Well, I’ll try to offer a few, based on my experience:
- Drive safely - accidents and tickets are the number one reason people’s rates go up.
- Don’t speed.
- Stay alert and drive defensively.
- That means you put your phone away and don’t get it out again until you arrive at your destination.
- No, seriously. Even if it’s not illegal where you are, talking on the phone (hands-free or not) is sufficiently distracting that it raises your accident risk to the point where it’s equivalent to driving with a 0.08 BAC (the “legal limit” in most places in the U.S.).
- Texting is that, PLUS you’re taking your eyes off the road for a minimum 3–5 seconds at a time. At just 25 mph, in a school zone (yeah, like you’re also watching your speedometer if you’re texting), you travel 180 feet in 5 seconds - half a football field. Try just walking across the room with your eyes closed, and then think about how damnably irresponsible it is to do that driving a multi-ton hunk of metal.
- Don’t ever, EVER drive under the influence. An SR-22 requirement makes even crappy insurance prohibitively expensive.
Don’t let your insurance lapse - if you have a gap in coverage because you let your old policy lapse before getting a new one, the new one is likely going to be more expensive.
There’s a statistical correlation between people who let their insurance lapse and having more accidents. Insurance companies rate accordingly.
Don’t get fly-by-night, super-cheap, advertised-on-daytime-TV insurance. You’ll pay for it in the end. Don’t assume cheaper is better, and make sure you compare coverage, not just price.
Even if you go with a reputable company, don’t get the cheapest plan you can buy. Auto accidents are common enough that you’re virtually guaranteed to need your coverage at some point, even if you’re a great driver yourself. Shop with that in mind.
Listen to your insurance agent when he recommends certain coverages and limits for you. He’s an experienced professional, and insurance is there to protect you, to cover your losses when the unexpected happens.
Generally speaking, your agent understands insurance way better than you, and can do a good job of helping you understand what kind of protection you need.
Talk through how liability works in your state (some states have “no-fault” coverage) and make sure you get coverage that actually protects you.
Do your best to understand which coverages do what, but still listen to your agent’s advice. [2]
ALWAYS opt for uninsured/underinsured motorist protection.
You do not want to be left holding the bag if some jerk hits you and wasn’t carrying insurance.
Yeah, the other driver’s liable for your medical bills, but if he’s not carrying insurance, chances are he doesn’t have any money to pay your bills, either. Can’t get blood from a stone.
Higher liability limits usually don’t cost much more (sometimes only a few cents a month), especially property damage liability, and if you ever smash something expensive, you’ll be glad you didn’t go with state-minimum limits.
Let your agent help you balance the current value of your car against the cost of physical damage coverage.
If you have a new/newer car, a lot of insurance companies have a replacement-cost coverage. That way, even if your car’s a total loss, and is only worth 60% of what you still owe on it, you’re not starting from square one (or upside down, even).
Don’t take it as gospel, but you can usually ballpark the depreciated value of your current car if you go to Kelly Blue Book and run the trade-in value.
Bundle. Most insurance companies will give you discounts if you have auto and property together with them, plus then you only have one set of contact info to worry about.
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