From Edmonton to Sherwood Park
With approximately 72,000 residents, Sherwood Park could be viewed as the sixth-largest city in Alberta, but Sherwood Park is not an actual city. It is a large hamlet, or settlement, within Strathcona County that is considered to be an urban service area. Sherwood Park is about 7 kilometres east of downtown Edmonton and is adjacent to the city’s eastern boundary. This mostly residential urban service area is a part of Alberta’s industrial heartland and home to Canada’s largest hydrocarbon refinement cluster. Several of the nation’s largest industrial facilities are also located here. Many locals commute to Edmonton regularly, so having auto insurance in Sherwood Park is a good idea.
Need for Auto Insurance in Sherwood Park
Most locals commute to Sherwood Park via Highway 100 or the Sherwood Park Freeway. This 7.1-kilometre thoroughfare is a suburban freeway with five multiple-level interchanges with intersecting roadways between Sherwood Park and Edmonton. In 2019, nearly 40,000 vehicles used this freeway. As you’d expect with most commuting routes, traffic is heavy in the mornings going westbound to Edmonton and heavy in the evenings going eastbound to Sherwood Park. As a major thoroughfare in the region, over time, you can expect to see roadway construction improvements that can impact traffic in both directions.
Living in Sherwood Park, you’ll experience all four seasons. You can enjoy the sunshine at Barr Estate Winery or Prairie Berry Farm. You also can enjoy festivals and events year-round at Festival Place, a large entertainment complex with a theatre, casino, dining and retail. Generally extreme weather isn’t a problem in this east Edmonton community, but heavy thunderstorms in the summer and snowy winters can make the roads hazardous for driving. If you’re caught in a collision with another driver, pedestrian or object due to inclement weather, how will you pay for damages and injuries?
Details on Auto Insurance in Sherwood Park
It’s not practical for you to carry several thousands of dollars to pay for the injuries and property damage in an auto collision. Having auto insurance in Sherwood Park is how motorists demonstrate their responsibility and financial fitness to operate a vehicle in Alberta. The province requires motorists to have the following mandatory coverage:
- Third-party liability: Covers property damage, injuries and death to others who may be involved in an accident
- Direct compensation for property damage: Coverage for your vehicle if damaged in a collision with another insured motorist
- Accident benefits: Pays for expenses associated with injury or death to other automobile occupants and pedestrians in an accident
Driving without auto insurance can lead to fines between $2,000 and as high as $20,000 for multiple offences. Failure to pay these fines could also lead to jail time.
Adequate Coverage Levels
As a responsible driver in Sherwood Park, the minimum mandatory coverage may not be sufficient. Given the number of people in the community and the greater Edmonton metropolitan area, look for auto insurance in Sherwood Park that offers these protections:
- Collisions: Covers damages to your vehicle when you’re the at-fault driver
- Comprehensive: Provides coverage for non-collision damage and destruction to your car, including theft, vandalism, fire and other covered perils
- Glass: Specialty coverage that pays for all glass damage to your automobile
Your auto insurance policy could cover vehicle theft but not theft of objects inside. Those are typically included under a separate home insurance plan. If you use your vehicle for work, such as delivery and ridesharing, a typical car insurance plan usually does not apply.