I don’t have my own car insurance before because I was under my mom’s policy here in Houston. Now that I have to get insurance for myself, I need to know the types of coverage I can get. What are the options that I have when it comes to getting car insurance?

Sergio

Houston, TX

Getting car insurance in Houston would give you protection from financial loss for paying any damages that may be incurred in an accident. There is a wide selection of car insurance coverage and deductible options available for you. There are three main types of car insurance coverage and it would be helpful that you understand how they are different from one another.

Liability Coverage
Almost all states require motorists to carry a minimum level of liability coverage. The necessary amount differs as per state laws where you reside so you have to get in touch with your insurance company to find out about it. This kind of coverage would provide coverage for any damages you cause to other people and properties.

Collision Coverage
This kind of coverage would pay for the damages to your automobile caused by another automobile or property.

Comprehensive Coverage
This type of insurance coverage would pay for the damages to your automobile that are caused by vandalism or theft. Also, damages caused by natural disasters such as fire, storm and tornadoes are covered by this type of insurance coverage.

Aside from the three main types of insurance coverage, there are other types of coverage that you can get for your car insurance in Houston. These are uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, emergency road service and car rental coverage.

It’s my first time to get a car of my own that I need to get insurance for here in Houston, Texas. Could you please give me some tips on how to save money when getting a car insurance?

Pacey

Houston, TX

One of the most common facts about owning and driving a car would be paying for the car insurance as this is required by law in most states. This would normally cost motorists to spend a few hundred dollars a year or more if they are part of demographic groups considered by car insurance providers as high risk. If you want better protection in case of an accident, it would be a good idea to have insurance more than the required minimum liability coverage.

Purchasing a new car insurance policy in Houston, Texas would be the best time to save some money so you have to shop around. Don’t immediately opt for the first car insurance policy you see or hear about. You have to check out different policies and compare them. You can take advantage of the free rate quotes that car insurance providers are offering. Prices are different from one company to another even if the states try to control the premiums of car insurance. Some car insurance companies charge less hundreds of dollars than the others. That is probably because they are not spending too much money on advertising.

I have read an article that alcohol may not be detected by merely the smell of it. If that is the case then, can we say that the odor of alcohol is not enough for DUI arrest in Houston, Texas?

Shanice

Houston, TX

Yes, the odor of alcohol is really not enough for a DUI arrest in Houston, Texas. A study shows that police may not be able to detect the odor of alcohol on the breath of motorists who are pulled over for investigation. The smell of an alcoholic beverage on the breath of a motorist is very often used by police to create reasonable belief that the person has alcohol in his/her body. A police officer who forms this kind of belief can demand that the person provide a sample of breath into a portable breath test (PBT) device. A person who registers positive on the PBT would be arrested for DUI and taken for breath tests to find out the amount of alcohol in his or her system.

In a recent study, 20 experienced police officers were asked to detect the odor of an alcoholic beverage on the breath of 14 subjects who had blood alcohol content (BAC) that ranges from .00 to .13%. The drinking subjects were not seen in the experiment. The odor of an alcoholic beverage was detected in 2/3 of the subjects for BACs that are below .08%, and 85% of the time when BACs exceeded .08%. The police observers were less successful in detecting the odor of alcohol after food consumption by the drinking subjects. Moreover, the officers were unable to recognize what type of beverage was consumed and it was found that the strength of the odor as noted by police doesn’t have correlation to BAC levels.