There are two ways of running an insurance group. One is to make everyone pay the same premium rate. At first sight, this is the fairest approach. The insurer estimates the total value of the claims in a year, divides that by the number of people in the group, and that sets the premium rate. Except, this means the best drivers are subsidizing the worst. How can it be fair for a person who has never been involved in a traffic accident in, say, thirty years of driving, to be told to pay the same rate as a young man who has totaled his first three cars? Indeed, if everyone pays the same no matter how well or badly they drive, no-one has an incentive to drive well. We might just as well all treat the roads as a non-stop, old-school jalopy derby event. That gives the edge to the second approach which is to tailor the premium rate to the class of driver. Some groups of drivers are safer than others. Overall, women drivers have the fewest accidents and, when they are involved in an accident, there is less damage. How come? Because, as a rule, women drive within the law and more slowly than men. So, even if there is a crash, it happens at a slower speed. If you are a woman, always look for the exclusive female policies. The better insurance companies run women-only groups and the rates are always significantly lower than for any other group.
The next safest group are drivers in the age range 50 to 65. These are the drivers with the most experience and, more importantly, the reflexes to be able to drive defensively and avoid accidents. Again, speed is a factor with the majority of drivers being law-abiding and more cautious. It’s a sad medical fact that, as people age, their eyesight and reflexes start to fail and the accident rate for those aged over 65 slowly increases. Drivers over the age of 75 are the second-most-dangerous group after young men aged less than 25. This means both the young and the older drivers must take care when selecting their insurers. Some companies offer special policies for each group and the premium rates are more competitive. If you allow yourself to be dropped into a general pool of drivers, you could find your rates affected dramatically if you do have an accident.
You cannot change who you are so, if you are young, you have to take responsibility for your own driving. Prove to the insurance company you are safe. Most companies offer a discount if you have a good GPA – good students make better drivers. Go on one or more approved driving courses. The better your early training, the more likely it is you will avoid an accident. Do you best to avoid picking up a ticket and, if you are involved in a minor fender bender, it’s probably better not to make a claim. Keep your record clean. The longer you are insured without a claim, the better your premium rate. You earn the right to pay less. So, when getting auto insurance quotes through this site, always look carefully at the questions about who you are. The right answers here can save you a lot of money over the next few years. If in doubt, do not treat the auto insurance quotes as conclusive. Run the searches again with different answers or call the insurers to discuss what discounts might be available to you.
