If you are looking for the best Dallas car insurance rates then you are at the right place. DallasCarInsurance.com is committed to helping all residents of Dallas, Texas find the very best Dallas auto insurance quotes - not matter which company that may be.

Dallas is the eighth largest city in the United States and the third largest city in Texas. It is 384.7 square miles with a population of more than 1,210,390 residents. The median income is approximately $38,000 and the average travel time for employment is under thirty minutes.

No matter what your distance is to work or if you just drive for personal errands, car insurance is mandatory. Insurance premiums are statistically lower in Texas, in part because of all of the organizations in place to reduce auto theft.

Dallas Car Insurance Requirements

Since Dallas is part of Texas, if you drive in Dallas you must carry the minimum insurance required by Texas law. The minimum liability limits increased in April of 2008 to $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury. This limit raised the previous liability from $20,000/$40,000. Personal property damage liability was also increased from $15,000 to $25,000.

Texas is able to immediately confirm auto insurance liability through the Texas Financial Responsibility Verification Program (FVRP), which is comprised of several Texas Departments including the Department of Insurance, the Department of Information Resources, The Department of Public Safety, and the Department of Transportation.

In addition to carrying the minimum requirements, you may want to consider increasing your coverage to better protect your financial responsibility. In 2007 there were 139 fatal crashes in Dallas that involved 372 people and 211 cars. The cars involved in the accidents were traveling at an average speed of 60 miles per hour. To get affordable rates for an increase in coverage, use a free online quote tool and compare quotes from many different insurance companies.

Auto Theft Raises Dallas Car Insurance Rates

In 2007 there were 13,791 car thefts in Dallas alone. Auto theft does not just affect the victim, but every insurance policyholder. As is the case with all theft, everyone pays the price. Insurance rates are higher than they would be to compensate for the claims associated with vehicular theft.

According to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), Texas law enforcement reported the top two most stolen cars of 2008 to be the 1994 Chevy Full Size C/K 1500 Pickup and the 1997 Ford F150 series. The remaining top eight most stolen cars in Texas are the 1994 Chevy Suburban, the 1996 Honda Accord, the 1997 Ford Taurus, the 2000 Honda Civic, the 2001 Chevy Tahoe, the 2004 Dodge Ram Pickup, the 2004 Ford F250 series, and the 2006 Ford F350 series.

As you can tell from the years of the cars, every car is at risk, new or old. While some people are under the impression that only new vehicles are stolen they do not realize the value of the parts in the older cars. By reducing you car’s theft risk, not only can you decrease your insurance premiums with anti-theft discounts but you can potentially avoid becoming a victim of auto theft.

Lowering the Cost of Dallas Car Insurance through Anti-Theft Programs

The Dallas Police Department has been in force more than 120 years. It is comprised of 3,623 officers and 556 civilians. Between the Dallas Auto Theft Unit and Texas statewide programs encouraged to reduce auto theft, there has been a major decline of vehicular theft. From 2008 to 2009 there was an 18.3% drop in car theft in Dallas, from 9,614 to 7,859.

In Texas alone there are approximately 100,000 cars and trucks stolen every year. This number does not include the thousands of cars that are burglarized. In 1991 the Texas Automobile Theft Prevention Authority (ATPA) was founded as a statewide effort in the fight against auto theft. It later added vehicle burglary which resulted in the formation of the Automobile Burglary and Theft Prevention Authority (ABTPA). As the numbers of auto theft reduce, so does the economic loss. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the 85,353 cars stolen in Texas in 2008 have a combined loss of $747,107,801. Additionally, 231,211 car burglaries resulted in a loss of $184,558,668.

The ABTPA program is funded through mandated fees paid by insurance policyholders. Your insurance policy includes a $1 fee per car that is paid directly to your insurance company and then collected by the Comptroller of Public Accounts. Of the monies collected only 6% are set aside for administrative costs and the other 94% are applied to grants for various organizations geared at reducing and preventing auto theft activity. Since the program was founded there have been 485 grants issued for a total of $184,322,111. Because of the program there has been a 61% reduction of auto theft in Texas.

Help End Auto Theft (H.E.A.T.) is a program run by the Texas Department of Public Safety in which Texas vehicle owners can register with the department and then place a decal in their window showing program participation. The decal allows officers to pull your vehicle over without cause to confirm vehicle registration. H.E.A.T. works with the police department by assisting in stolen vehicle identification and also has jurisdiction to enter Mexico.

Texas has also established relations with Mexico through the Border Auto Theft Information Center (BATIC) and Border Partners. The BATIC was founded in 1994 and works as a joint partnership in recovering stolen vehicles. Through the program there have been 1,886,361 inquiries and out of those inquiries there has been a recovery of 31,865 vehicles, estimated at $395,713,814. Border Partners further aids both Mexico and the United States for auto theft recovery in the El Paso-Juarez region. All stolen vehicles are entered into a shared database and then both countries work together to investigate and prosecute criminals.

While Texas car insurance is lower than some other states, you can help reduce it even more by protecting your car from theft. Never keep your keys in the car and keep your doors locked at all times. If your car is stolen, immediately report it to the police and your insurance agent. Also be sure to notify your lessor or financer if the car is leased or financed. Review your policy to ensure adequate coverage and request discounts for anti-theft systems. If everyone safeguards their car, everyone wins.

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