May 26, 2011

How Parents Can Find Discounts On Their Car Insurance

Being a parent means managing bills, and for many households, car insurance is a significant expense. Luckily, insurance providers usually offer car insurance discounts for parents or at least a number of insurance discounts that most parents can qualify for. Taking advantage of these discount programs is absolutely fundamental to insuring fair rates on car insurance for parents.

The first thing that parents should do is contact their insurance providers to ask about discount programs. Some insurance companies even post info about their discounts on their websites; they actually want drivers to qualify for discount programs, as discounts are only awarded to drivers who present a lower than average risk of an insurance claim. Qualifying for a discount means presenting less of a risk to an insurance company, so discounts are mutually beneficial to insurance providers and drivers. Most auto insurance companies provide a range of discounts as a promotional tool and as a means of encouraging driver loyalty. Some states may restrict the type of discounts that insurance companies can offer, but discounts that are specifically provided to parents are usually legal, and most insurance companies offer them in one form or another.

Some insurance companies offer simple car insurance discounts for parents, as parents tend to be safer drivers on average. Parents might receive a discount of 10 to 20 percent after they tell an insurance company that they have children. Most insurers also offer discounts for homeowners, as well as discounts for drivers who have relatively safe records and drivers who choose vehicles with high safety ratings. Many parents can qualify for all of these discounts and perhaps a few more. Parents who are willing to take driving courses can get even more discounts, but some parents can't get the necessary time away from their jobs and kids to look into defensive driving courses. Even so, the variety of car insurance discounts provided by insurance companies should make it easy to decrease insurance rates by 20 percent or more with a few simple phone calls.

It's worth noting that many car insurance discounts can also apply to younger drivers, so parents with teen drivers can look into additional discount programs such as good student discounts, which award discounted rates to teen drivers who keep a high grade point average. To get even cheaper car insurance for parents, teens can look into extra defensive driving courses, which provide some of the most significant discounts offered by car insurance companies. Actively looking for insurance discounts and applying for them wherever possible is a great way for parents to keep their rates low and get some relief from their monthly auto insurance bills.