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What You Must Know about a VIN Search

What You Must Know about a VIN Search

The vehicle identification number, or VIN, is a series of 17 numbers and letters that have been issued to individual cars since the 1981 model year. A VIN is accepted as the standard in North America for identifying motor vehicles. It provides vital information about the vehicle’s manufacturer, model year, model, make, class, and equipment of a vehicle. A VIN can uniquely identify a specific motor vehicle to the law enforcement, government, insurance industry, consumers and other concerned stakeholders.
Why is a VIN Search Important?
An accurate VIN can be used in a VIN search to help in the following situations:
• Help consumers in purchasing a used vehicle. If you know to do a VIN search, you will be less likely to purchase a stolen vehicle or one that has been declared unsafe for use or irreparable.
• You can do a VIN search to make sure that it is accurate and confirms the identity, insurance, and ownership of the vehicle. If any of these are mistaken, you can get them corrected before dealing with any license or titling registration transactions.
• Law enforcement can use a VIN search to help identify and recover stolen motor vehicles.
• Vehicle body and maintenance shops can perform a VIN search or simply examine the VIN to order the correct parts for your vehicle.
• An insurance company can perform a VIN search to make sure that your vehicle insurance is properly rated in the event of claims.
• You can use a VIN search from different commercial services, to check the records on a motor vehicle in the Motor Vehicle Records database. These records can show you how many previous owners the vehicle has had, when the vehicle was last inspected, if the vehicle was ever classified as a “lemon”, if the vehicle was stolen, or if the vehicle had ever gone through any major incidents such as being submerged in water or rolling over. These Motor Vehicle records can also show if the vehicle’s odometer has ever been manipulated back.
Finding the Best VIN Search
Many commercial sites will allow you to use your VIN in a VIN search to help you find your vehicle history report. This motor vehicle report will help you determine if there are any problems with a car. This report can tell you if a vehicle was flooded, wrecked, stolen, totaled, or if there were any changes in the title.
While many sites advertise free VIN search services, many of these reports only show a very small amount of data for free, such as how many “events” the vehicle has been involved in without providing helpful details. When you do a VIN search and pay for a report, you can find out helpful information that can help you verify or find vehicle details such as the manufacturer, model, class, year, tag, address of the vehicle owner, tag, odometer, and more.
It is important to note that VIN search reports only provide the last reported phone numbers and addresses of an owner. There are no guarantees that the information found on VIN search report is the most accurate and current.
If you plan to do a VIN search for debt recovery, collateral recovery or collections, and your subject is purposely hiding their address, you may need a more sophisticated search than a VIN search, such as a search by the car owner name or a car owner address search.

Free VIN Check

Free VIN Check

If you are checking out many potential cars to purchase, you may want to look for a free VIN check. However, most free VIN checks are actually a scam, or they charge for their services in other ways. Alternatively, other free VIN checks only provide minimal information regarding a vehicle, which may not be enough for you when considering a vehicle. One of the best free VIN checks are provided by the National Insurance Crime Bureau. 
This free service from the National Insurance Crime Bureau lets you know if a used motor vehicle’s VIN is found in a database of stolen vehicles. Although this is all the National Insurance Crime Bureau free VIN check shows, it is important to do this in order to prevent this situation. No prospective car buyer should purchase any vehicle, especially any vehicle on the most stolen list, without obtaining a free VIN report from a free VIN check first. 
The National Insurance Crime Bureau free VIN check is a service provided to the public in order to assist in figuring out if a vehicle has been previously reported as stolen, but has not recovered, or has been previously reported as a declared total loss or salvage vehicle by cooperating National Insurance Crime Bureau members. In order to perform a search of the vehicle, you must have the vehicle’s VIN available. A maximum of give free VIN checks can be done within a 24-hour period.
The free VIN report and free VIN check services are offered by the National Insurance Crime Bureau and through many other car report companies. The free VIN report not only tells you whether a car motor vehicle has been stolen, in some cases the free VIN report can also tell you whether the motor vehicle has been. Often, people get the free VIN check first before buying the free VIN report, because if the motor vehicle has been stolen or salvaged, there is no reason to purchase the not-free report. 
Not only does the National Insurance Crime Bureau provide these free VIN checks, but they also provide a list of the 10 most stolen cars. You should take precaution when purchasing these vehicles:
• Honda Accord (1994)
• Honda Civic (1995)
• Toyota Camry (1991)
• Chevrolet Pickup (1999 Full Size)
• Ford F150 Series/Pickup (1997)
• Dodge Ram (2004)
• Dodge Caravan (2000)
• Acura Integra (1994)
• Ford Explorer (2002)
• Ford Taurus (1999)
Getting a Free VIN Report 
While your options may be extremely limited in finding a free VIN check in order to receive a free VIN report, there are still some ways to get more information about a used vehicle before a purchase. You may want to get this report because while the free VIN check from the National Insurance Crime Bureau tells you if the vehicle was stolen, a free VIN report will not give too much information on the following: 
• Lemon title
• Flood, fire, hail, frame or other major damage
• Severe accident
• Salvage title
• Multiple owners
• Odometer rollback
• Theft
• Title washing
• Police, driver education, taxi or any other problematic use history
Furthermore, with a free VIN report, you may not be able to do the following:
• Confirm ownership, service history, and mileage of the vehicle
• Check for any active recalls of bulletins
• Check the availability of an extended warranty
• Check the status of the remaining factory warranty, if any
Finding a VIN for a free VIN Report
The VIN of your vehicle is normally found on the door frame of the vehicle on the driver’s side, although it can also be near the windshield on the dashboard. If you are performing a free VIN check on a used car, then the seller of the vehicle should be able to provide you with the VIN number. If the seller is unwilling to provide the VIN number, this is a very bad sign and you should immediately walk away from the sale of this vehicle because there may be significant problems with the vehicle.
You can then get a free VIN check or a free VIN report by searching for various websites that provide them. While the National Insurance Crime Bureau provides information, you may also wish to try other sources. Be very hesitant with sites that claim they can provide a free VIN report but then still ask for your billing information or charge you on a regular basis. 
You will need to put in the vehicle’s VIN number where directed on a site in order to get the free VIN report. Some websites may email you the report while others will display it immediately on your screen. These free VIN reports will not provide a full history of the car, but they will let you know whether the car has been stolen, had a salvaged title, taken part in a crime, or more. Based on the free VIN report, you can decide if the vehicle is worth purchasing.
You can also use the vehicle’s VIN number to get a used car free VIN report. You can check how many reports have been previously filed for the vehicle. If you notice that there are many reports filed, then you might want to more closely inspect the used vehicle. Be aware that the used car report is not the same as a VIN report. Used vehicle reports usually are not free and they require a fee.
Insurance companies are usually the ones who manage the databases that contain all of the vehicle report information. These reports are given voluntary from the companies and are often based off of the reports for claims or other insurance issues. You can see if the vehicle is stolen, has ever been previously stolen, or if it has had any salvaged titles. You will not be given information about title changes, maintenance, major accidents, or other details.
If the vehicle has never been insured before, or if it was insured by a company that did not provide information for free VIN checks or free VIN reports, then you will not be able to get any helpful information regarding the history of that vehicle. Make sure you ask the appropriate questions regarding the history and the condition of the vehicle. Try and obtain documented proof for as much as possible about the vehicle. If you have doubts, you will need to make adjustments to the bill of sale, so both seller and buyer are satisfied.

A Guide to Motorcycle Helmet Laws

A Guide to Motorcycle Helmet Laws

Compared with passenger cars, motorcycles are much more dangerous as a form of travel. The United States federal government estimates that in 2007, for each mile traveled, the total number of deaths on motorcycles was about 37 times more than the number of deaths in cars. There were 5,112 deaths among motorcyclists in 2008 and 4,281 deaths in 2009. 
Often, motorcycles have excessive performance capabilities, such as rapid acceleration and high top speeds. Motorcycles are not as stable as cars in emergency braking situations and are less visible to other motorists. Motorcyclists are much more prone to accident injuries than car occupants since motorcycles are unenclosed, leaving motorcycles riders more vulnerable to contact with the road surfaces. This is why wearing protective clothing and helmets, is so important for motorcycle riders.
Helmets laws aim to work as a countermeasure for crash-related head injuries, which is a leading cause of death among riders who do not wear a helmet. Many other countries have helmet laws requiring all motorcyclists to wear helmets while riding, but less than half of the states in America have helmet laws in place. Many other states require certain riders to wear helmets under their helmet laws, but a few other states do not have any helmet laws in place.
Effectiveness of Helmet Laws
Based on various studies looking at the effects of states’ repeal, weakening, and enactment of universal helmet laws, helmet use get closer to 100 percent when all motorcyclists are required to wear helmets. This is compared to approximately 50 percent of motorcyclists using helmets when no helmet law is applicable. According to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2010, 98 percent of motorcyclists were observed to wear helmets in states with universal helmet laws. In states without universal helmet laws, helmet use was only 48 percent in 2010. When considering helmets that were compliant with federal safety regulations, proper helmet use was at 76 percent in 2010 in states with universal helmet laws, as opposed to 40 percent in states without universal helmet laws.
Helmet Laws in the United States
Currently, 47 states as well as Guam, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands have helmet laws in place for motorcyclists. Out of these states with helmet laws, 20 of the states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands have a helmet law that is universal for all riders. The other 27 states as well as Guam have specific helmet specifications. Only three states do not have motorcycle helmet laws at all. These states are Illinois, Iowa, and New Hampshire.
States by State Helmet Laws 
• States with universal helmet laws: Alabama, California, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin
• States with partial Laws: Alaska (17 and younger), Arizona (17 and younger), Arkansas (20 and younger), Colorado (17 and younger for both drivers and passengers), Connecticut (17 and younger), Delaware (18 and younger), Florida (20 and younger), Hawaii (17 and younger), Idaho (17 and younger), Indiana (17 and younger), Kansas (17 and younger), Kentucky (20 and younger), Maine (17 and younger), Minnesota (17 and younger), Montana (17 and younger), New Mexico (17 and younger), North Dakota (17 and younger), Ohio  (17 and younger), Oklahoma (17 and younger), Pennsylvania (20 and younger), Rhode Island (20 and younger), South Carolina (20 and younger), South Dakota (17 and younger), Texas (20 and younger), Utah (17 and younger), Wisconsin (17 and younger), Wyoming (17 and younger)

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