Friday, March 27, 2009

Vehicle Insurance -- Steps To Get It Affordably

By Chimezirim Odimba

The longer you stick with the same insurer the more you stand to gain for two reasons: The long term discount and accident forgiveness. Most insurers will give you a discount of about 5% if you stay with them for up to five years (some will give you once you stay for up to three.

The accident forgiveness discount means that your insurer will not raise your rates if you file just one claim. It makes sense for the insurer as it is cheaper to give discounts to existing policy holders than to acquire new ones. The longer you stay, the more you'll save.

However, what you may save by switching to another insurer might far outweigh all the incentives you'll get depending on what your rates are and how much another insurer is ready to offer.

Don't make the mistake of parking your car in places where it won't be safe. This means that you have to do all within your power to NOT park your car in a red light district. Furthermore, you might even get discounts with your insurer if you show that you have a good garage.

And, lest I forget, if you drive out in the night do your best to have your car parked in a well-lit area. That will deter thieves. It's certainly not a good idea to leave your car in the open street all through the night.

You can get discounts from a good number of insurers if you're part of associations especially the bigger ones. They stand to get many prospects easily if an association decides to adopt them as their insurer. Even though you may not necessarily join an association because you want a group auto insurance discount, it makes sense to take advantage of it if it's offered to any association you already belong to.

Do your utmost to always drive carefully. You'll be making a wise decision to stay away from the wheels if you take alcohol.

Driving with more than the permissible amount of alcohol in your blood stream will make you attract exorbitant rates if you're fortunate or be compelled to be without auto insurance if luck isn't on your side. And don't ignore little things like speeding tickets because they cost you far more than the fine you pay. They add up to raise your rate. You'll do yourself a world of good if you obey all traffic laws always.

If you live in an urban area do your best to use the public transport system as much as possible. This will drive down your mileage. If your mileage drops by a good margin, your rate will also drop. The rule should be: Use your car only when you do not have a more cost-effective alternative.

And...

You can bring down your auto insurance costs by getting and evaluating quotes from at least five good insurance quotes sites.

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