by Rissa Watkins

Created on: February 25, 2008

Shopping for car insurance in New York can be as scary as walking through Central Park at night. One wrong move could cost you everything. Once you were at the mercy of your insurance agent. You squirmed in their office as they threw out terms such as PIP and Gap. You signed a check over but never knew if you were getting a good deal or not. Those days are over thanks to the internet.

Some people may be intimidated by shopping for insurance online. New York has unique laws that can be confusing to those without an insurance license. Be afraid no longer, the internet has made the process of buying insurance simple and easy.

New York has several minimum coverages you must have to drive legally. Personal Injury Protection or PIP covers up to $50,000 to you or your passengers if you are injured in an accident regardless of fault. This will ensure you can get prompt healthcare without worrying about who pays the bill.

Bodily Injury Liability covers you or anyone you allow to drive your vehicle if the accident is your fault and you hurt someone. The minimum required is $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident.

The minimum Property Damage Liability is only $10,000. This is one coverage you want to raise. If you hit any vehicle, house or lamp post your insurance company will only pay $10,000. Doesn't matter if you hit a Pinto or a Ferrari. Anything over that $10,000 comes out of your pocket.

Don't worry, when you get quotes online you can ask for recommended coverages and make adjustments as needed. Most websites will not let you lower limits to below the legal minimums.

So you have mastered the web site and know exactly what coverages and limits you want, now what? You can compare rates with several different insurance companies without having to reenter all your information. The site will do the work for you. It will get the rates for exactly the amount of insurance you want. In just a few minutes you can comparison shop and even purchase your insurance online knowing you got the best deal.

Another benefit of shopping online for your insurance is you can see what a difference each area makes. Changing one number of a zip code can cause your rates to go up hundreds of dollars. If you live in the Bronx and are thinking of moving where you garage your car to somewhere nearby, you can see how much it is going to cost you before making the move.

All you need is your computer and the internet to get insurance quotes online, comparison shop for the best deal and purchase your policy. Thanks to the internet insurance shopping in the Big Apple is as easy as pie.

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