You can't make predictions when and where an accident might occur, but you can make plans for your protection in case of such an event. Shopping online for free car insurance quotes will enable you to gather the information you need quickly and easily in order to determine the best choice for you and your family's needs.

The main protection against potential hazards to you and your family is insurance – an agreement in which an insurer, in exchange for money paid in advance and/or on a regular time-table by an individual, agrees to assume the risk for loss causing economic or other general hardship. The principle in the assumption of the risk is the distribution of that risk by the insurance companies to you, the policy holder. With enough people paying reasonable premiums, a large amount of money can be generated to cover occasional losses occurring to a few of those very people. Obtaining quotes online allows you to find these reasonable premiums instantly and, oftentimes, for free.

Once you have made your choice based on your comparisons of instant online quotes, your new insurance company will prepare a contract or policy which lists the amounts and types of benefits and reimbursement to you. Car insurance specifically protects against various types of loss in relation to the operation of your car, including damages to your vehicle and/or personal injury liabilities.

TYPES OF CAR INSURANCE AVAILABLE:

Bodily Injury Liability Insurance: This type of insurance provides coverage against the risk of bodily injury and/or death to both pedestrians as well as for the occupants of other vehicles which occur from the negligence of the insured driver. (Negligence is defined as the failure to do something that a reasonable person would do or doing something which a reasonable person would not do. Negligence is considered “the absence of care.”) Monetary damages are limited by the amount of insurance purchased. Insurance companies are also responsible for providing legal defense for the policy holder in case of any civil lawsuit.

Property Damage Liability Insurance: This insurance will provide protection against those bringing claims against the policy holder for property damage involving, i.e., a car or roadside fence. However, those with claims must prove the driver was at fault.

Collision Insurance: This provides against losses occurring to the policy holder's car which have been caused by accidental collisions with another object on or a part of the road. The liability for this is limited to the insured's car.

Comprehensive Coverage: Comprehensive coverage provides against the complete loss of the policy holder's car or partial damage due to such events as theft, vandalism, flood, hail, lightning, windstorm, fire, or riot. However, the insurance company has limited liability based on the cash value of the car at the time of the loss.

Medical Payment Insurance: This kind of insurance will pay medical and possibly even funeral expenses which are the result of bodily injuries to anyone in the insured's car at the time an accident occurs. Some states will pay all medical bills for all family members involved in an accident either riding in another person's car or struck in their own car.

Uninsured-Motorist Insurance: This will provide protection against an uninsured motorist when that person causes an accident and has no bodily injury liability insurance to cover the damages. This provides protection not only for the insured, but also for all the insured's family in the same household as well as other occupants of the policy holder's car. Uninsured-Motorist Insurance also protects those who are injured by a hit-and-run driver, but provides no reimbursement for property damages.

No-Fault Insurance: This will allow a policy holder to collect damages as well as medical expenses from his own insurance company regardless of who caused the accident. The principle behind No-Fault Insurance is an effort to cut down on fraudulent claims as well as to eliminate expensive litigation in the determination of negligence.

In order to avoid potential legal problems, you should thoroughly review all information you have found online and in subsequent insurance purchases made. Make sure you understand all clauses in your contract. The general rule about insurance policies is that vague clauses are usually interpreted in favor of the insured. The best path in online car insurance is choosing both broad and general coverage which are restricted by few exceptions and exclusion clauses which limit the insurer's payment obligations. Always consult an attorney or independent party for clarification. It is also important to remember that all insurance practices vary from state to state, with some statutes addressing legal residents of a state as well as those just traveling through. Please consult your insurance agent for advice when traveling out of your home state.