If you are in America, you are in a paradise to plan for road trips. Each year, people plan on taking their cars to head out exploring the United States. It is why you need the most affordable auto insurance to secure you throughout the trip.

There is a huge chance that you can hit upon an accident any time you are setting out on the road. You must have your vehicle insurance in good shape and prepared to go before taking off a trip.

Traveling in your car

While driving, there are two aspects that you should consider about your car insurance. Who is covered, and what if I hit upon an accident in some other state.

Initially, your insurance policy will allow others to drive your car unless drunk, unlicensed, or specified as excluded from your insurance policy.

You can use the policy of your friend if you have exhausted the limits of your policy. The other significant thing that should be noted is that several states have varied minimum car insurance.

If you start your trip from Florida, you will end up under-insured as you reach New York. If you are in Florida, you will be paying about $10000 of the cost for asset damages and $10000 for personal injury protection. If you are in New York, the amount will reach about $50000 or more.

Luckily, the car insurance companies understand that the legal limit in one state and crashing in another with high limitations should not be penalized. Consequently, the car insurance company will bump up your boundaries considering where you crashed unless you are violating a few disqualifying policies. It is also true as you hit the north side of the Canadian border. But, in Mexico, it does not implies this.

Traveling to Mexico

The “Aquarium of the World” refers to the Sea of Cortez on the off coast of Baja California. It is famous for homing 900 fish species and about 32 kinds of marine mammals gathering to breed and feed here. There are some huge blooms of plankton that is elusive to blue whales that are witnessed here, along with the different species of whales.

Therefore, if you plan to travel to Mexico by car, remember that your US auto insurance will not be valid. You need to choose car insurance in Mexico, and driving without active auto insurance is very illegal as you can get jailed for it.

Fortunately, Americans are now purchasing the cheapest car insurance in Mexico easily. Both Progressive and GEICO will allow people to purchase the policies on their websites from about one of the partners. The plans arrive with standard procedures for about six months and even a year. The tenure of the insurance plan depends completely on what you can avail yourself of.

Renting a car to travel

If you are opting for car rentals, you need car rental insurance. Rental companies are offering the following insurance types:

  • Supplementary Liability Compensation (SLC)
  • Loss Damage Waiver (LDW)
  • Personal Injury Insurance (PAI)
  • Personal Effects Coverage (PEC)

Out of these, you may require the first two. You need to pay between $9 to $20 a day for LDW, where the rental company will compensate for any damages done to the car.

You can also opt out of the coverage if you have collision insurance on your policy. You can charge the whole rental card and your card company to cover the LDW at no charge to you. It can be smart if you pay for the LDW or use your credit card. If you encounter an accident, you need not file a claim with your insurer, risking increasing your insurance premiums.

If you do not have auto insurance, the SLC is mandatory. Liability insurance is the minimum amount of insurance provided by statute. On the other side, if you have auto insurance, you don’t have to pay for the SLC. Going with the SLC may be wise if you have low limits like the state minimum. SLC is going to protect you for up to a million dollars. You don’t even need PAI if you have PIP or health insurance, and PEC is not worth the price in most situations.

Essential coverages to have before your road trip

Did you consider the bad weather that you can face? Or do you know about the criminals out there who are more likely to steal or vandalize the cars? It is the reason why you need the collision as well as comprehensive insurance. They can cover massive damages to your car, including flooding, hail, robbery, and vandalism.

Ending notes

The coverage for roadside assistance is convenient mainly when your car breaks down in the most unfamiliar place. Generally, you can add roadside assistance coverage to the most affordable auto insurance policy. These extras might not appear necessary to the regular driver; however, they can be quite invaluable for road trips.