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The right auto insurance isn’t just about your car

It’s about protecting you and the people in it. Here is what we would want you to know before you compare a single price.

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Three things to know about auto insurance

Here are a few key things to know that will help you become a better insurance consumer, whether you work with Keith Insurance or another insurance agency.

  1. Not all coverages are the same

    You’ve probably seen commercials promising big savings on your car insurance, but they don’t always tell the whole story. The most important thing when it comes to comparing prices is making sure that the coverages and limits on your auto policy properly protect you, your family, and your assets. We like to use the phrase: “Where quality isn’t expensive, it’s priceless.”

  2. Uninsured motorists coverage is crucial

    According to the Insurance Research Council, more than 12% of drivers on the roads don’t have insurance; that’s about one in every eight drivers. And still more don’t have the right amount of insurance, which could lead to financial loss without the proper uninsured motorist coverage on your policy. If an uninsured or underinsured driver hits you, and you don’t have this important coverage, you could find yourself having to cover those costs on your own.

  3. Did you know?

    In Florida, if you purchase comprehensive coverage on your auto insurance policy, your front windshield is covered for repair or replacement without a deductible. Not to mention, comprehensive coverage covers flooding to your vehicle while it is parked during a hurricane.

Don’t shop for auto insurance, we’ll do it for you

A closer look

What the lines on your declarations page actually do

An auto policy is not one thing. It is six or seven separate coverages stapled together, each with its own limit and sometimes its own deductible. When we review a policy with you, this is the order we walk it in.

Bring us your current declarations page and we will mark it up line by line, at no charge and with no obligation.

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Personal Injury Protection (PIP)
Your own medical bills and a portion of lost wages after a crash, up to the policy limit, regardless of fault. Florida requires it, and there are deadlines for seeking treatment, so tell us promptly.
Bodily Injury Liability
Pays other people when you injure them, and pays for your legal defense. This is the coverage protecting everything you own.
Property Damage Liability
Pays for the other person’s vehicle or property. Required in Florida, though the required limit has not kept pace with what vehicles now cost.
Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist
Steps in when the at-fault driver has no coverage or not enough. It can be written stacked or non-stacked; ask us which you have.
Collision
Your vehicle, when it hits something or something hits it, subject to your deductible.
Comprehensive
Theft, fire, vandalism, falling trees, hail, an animal in the road, and flood. Flood damage to your car is a comprehensive claim, even though flood damage to your house is not a homeowners claim.
Rental reimbursement and roadside
Small line items that matter enormously on the day you actually need them.

Southwest Florida, specifically

Your car and hurricane season

Comprehensive coverage, not collision and not your homeowners policy, is what responds to a vehicle damaged by rising water, storm surge, a falling tree or wind-blown debris. If you carry liability only, a flooded car is entirely your loss.

  • Rising water or storm surge damage to the vehicle, if you carry comprehensive
  • A tree limb through the roof of the car, or debris damage in a wind event
  • Windshield repair or replacement in Florida, with no deductible, when you carry comprehensive
  • Any of the above if the vehicle carries liability-only coverage
  • Personal belongings stolen from inside the car, which usually fall to your home or renters policy instead

Two practical notes. Carriers commonly stop writing new business or accepting coverage increases once a named storm is inside a defined box, so adding comprehensive the day before landfall generally is not possible. And photograph your vehicles before the storm. It costs nothing and it settles arguments later.

Questions we get weekly

Auto insurance questions, answered straight

Does my policy cover other people who drive my car?

Usually coverage follows the vehicle first, so a permitted driver is generally covered. But household members who drive regularly are supposed to be listed, and some policies carry named-driver exclusions that remove coverage entirely for a specific person. If someone is living with you and driving your car, tell us.

I only drive a few miles a week. Can I drop coverage?

You can usually adjust coverage, but Florida ties registration to continuous insurance. Letting a policy lapse while the tag is active can trigger licence and registration consequences that cost far more than the premium you saved. Talk to us before cancelling anything.

My car is old. Is comprehensive and collision still worth it?

That is a real judgement call, and it turns on what the vehicle is worth, what your deductible is, and whether you could replace the car out of pocket tomorrow. We will do the arithmetic with you rather than push you either way.

Will a claim always raise my rate?

Not always, and not equally. Fault, claim type, your history and each carrier’s own rules all matter, which is exactly where being independent helps: carriers treat the same claim history very differently from one another.

Does auto insurance cover my boat trailer or motorcycle?

A trailer often picks up limited coverage while attached, but motorcycles, boats and recreational vehicles generally need their own policies. See our specialty insurance page.

General information, not advice about your policy. Coverage definitions, exclusions, deductibles, eligibility and availability vary by carrier, by policy form and by property, and they change over time. Nothing on this page adds to or changes what your own policy says. Please talk to a licensed agent about your specific situation: call 239-482-3040 or contact the office.

Get in touch

Don’t shop for auto insurance. We’ll do it for you.

Get in touch at 239-482-3040 for a complimentary insurance review today. Bring your current declarations page if you have it, and we will compare like for like.

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