4 Ways That Other Drivers In Your Household Affect Insurance
In times like these, every family household with drivers is looking for cheap car insurance quotes, but many don't know or understand how each driver in the home can affect prices on auto coverage. There are many factors within a family that will affect both prices and coverage available, and since most carriers understand that all licensed members of a household are likely to drive insured vehicles, pricing for risky drivers can affect costs for everyone. Understanding these factors is the key to making sure your family has access to the best insurance at the most reasonable prices. Consider the following four ways other household drivers can impact your family's access to cheap car insurance quotes.
First, and perhaps most commonly, age affects the cost of auto insurance and the chances of obtaining a cheap insurance quote. The reality is that sixteen-year-olds and other inexperienced drivers are more likely to be involved in collisions, so, the relative risk of insuring them is higher. Similarly, elderly drivers also have a statistically higher chance of being involved in collisions, and therefore are likely to raise the rates for auto coverage if they are among your household drivers. Many carriers have researched specific characteristics that increase the chances that a given teen will be involved in an accident. Perhaps the most well known is a study that determined that academic achievement in teens is correlated to less risk taking. Therefore, some carriers offer discounts for teens with good grades.
Second, frequent accidents or traffic citations for moving violations can negatively impact the likelihood that the household drivers in your family will all pay higher insurance rates. Again, this is a function of the risk posed, and the basic premise that a history of accidents or tickets is a reliable predictor of future losses on an auto policy.
Third, serious violations such as drunk driving citations, or accidents, where an insured driver is cited for driving while intoxicated, or being under the influence of drugs can have such a negative impact that they may literally prevent you or your family from having access to cheap car insurance quotes. Some carriers might not offer coverage at all in these situations.
What factors can reduce your risk, and therefore increase the chances that your household drivers will find cheap insurance quotes? Defensive driving courses, history of few accidents or tickets, automobile alarms, and anti-theft features can also reduce the costs of insurance for your family.
Anything that can negatively impacts the risk an insurance carrier takes is likely to negatively impact the costs or availability of coverage to your household drivers.