Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Auto Insurance -- Ways To Get It Cheap

By Chimezirim Odimba

Insurers give give customers who have remained loyal a 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.

But it will only be right for me to also point out that in spite of these incentives, you might actually gain more if you switch to another insurer.

Don't make the mistake of parking your car in places where it won't be safe. .By safe I mean places where the risks of theft, vandalism or accidental damage are very low. I hope you also know that you'll pay less if you have a garage for your car.

Also make sure that your car is always parked in a well-lit area. It's certainly not a good idea to leave your car in the open street all through the night.

Being part of associations, especially the big ones, will get you discounts on your auto insurance. 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.

One good way to make sure you get more affordable rates is being careful always while driving. Please, ensure that you make it a policy not to drive if you so much as sip any alcoholic beverage.

Traffic offences that are related to having more than the permissible level of alcohol in your blood will make you get very high rates. While alcohol-related traffic offences have very immediate and grave repercussions, speeding tickets will also affect your rates negatively if they pile up. You'll do yourself a world of good if you obey all traffic laws at all times.

If you live in an urban area do your best to use the public transport system as much as possible. The less you use your car, the lower your mileage will be. And since mileage is a strong factor that determines your premium, you'll attract more affordable rates. The rule should be: Use your car only when you do not have a more cost-effective alternative.

And...

You will save much if you really have between 25-30 minutes. Visit, obtain and compare auto insurance quotes from several insurance quotes sites. The lowest quote should be what you pick easily.

But, you have to go beyond just the cheapest quote to the best price/value. The cheapest may not be the best price/value for you as an individual.

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