California requires all motorcycles to carry insurance just like a car would have to do. Rates for motorcycle insurance vary widely depending on a number of factors.

Type of Motorcycle

The type of motorcycle you drive has a big impact on insurance rates. A more powerful machine will cost as much as 10 times more to insure as a basic model or moped. In addition, a standard motorcycle insurance policy will not cover aftermarket parts or custom built bikes, so special coverage (at an additional cost) will be needed.

Helmet

LawsBecause wearing a helmet lowers the risk of death in a motorcycle accident, states with helmet laws have lower insurance rates than those that do not. California does have a law requiring all riders including passengers to wear a helmet that meets safety standards.

Full vs. Liability-only Coverage

Similar to cars, motorcycles must carry minimum liability insurance; in fact, the minimums for motorcycles in California are the same as those for cars. Carrying physical damage coverage is not required by the state, but is likely required by the lien holder if the motorcycle is financed. Lien holders want to know that they can recoup their money in the event of damage or loss.
If you own the motorcycle outright, you should consider the impact it would have if your bike were totaled. If you don’t depend on it to get you around, you may not need to replace it if an accident were to occur. Alternatively, you may have enough money saved to replace it on your own without help from the insurance company. In these situations, you don’t need to carry collision and comprehensive coverage, which will lower your insurance cost significantly.
Belonging to a motorcycle club can get you a discount on insurance.


Choosing a Deductible 

If you feel strongly about wanting to repair or replace the motorcycle, however, full coverage may be your only choice. In this case, choosing a lower deductible will mean less out of pocket cost, but a higher premium. A higher deductible will lower your premium; just be sure you can pay the deductible amount out of pocket if you need to.

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Discounts

The discounts available for motorcycle insurance are similar to those for auto insurance. Having a safe driving record, good credit rating, taking a safety course, and belonging to a motorcycle club or association are all good ways to save.
Get a motorcycle insurance quote from Casablanca Insurance to protect yourself from liability and loss while riding your two-wheeled vehicle.




The information in this article was obtained from various sources. This content is offered for educational purposes only and does not represent contractual agreements, nor is it intended to replace manuals or instructions provided by the manufacturer or the advice of a qualified professional. The definitions, terms and coverage in a given policy may be different than those suggested here and such policy will be governed by the language contained therein. No warranty or appropriateness for a specific purpose is expressed or implied.

Specific Car Seat Safety Items to Review

• For an infant carrier, make sure the handle is down while the car is in motion.
• How to appropriately install the seat at the best angle
• Some seats have an indicator to help you identify the best angle.
• The best angle is usually between 45 and 30 degrees.
• The harness straps must be at or below shoulder level.
• The retainer clip should be at armpit level.
• the child should fit snugly in the seat when buckled in.
• If the child needs added support, tuck in small, rolled-up towels on each side. Do not place them under the belts or the infant’s head.
• The harness should rest flat. Once you tighten the harness, if you can pinch the straps at the shoulder, it’s not fastened correctly.

Few children use the recommended child passenger restraints. Understanding the reasons for the sub-optimal child passenger restraint practices identified in this study is essential for the development of effective programs to reduce or eliminate preventable motor vehicle collision–related injuries.

Types of Car Seats for Kids
Infants & Toddlers Rear-facing only, Rear-facing Convertible:
All infants and toddlers should ride in a rear-facing seat until they are at least2 years of age or reach the highest weight or heigt allowed by their car seat manufacturer
Toddlers & Preschoolers Convertible, Forward-facing with harness:
Children who have outgrown the rear-facing weight or height limit for their convertible seat should use a forward-facing seat with a harness for as long as possible, up to the heighest weight or heigt allowed by their car safety seat manufacturer.
School-Aged Children Booster Seats:
All children whose weight or height exceeds the forward-facing limit for their car safety seat should use a belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle seat belt fits properly, typically when they have reached 4 feet 9 inches in height and are 8 through 12 years of age. All children younger than 13 should ride in the back seat.
Older Children Seat Belts:
When children are old enough and large enough for the vehicle seat belt to fit them correctly, they should always use lap and shoulder seat belts for the best protection. All children younger than 13 years should ride in the back seat.

Child Seat Safety
Did you know…
Studies conducted in 2007, 2008, and 2009 found that only 3% of children between the ages of 1 and 3 who were restrained in a car seat were properly positioned?
About 73% of car child restrains aren’t used or installed correctly. In one year, more than 618,000 up to the age of 12 rode in cars with out sitting in a child/booster seat or using their seat belts at least some of the time.

Why is This Important?
Because using a restraint saved 303 children ages 4 and younger in 2010!
Even if you’ve researched car seats and chosen the best one, do you know how to safely transport your child in the car?

Proper installation is key.
It is important to place infant seats in the back seat and make sure they’re rear-facing and should be installed using either the seat belt or LATCH system.

Seat Belt – Check the vehicle owner’s manual to see if you need a locking clip to lock the belt in position. You mght have to extend the seat belt and let it retract to make sure it’s tight.

LATCH System – Most passenger cars manufactured since September 2002 come with the LATCH system. Anchors are in the back seat where cushions meet, and tether anchors are behind the seat. Use the attachments on your car seat to fasten the LATCH anchors. Check your vehicle owner’s manual to find weight limits for anchors and tethers.
It is important to ensure that the seat can’t be moved more than an inch from front-to-back or side-to side. Read your vehicle and car seat manuals for complete installation instructions.

Additional Resources:
Child Car Seat Rules Mostly Ignored, Study Finds
Child Passenger Safety Practices in the U.S.
Safe Kids Worldwide: Child Passenger Safety
Car Seats: Information for Families
Not At Fault? Here’s How The Insurance Claims Process Will Work
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety: Keeping Children Safe In and Around Cars

Insurance in most cases is the second biggest expense people have, and because the initial steps in getting car insurance at a good price can be so frustrating, most people tend to ignore it once they have it. That could be costing them considerable sums of money each year.
While it's easy to mistake auto insurance as something that's a relatively fixed cost, it's not. It can be lowered -- often easily -- to help you save money, the Insurance Information Institute says. Your savings will vary greatly depending on your driving record, vehicle and location, but it could add up to hundreds of dollars per year.

  Generally, when someone decides on a deductible amount for car insurance, he or she sticks with it. But increasing the amount you pay for fender benders is the best place to look when trying to lower your annual out-of-pocket expenses, according to the Insurance Information Institute.
Admittedly, it's a gamble. A car wreck will cost you more this way, but if you and everyone else on your car insurance policy have a history of safe driving, it's a way to save money. And if the threat of a big deductible payment worries you, put the money aside. Use your annual savings as an auto emergency fund so you'll never be caught by surprise.

Joining a car pool has benefits beyond helping the environment. If you carpool with three other people, with each driving one-week shifts, you can cut the miles you drive by up to 75 percent. And the less you drive, the more you save on car insurance.
"Most companies track mileage," says Art Scott, a retired insurance agent who worked for State Farm for 30 years. "Anything under 7,500 miles is considered the pleasure rate -- and that's the lowest. Up to about 13,000 miles is a medium rate, and anything over that is a higher rate."
The amount you save will vary depending on several factors, but J. Robert Hunter, insurance director for the Consumer Federation of America, says the difference could be as much as 25 percent.

The car insurance you need when your car is brand new is often considerably different than what you need later on. Initial rates are generally higher, since you're required to get both comprehensive and collision coverage if you took out a car loan to pay for the vehicle. Comprehensive pays for the repair or replacement of your car from damage that doesn't result from an accident, and collision covers damages if you're in a wreck.
Once it's paid off, most people forget to save money by exploring their car insurance options. Check the value of your car through the Kelley Blue Book or NADAguides.com. You might have more collision insurance than you need. And in some cases, it might be worth dropping it entirely, especially if your car is an older model.
"It's often smart to drop collision on older vehicles," says Mike Barry, spokesman for the Insurance Information Institute. "Comprehensive is so inexpensive, and you're giving up a coverage you might need -- that's worth hanging on to, though."
Among the reasons you might need comprehensive coverage: damage from storms, vandalism and theft.

If you've got your car insurance through a different company than you did your homeowners insurance or renters insurance, you may be paying more than you should. It's called "multilining" in the industry. It means that by combining policies with a single company, you can stack discounts and save money.
Car insurance is the biggest risk for policy writers. You're more likely to get in an accident or have your car stolen than to have something catastrophic happen to your house. By combining policies, you lower some of the insurance company's risk.
"Multiline is where they make their money, rather than just picking up a loser like auto insurance," says Scott. "The more lines (of insurance that insurance companies) can get, the more they're willing to give discounts for it."

If you know you're a careful driver, you might save money with a new car insurance policy from Progressive Casualty Insurance Co. called MyRate. A small wireless device is attached to your car, letting the company monitor your driving habits, including distance, most frequent travel times and driving habits, such as sudden stops or speeding.
After the first year, you could save as much as 60 percent, according to Progressive. But you will be sacrificing some privacy for the savings. And in some states, such as New Jersey, if the company doesn't like your driving habits, it could raise your rate by up to 9 percent.
Concerns about the device's intrusive nature have slowed the rollout of MyRate in several states. In Pennsylvania, Progressive ultimately withdrew its filing to introduce the coverage, says Melissa Fox, deputy press secretary for the Pennsylvania Insurance Department.

Other insurance companies offer similar devices that track your mileage. Allied insurance offers 10 to 15% discount on your auto policy premium if you agree to install a device that tracks your mileage or if you agree to report your mileage whenever you service your auto such as oil change or smog check.

Lot of insurance companies offer profession or affinity discount based on your profession.
For example Nationwide insurance (Allied Insurance) offer up to 15% discount off your auto insurance premium if you are an Engineer, Scientist, Police Officer, Firefighter, Attorney, Registered Nurse, Doctor, Teacher, Pilot .... Make sure you ask your agent if there are any discounts based on your profession.

Due to lack of driving experience and risk-taking behaviors, young drivers’ car insurance premiums are among the highest insurance rates. Teenagers are also the most likely to be involved in accidents, with 16-year-old drivers over 2.5 times more likely to be in a crash than 20- to 24-year-old. Racking up tickets or accidents can quickly drive up your teen’s insurance costs with higher rates, classifying them in a high risk auto insurance group.
Your teen driver can lower his car insurance rate by:

• Maintaining good grades for a Good Student discount
• Completing a driver’s education course
• Paying a higher deductible
• Driving a sensible vehicle (a sedan vs. a sports car)

Steps you can take to lower your teen driver’s car insurance rate:

• Ask about multiple vehicle auto insurance discounts
• Check into multiple policy insurance discounts if you have the same home and auto carrier
• Ask if you can include your teen driver on your policy as an “occasional” or “pleasure-use only” driver

Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL)To lower the teen drivers’ death rate, all states have enacted Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) laws that phase-in driving privileges upon successful completion of specific Graduated Driver Licensing program requirements. GDL programs allow teen drivers to safely gain driving capability before earning full driving privileges. A complete chart of requirements for all states can be found here.
In California, persons under age 18 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian or other person specified by law when:

• Driving between the hours of 11:00 PM and 5:00 AM for the first twelve months
• Transporting passengers under 20 years of age, at any time for the first twelve months.

How to apply for a provisional permitTo apply for a provisional permit, you must be at least 15 ½, but under 18 years of age.
Here are what you need to apply for the permit:
Driver Education and Driver Training Form RequirementsIf you are 15 ½ to 17 ½ years of age, you must provide a:

• Certificate of Completion of Driver Education OR
• Certificate of Completion of Driver Education and Driver Training OR
• Certificate of Enrollment In An Integrated (Classroom) Driver Education And Driver Training Program.

If you are over 17 ½ but under 18 years of age, you may get your permit without the driver education and driver training certificates however, you will not be able to take the driving test until you turn 18.
A parent, guardian, spouse or adult 25 years of age or older, who has a valid California driver license, must be with you when you drive. He or she must sit in a position close enough to take control of the vehicle, if necessary. It is illegal for you to drive alone at any time.
Before being eligible to take your driving test you must:

• Be 16 years old AND
• Have held your permit for a minimum of six months AND
• Have completed driver education AND
• Have completed 6 hours of professional driver training AND
• Have completed 50 hours of practice with an adult 25 years or older. The adult must have a valid California driver license and certify to the 50 hours of practice. At least 10 of the 50 hours must have been done at night

Do I need to add my teen driver with a learners permit to my insurance policy?That depends on your state’s insurance requirements, but in most cases, your policy will cover your teen driver until he or she is licensed.
While many states don’t require liability insurance coverage for teens who have a learners permit, all states, with the exception of New Hampshire, require various types of auto insurance coverage for licensed drivers—and it’s a good idea to adequately protect yourself with full coverage insurance.

Contact us today for a free car insurance quote, we'll show you all your options and how you can save.