Orlando Personal Injury & Accident Lawyer Blog

How to Keep your car insurance rates low...

There are a number of factors that will influence your car insurance rates.  Some of these factors you can control, and some you can't.  Each factor corrolates to a level of risk for the insurance company.  Basically, the higher the risk that is associated with a person, the higher your premium.  Following are some of the major risk factors that the insurance companies will consider, starting with factors that you cannot change:

Age - Statistically, drivers under the age of 25 are at greater risk of being in an accident than those over age 25. Drivers between the ages of 50 and 65 generally have the safest records.

Gender - Women are statistically safer drivers.

Marital Status - A married person will pay less than a single person with an identical driving record.

Factors that you can change that will affect your car insurance rates:

Geography - Unfortunately, where you live can make a big difference.  People who live in uncongested and low traffic areas will pay less for insurance than other people who live in higher traffic areas.  It is just common sense that people who live in busy cities or suburbs have a greater risk of getting in an accident.  In addition, some areas have a higher crime rate, which will result in a higher premium.

Driving Violations - Most people know that if they have recently been in an accident, or have a lot of traffic tickets, it goes without saying that their car insurance rates will go up.  People with accidents or moving violations on their record (such as speeding tickets, DUI's, reckless driving citations, etc.) are at a higher risk for accidents.  Some insurance companies will penalize you (in the form of higher premiums) for as many as five years from when the incident occurred.  But, as your record improves, your premium will get lower.

Vehicle Type - A cheap car will cost less to insure than the pimped out Caddy sitting on 22" rims.

Accident Claims - A driving record that is clean and free of accidents will hold fare better for you than lots of tickets and/or accidents.

Credit Rating - Many insurance companies view having a poor, or even no credit history, as suggestive of higher risk and will increase your premium accordingly.

Occupation - Insurers have statistically found a correlation between your occupation and risk. For instance, a pizza delivery person is a higher risk than an office administrator who sits at a desk all day. 

There are numerous other risk factors that the insurance company will use to determine your premium, including:

• Driving distance to work
• Miles driven each year
• Years of driving experience
• Business use of the vehicle
• Whether or not you currently have auto insurance
• Theft protection devices (often results in discounts)
• Multiple cars and drivers (another opportunity for discounts)
• Other saftety features on your car (air bags, anti-theft devices, anti-lock brakes, etc.)

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