I’m reaching retirement age and I know that means that there will be some changes on my auto insurance policy. Can you give me a hint as to what I have coming?

Gilbert

Great question, Gilbert.

Whenever you get to that point where it is time to retire, you reach the point of your car insurance history where you will have the lowest rates ever. This starts when you turn fifty and officially become a part of the car insurance industry’s lowest risk group, those who aren’t quit middle aged but aren’t quite seniors. It will last until you reach sixty five, generally, so enjoy it while you can.

Now that you are of this age, it is true that there are some changes that can be made, and not just in the initial rates. If you are around fifty five, you will be open to discounts marketed specifically for seniors, and as a retired person, you will probably be able to get some kind of car insurance discount through the American Association for Retired People, or AARP. Most car insurance companies will do whatever trey can to help you get better rates, because you are part of their favorite risk group.

If you have a long history of safe driving, you can get extra discounts for this, and you might want to consider taking a defensive driving course through AARP. If you take a course, you could get as much as a fifteen percent discount with some companies, and it couldn’t heart to remind yourself a bit. Another good way to go is to make sure you are doing well healthily. You are reaching the years in which the health states to decline, and getting regular eye and medical exams can help keep car insurance companies confident that you are road safe.

As soon as you turn seventy, though, your rates go up again because of failing health and the statistically greater amount of accidents in this age group. Save your money while you can.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

I want to be a good driver and keep my driving record clean so that I can continue getting good rates on my car insurance and possibly a discount. Any tips for this?

Marilyn

Sure, why not?

I think it’s really great that you’re trying to watch how you drive and keep your record clean. Many people don’t understand that safe driving is actually a huge factor in car insurance rates. They understand to some degree, but only to the point where they know that their rates will be affected if they happen to get into an accident. Few consider the fact that, even if you don’t have any accidents on your record or even any dents on your car, getting a speeding ticket or a drunk driving charge can make your car insurance rates skyrocket.

The best way to avoid this is to make a sort of plan for yourself, what I like to call the Safe Driver Insurance Plan. There’s nothing official about it, it’s just sort of a list of things that you promise to yourself to do so that you can both protect yourself, your car, and your low auto insurance rates. It’s really easy to mess up and watch your rates go up high in a company that doesn’t have forgiveness. It’s also really easy to avoid situations that might send your rates up.

I suggest that any driver that doesn’t want to see any increase in their car insurance rates in the future draw up a plan with themselves that takes into account all of the main factors of rising insurance costs, not the least of which is sticking with only one company and refusing to check other quotes in case something has changed and somebody else is offering a better deal than they are.

The main things that you should focus on are defensive driving for in case you get into a situation that might lead to an accident, and to avoid getting into those situations; adhering to the law, and that means no speeding, even if you are late for work; keeping your car up to date with the latest safety equipment. You might also want to take a driver’s ed course to brush up on your knowledge and get a discount.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.