Friday, March 27, 2009

Auto Insurance -- Save Much; Get Sufficient Coverage

By Chimezirim Odimba

Retirees are offered a special discount by a good number of insurance companies. Retired people don't have to drive to work every day. Driving less means lower mileage which definitely makes you a better risk.

Don't forget that you qualify for this discount if you're retired. So it's a good thing to ask your agent. If for any reason they don't have a discount like this, remember to tell your agent about your change in mileage. Unless the change in your mileage isn't significant, you should shop for another insurer if you don't get a decent discount.

Drive as little as possible it will lower your mileage and get you a low mileage discount. This certainly makes sense if you live in an urban area where you have access to standard mass transit systems.

You can also reduce your mileage by joining a carpool.

Never leave your car unlocked and running while you dash in to get something. This is an open invitation to any thief sniffing around. Every thief checks how easy a target is before making a move. An unlocked car with the engine running? What could be easier?

For no reason should you let your auto insurance policy lapse..It will sentence you to high premiums for a considerable length of time. Don't make this mistake while changing insurers since that's one situation where this happens to many people.

To avoid this, ensure the new policy is fully in in force before you cancel the previous one. As simple as this may seem, many folks are bearing the pain of exorbitant rates because of this silly little oversight.

An easy but rewarding way of bringing down your premium is by authorizing an EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer). This just means your insurer takes your premiums automatically from your account at specified periods without mailing you payment notices. This reduces administrative overheads like those incurred when sending payment notices. Your rate is therefore lowered in line with the cheaper cost of giving you insurance.

Do your best to always drive carefully. It's a smart idea to NOT drive at all if you've taken alcohol (even if it's only a sip.

Traffic offences that have to do with drinking will make you get very high rates. Even little things like speeding tickets eventually add up to make you pay higher rates on the long run. So, if it's breaking traffic laws, avoid it notwithstanding how negligible it may seem at the moment.

There are many anti-theft or theft-deterrent devices like alarm systems, automatic gas cut-off system and so on. The risk of theft is an important factor that goes a long way to determine your rate. And since these reduce such a risk, you'll attract a good discount for them. Thieves prefer unprotected cars.

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