600 or call toll-free at 1-800-880-4600. They will work with you to make sure your comprehensive and collision insurance needs are handled professionally and with the best customer service you can find.
- What is Comprehensive Insurance?
Comprehensive insurance is generally optional insurance coverage that you can choose as part of your inclusive auto insurance policy.
Comprehensive insurance provides coverage for damage to your vehicle that is caused by incidents other than a collision. Your comprehensive insurance will cover damage to your vehicle if it is stolen, or damaged by fire, flood or animals. Several things- one being the amount of your insurance deductible- determine your annual premium for comprehensive insurance. Generally, the higher your deductible, the lower your premium. Choose a deductible that you can afford to pay out of pocket should your car be damaged by circumstances beyond your control.
Collision insurance provides coverage to your car when it hits or is hit by another car or object. Again, the amount of the premium you will pay for this coverage will be lower if you choose the highest
deductible you can afford if your vehicle is damaged in an accident.
- Do I Need Comprehensive and Collision Insurance Coverage?
If you finance your car through a dealer or a bank or if you lease a car, you will probably be required to carry both comprehensive insurance and collision insurance. If you have a new car or if your car is in excellent condition, you may want to consider both of these options to repair or replace your car if it is damaged or destroyed. If you are driving an older car or a car that is in poor condition, you probably don’t need this type of coverage.
The best way to make sure you are carrying the best auto insurance coverage possible, you should talk to an insurance agent who specializes in auto insurance. If you are in the N. Dallas, Plano or Frisco, TX area, call an agent at Tri-Star Insurance Professionals today at 214-387-0600 or call toll-free at 1-800-880-4600. They will help you determine if you need comprehensive or collision insurance as well as help you with any other insurance needs you have.
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