Rich Schferren: I live in Massachusetts and was surcharged for an auto insurance accident ? I drive a Toyota. How do I get a low auto insurance rate if I compare auto insurance quotes?

Save $ Compare auto insurance
Response : You will definetly save $$ once you learn the why, how and when to compare auto insurance quotes. However,here is some great news for you. In case you were driving one of the Toyota which has been recalled than you can appeal against the surcharge. This is because the fault lies in the vehicle and you were not at fault.

The Massachusetts Division of Insurance will expand the appeal process for some drivers of Toyota vehicles who received an at-fault determination from their insurance company after an accident, and thus received a surcharge. The consumer alert issued by the insurance department said the decision was made in light of the recent recall of certain Toyota models due to unintended acceleration. At-fault appeals will be allowed if an owner of a Toyota received a recall notice and was involved in an accident, or if an owner has already appealed his or her at-fault determination and lost. A request for a re-hearing or initial appeal must be filed within 60 days from the notice of the recall or the date of the consumer alert, issued Jan. 29.

You will have to prove the vehicle involved in the accident is one of the models recalled by Toyota and that the accident was related to acceleration problems in the recall notice, the insurance department said. A $50 fee is required if an appeal has not been previously filed.

This is because Toyota said Jan. 21 it was recalling about 2.3 million vehicles to correct sticking accelerator pedals on specific models. Several days later, Toyota suspended the sales of eight models. The Massachusetts DOI said the recall also covers several Lexus models and the Pontiac Vibe.

The top five writers of private passenger auto insurance in Massachusetts last year, according to BestLink, which provides online access to A.M. Best’s Global Insurance & Banking Database, were: Commerce Group, with a 31% market share; Safety Group, with 11.1%; Arbella Insurance Group, with 9.3%; Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., with 8.5%; and MetLife Auto & Home Group, with 6.5%.

Thus my advice to you or any of your friends who drives a Toyota and was surcharged if in an accident last year in a model that has been recalled, compare auto insurance quotes afterwards., first file your appeal and reduce your surcharge on the auto insurance.

Happy motoring

Stephen Pierce : Massachusetts : I live in Massachusetts and would like to know what is happening because of the deregulation of the auto insurance here? How would it affect the customers and get low auto insurance.

Response : Getting low auto insurance quotes would require you to review auto insurance coverage and shop online. Please see the low auto insurance quotes on compareautoinsurancequote411.com and review your quotes, since I am sure you will find a really good deal and low auto insurance quote.

“The deregulation of the Massachusetts auto insurance market has driven up prices, boosted insurer profits, reduced consumer protections and generally created confusion in the marketplace, according to a new report by the state’s attorney general.

The report, which comes roughly two years after the creation of managed competition, provides an accounting of how the market is operating, and includes a number of recommendations to improve consumers’ interests.

“When the Division of Insurance introduced the new deregulated auto insurance system nearly two years ago, they contended that this system would result in better rates for consumers,” said Attorney General Martha Coakley in a statement. “While the long-term results of this new system remain to be seen, our office is concerned that consumers may not, in fact, be getting the best rates and the protections they deserve.”

The report notes that most consumers haven’t shopped around for insurance — and therefore, not driving rates down — while are now increasing. Coakley’s office said it is particularly concerned companies are now rating customers on several new factors more closely linked to socio-economic status, rather than to consumers’ driving records.

Among the observations included in the reports:

•Many consumers whose rates decreased paid more than they should have after the market was deregulated. Had the regulatory rate-setting process occurred in 2008, rates would have been reduced for essentially all consumers, with average rate reductions much greater than those seen under deregulation.
•Once ‘managed competition’ began, insurers instantly began seeking higher profit. In 2008, the Division of Insurance accepted target returns in the insurer rate filings that were over 150 percent of the 2007 regulated value for some insurers..
•There is currently no easy way for consumers to determine what the market prices for insurance are, what each company will charge a particular individual, and what discounts and special coverage options are available. The website provided by the Division of Insurance does not solve these problems.
•Some consumers have not been offered all discounts to which they are entitled, have had difficulty obtaining quotes from agents, and have received different quotes from different agents for the same insurers.
•Most Massachusetts consumers purchase insurance through an independent agent, yet most agents typically cannot or do not provide price quotes for more than a couple of carriers.

Thegood news is that the report recommends several moves to help improve the auto insurance market for consumers. These included improved rate proposals, the creation of an insurance Web site to provide side-by-side quotes for all insurers, elimination of penalties for leaving an insurance company early, prohibition of the collection of personal information not needed for rating and the introduction of legislation to ban the use of credit score in insurance ratemaking.

Thus you will get the information first hand but need to shop and compare and review auto insurance coverage to get your much wanted low auto insurance quote.