Car accidents happen constantly, and they’re constantly costing us money. Every eight seconds, a rear end collision takes place on America?s roads. There are 6 millions car accidents a year, and the average drivers has to file an accident claim with insurance once every 17.9 years.
These stats highlight an important issue: having the right auto insurance policy so you can get vehicle service when you need it. But auto insurance is for more than just accidents and collisions. If you?ve not yet had an accident, don?t care much about your car insurance policy, or haven?t ever had to go in for car repairs, you may be blissful unaware of how expensive it can be to maintain and service a car as it ages.
But it?s very likely you’re going to have to pay out to keep your car in good shape, and not just from an accident. Although two of the biggest causes of vehicle service needs are fender benders and high speed collisions, negligence and weather damage are also important issues that require auto repairs.
Keeping a vehicle maintained and serviced extends its life and saves money in the long run. But recent research estimates that nearly 77% of all cars on the road need repairs or maintenance. 18% alone have low brake fluid or contaminated fluid, and 35% of us are skipping recommended repairs or ignoring factory maintenance schedules. This is a false economy: it seems to save us money at the moment, but in the end can wind up costing us far more.
Car repairs and maintenance are costly. A recent AAA study found that we, as drivers, are paying an average bill of $500 to $600 to get our cars fixed. A third of us can?t do that without going into debt. Just getting new brakes can cost more than $750, and transmission replacements run an average of $1800-$3500. Yet some major mechanical faults can be put off or even avoided entirely with the proper maintenance.
The right auto insurance coverage will protect not just from repairs that are necessary as the result of an accident, but can also be bought to cover many kinds of routine vehicle service or major mechanical failures that have nothing to do with a collision. This kind of preventative care almost always saves money in the long run, too.
Your car is a big investment, and it?s worth protecting that investment with good car insurance coverage.
