I’ve been hearing stories going around here in Washington of people being victimized in car insurance scams. How do I recognize this and is there anything I can do to protect myself?

Bertrand

Kent, WA

Car insurance scams have become a very serious matter today. Not only do car insurance scammers make a living out of conning people, costing them their car and their money while putting their livelihood and even lives in great danger. The more you become aware of how these people operate their scams and fraud business the better prepared you’ll be to recognize this, avoid it and protecting yourself from ending up in a hospital, with violations against your driving records, an escalated insurance rate and a badly damaged vehicle.

Scammers are very creative; they can stage a car accident and make it look genuine, without you knowing you’re already an unwilling participant. There’s a scam that will involve a car accident with another vehicle that would look really damaged, hence the higher payout for them, but what you won’t know is that the said car has already been inflicted with damage before the staged accident takes place.

There are also those who will cause you to have a rear-end crash, making it look like it’s your fault, either by suddenly breaking in front of you so you won’t have enough time to stop or weave you into the path of another accomplice vehicle, causing you to collide with it.

It is important that you take the necessary steps in preparing for these scenarios. The best way would be to enroll in accredited defensive driving schools there in Kent, Washington. These classes will educate you on how to avoid being a victim of car insurance fraud and also has the added perk of qualifying you for discounts with your car insurance for being a safer driver.

My mom agreed to buy me a car for my 18th birthday but she told me that I’d have to pay for the insurance. Do I really need to get auto insurance here in Washington ?

Michael

Kent WA

Wow! Michael, you’re quite lucky your mom just offered to buy you a car when I turned 18 – I had to save up to buy my own AND pay for the insurance as well.

So, as you may have already guessed, yes, you need to at least have liability insurance – it’s a social responsibility. In case you get into an accident, liability insurance will cover injuries, damage to property and even legal fees, if the accident is your fault.

As a first-time car owner and a teenager, to boot, your insurance premiums in are likely to be high. The insurance market dictates the highest prices for first time driver’s car insurance as well as teenage car insurance because research show that a lot of serious auto accidents in the US involve first time drivers and teenagers. But don’t fret, there are things you can do to cut down on the costs of premiums in Kent Washington. For instance, you can probably avail of first time drivers car insurance discounts offered upon completion of divers’ education programs. Premiums will also be cheaper for small and sensible cars rather than the flashy fast cars we all want to have. Finally, even if you may have to pay high premiums at the onset, a good driving record will lower your premiums in future auto insurance policies – so drive safely!

So you know how much need to start saving to get auto insurance in Kent Washington, you can request for free quotes right away on this site – just enter your zip code on the blank box

I was charged with DUI here in Kent, Washington and everyone is telling me that I should hire a lawyer. To save a lot of money, why can’t I just represent myself?

Howard

Kent, WA

Yes, you may be saving a lot of money without a lawyer by representing yourself in your DUI case in Kent, Washington but this could give you a risk of spending a lot more money later on if you lose your DUI case. An old saying that says, “He who represents himself has a fool for a client,” could be true for most criminal cases. It would be almost never a good idea to respond to a criminal charge like DUI without a good, experienced lawyer because a DUI case is such a specialized and technical matter.

An experience DUI lawyer could spot and develop the favorable issues in your DUI case. The DUI lawyer could also assess the value of your DUI case in the particular court and community where it is being heard and he/she could also negotiate the deal that would have the least harmful impact on your particular life situation. No matter how bright you may be, or how much Nolo reading you do, a lay person accused of DUI is almost never gonna be able to do this as effectively as a skilled DUI defense lawyer.

My daughter has just been recently charged with DUI here in Washington. It was reported that she performed poorly in the field sobriety tests. How can we still challenge the results of the field sobriety tests?

Dylan

Kent, WA

There are many ways that a good DUI lawyer in Kent, Washington can attack the results of the field sobriety tests (FST’S). First of all, FST’s difficulties are caused by many things. Yes, your daughter may have performed poorly on the FST’s but that does not mean that she was driving under the influence. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has guidelines when it comes to conditions for administering the FST’s. A lot of things can affect person’s abilities on the FST’s. For example, your daughter may have became nervous when she was pulled over by the police, taken from her vehicle, asked some questions drunk driving, etc.

There are also other factors that affect poor performance on FST’s. The list includes lighting conditions. Your daughter may have conducted the test on little or worse, no lighting at all. Also, part of the list on reasons why a person may fail FST’s would be hills or slippery surfaces, the type of clothing or the shoes worn, if it was too close to traffic and atmospheric conditions. According to studies, many of these road side tests or FST’s have a low probability of identifying intoxicated or drunk individuals.

I see the phrase AV rated Kent Washington DUI lawyer a lot. What does this mean, that the lawyer has an AV rating?

Jenny

Kent Washington

Glad you asked.

An AV rating is simply that–a rating, and just because you see an AV rated Kent Washington DUI lawyer doesn’t mean you should jump immediately into their client pool, as these ratings can be both good and bad.

AV ratings are a system of ratings that are determined by lawyers to rate other lawyes, so someone who is AV rated has been judged by the law community. There are many things which may influence an AV rating, but the most important ones are a lawyer’s type and level of experience, and how good they are at defending their clients.

Typically, the highest rated AV rated Kent Washington DUI lawyer will also have high prices, since, well, they can. Because of this, you should probably only hire one if you have a ton of money or in very bad circumstances. Even so, there are many ways that an expensive attorney might be able to help you pay out what you owe.

–Fashun.