There are literally millions of cars on the road today with thousands of different makes and models tooling around the streets and highways of America. While cars may come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors, many cars look exactly alike, the truth is-no two vehicles are exactly alike. The one thing that all cars in America have in common is the very thing that makes them so different from one another. It's the Vehicle Identification Number or "VIN number" that will ultimately tell the major differences between two vehicles that may look alike to the untrained eye. Each VIN number tells a story, but many decades ago the VIN number served only one simple purpose.

If you have ever been in a car accident, you know the feeling of your heart racing and your adrenaline pumping even if you don't have any injuries. It is difficult to think clearly about the event and the things you need to do immediately following the collision. Below is a checklist of the important items you should document to ensure that the claims process is handled as quickly and smoothly as possible. Feel free to print out this page or jot the items below and keep it in your glove compartment-we hope you will never need it.

Since around 1980, the standard for VIN numbers has been a 17 digit alphanumeric code that represents a vehicle's country or origin, manufacturer, manufacturing division, vehicle description, and accuracy of VIN, model year, assembly plant and serial number. But what were VIN numbers like before 1980? One of the major differences between then and now is that it was not mandatory for the VIN numbers of yesterday to include 17 characters. Most were simply serial numbers that represented the make, model, and year of the vehicle, while others went the extra mile to include characters to correspond with assembly plant and type of engine.

Before looking into discounts, make sure you do a thorough job comparison shopping. Get at least three quotes from three different companies because rates vary greatly from insurer to insurer. Be sure the policies for which you are getting quotes have the same deductibles and the same terms so you can accurately compare rates. Most auto insurance companies offer discounts to their drivers under certain conditions. To get the most bang for less bucks, go through the following items on the checklist below to see if you qualify for one or more discounts!