You're driving along the highway and a stone flies up and hits your windshield. It starts out as a little line and before you know it, you have a cracked windshield. The location of the crack could compromise the structural integrity of the glass, not to mention impair your vision while driving.

Perhaps you're thinking about buying a home in that older, more established neighbourhood you love. Know that if you're going to have a mortgage on your home, you are going to require home insurance. And also know that insurance companies require that certain upgrades be made on older homes before they will offer coverage.

There has been a lot of coverage in the media recently over distracted drivers. With Bill 118 (which outlines the ban on handheld cell phone use while driving in the Province of Ontario) likely to come into effect in October 2009, do you know what penalties you may have to pay if you're found guilty of talking or texting while driving?

You're reversing your car into a parking spot when you all of a sudden hear a bang. You just backed into the car parked behind you! You really dented the parked car, where your car just has a scratch on it. The driver of the parked car isn't there and no one is around. You think to yourself, "I'll just leave and no one will be any the wiser."

Throughout this past summer, Southern Ontario endured a string of violent thunderstorms and tornadoes, leaving a path of widespread destruction that's ruined numerous buildings and homes. For many of the homeowners, insurance will cover most, but not all, of the repair costs as a result of the weather related damage.

In the upcoming months, our monthly newsletter will cover various common insurance situations that you, as a driver, may face and how to handle them in the most effective way. To get started, let's look at a very common scenario: another driver has hit your car in a parking lot, denting your car.

When it comes to insurance, it's hard to miss the following phrase in the media today — "car insurance rate approval." No doubt you've heard about this, but what does it mean, exactly, and what is car insurance rate approval all about? And, more importantly, how does it impact your auto insurance?