Auto insurance is a special breed of insurance. In fact, the entire auto insurance industry is pretty unique. I can only imagine that some of the founding fathers of auto insurance were pretty smart people, and that their families are now rich enough to be living in Valhalla with the immortals. The Online Auto Insurance Industry - Catering to the Law
Just think about it - the auto insurance industry has managed to force us, with the help of some lawmakers who are probably now sipping martinis up in Valhalla, to buy their product.
To my knowledge, it is against the law in most states not to have some sort of auto insurance if you own and operate a vehicle. This seems like a pretty good deal for the auto insurance companies. They have a guaranteed market. All they have to do is convince people to buy their product instead of someone else's.
Higher Premiums for One Violation!
Wait. I'm not done yet. There's another particularly vexing aspect of car insurance that I must point out before finishing my rant. If you happen to get a minor speeding ticket or commit some other miniscule traffic violation, your yearly premiums can jump by hundreds of dollars. Whoever managed to set that system up without causing a riot probably owns his own island up in Valhalla.
You can probably guess that I have had a special relationship with auto insurance companies in my sordid past. It just so happens that I spent a year working for a political campaign in Wisconsin. Throughout that year, I traveled through hundreds of little towns, each with a local police force that seemingly had nothing better to do other than fill their treasuries with my money.
I received three speeding tickets in one year - all of them were awarded to me in small towns. Each time I was pulled over, I was going less than ten miles over the speed limit. One would think that these were all pretty minor infractions. Well, my insurance rates went through the roof.
Finding Cheap Online Auto Insurance, Despite the Rap Sheet
I simply had to find a different car insurance provider. I called a local agent and told him my situation. He said that after winning three speeding tickets in one year, I would never find cheap auto insurance. I thanked him for his words of encouragement, and then headed to my computer.
If this mealy-mouthed agent couldn't help me, I'd have to help myself. I was as happy as a clam when I found some great websites that gave me free online car insurance quotes, along with other consumer protection sites that compared the benefits offered by a variety of different auto insurance companies.
After filling in an electronic form informing the computer of my speeding ticket sins, I was instantly given a rate quote. I could easily compare the quotes and ultimately found a plan that I could afford. It was still pretty high, but I knew that I had found one of the best rates around, because I had amassed tons of more expensive quotes.
And the Moral of My Insurance Epic?
The moral of this story is two-fold. First, we live in an evil world where owning car insurance is for the most part mandatory. Second, since we have to accept this dastardly fact of life, we might as well save some money by being informed.
It is now possible to compare car insurance packages easily through online sites - meaning that part of your monthly premium won't have to go towards paying an agent's commission, and can instead be used to pay off your speeding tickets.
About the Author
Kirk Bangstad is an artist, manager, and singer working in Chicago, IL. His previous experience includes consulting for technology companies in the Silicon Valley and serving as a field director and publicist for a statewide political campaign. Kirk holds a B.A. in government from Harvard University.
