Comprehensive Insurance

Some men go to war after turning 18. Others sign up for or renew their auto insurance policy.

Why? Because they finally got a Honda HR-V.

If you are one of the latter, the agency will ask you how much coverage you want for comprehensive and collision insurance. You've got to know what the heck they're talking about.

Both forms of insurances cut a check for car repairs after an accident. The cause of the crash will tell what category the coverage falls under. Comprehensive insurance covers damages for almost anything not caused by a car driving into something else.

Insurance folks call these events: “Acts of God.” Some people think these events are warnings from an eternal deity to...shape up. To others, they are consequences of living on an overpopulated space rock covered with irrational people.

“Acts of God” include events like a tree branch falling on your car, natural disasters, terrorism, vandalism, theft, shattered windshields, or an impact from an animal, such as a deer.

A collision is when you hit another car or an object, such as a telephone pole. Or another vehicle hits you. With collision insurance, you can file a claim and get repairs made no matter who was at fault. (Keep in mind your premium will likely jump next year.)

Is it worth it to get both collision and comprehensive insurance if your car is ancient and not worth much money?

Experts recommend you get both if you lease your vehicle (or you took out a loan), or if your car is less than 10 years old, or worth more than $3,000 (you can look up the value in the Kelley Blue Book).

If your car is worth less than $3,000, you could probably live without collision insurance, since you will be spending more on insurance than the car’s value.

Before you sign up for any policy, get quotes from at least three different insurance companies and ask friends and family what their experience was when they did file a claim for hitting that deer.