Owning a car isn’t cheap. Sometimes you’ve got payments, and when you don’t you’ve got gas costs, regular maintenance, and insurance. That last one can come with a hefty price tag depending on a number of factors, but did you know the way you drive can be a key to lower car insurance? Whether it’s with new technology or simply a clean record for several years, there are a few ways in which driving safely can score you discounts on your auto insurance, and who doesn’t love saving a little cash on the things that give you peace of mind?
Safe Driving
So what IS safe driving, really? There are a number of ways to define this, but perhaps the most widely accepted in terms of insurance is defensive driving. There are courses offered that you can sign up for, and depending on the course and what your current driving style is, it might make sense. It’s essentially a driver’s ed course on steroids, with programming more suited for experienced drivers, but the safety lessons are the same. You could also take a little time to review your own best driving practices – we all know what makes a driver safe. Pay attention to your surroundings, leave ample space between you and the car in front of you so you have time to react if something unexpected happens, keep your eyes on the road, obey the rules of the road, etc.
Some of it is simply second-nature, but nowadays there is also technology offered by many insurance companies that can help lower your rates based on data collected from your vehicle that adheres to the standards they set forth for what safe driving means to them.
How it Impacts Insurance
The answer here is – it varies. If you’ve completed a defensive driving course, you’ll likely receive at least a 5% discount with most insurance companies, though many may offer more. The longer you have a clean traffic record and no accidents, the more likely your insurance company is to cut you a discount for that as well – though beware here, sometimes these discounts are only available to long-term, company-loyal customers. If you tend to hop insurance companies, those discounts may be harder to come by.
There are also ways to lower car insurance by enrolling in and completing the safe driver programs your individual company offers. Whether it’s State Farm’s Safe Driver program, Progressives’ Snapshot program, or a number of others, these discounts can vary from 15% all the way up to a 50% reduction in rates depending on how well you follow the guidelines they set out. Often the devices you plug into your vehicle to capture this data pertains to hard braking, quick acceleration, late night driving, acceleration out of turns, and other similar factors.
It may be variable, but at the end of the day, driving safely saves you – not just in your insurance rates, but by the simple avoidance of crashes (and auto body repair shops) and other traffic-related infractions like speeding tickets. Regardless of whether or not you care to enroll in an insurance-specific program, there are undeniable benefits to driving defensively and being aware of your surroundings on the road.
