Auto Insurance: Factors that
Effect Cost
Auto Insurance and the X Factors –
What Will and Won’t Affect It
Some of us operate in a
world of delusion in which
we cling resolutely to
unfounded beliefs, myths,
and downright figments of
our imaginations. And then
some of us live here on
Earth. For those of you
preferring to reside here
rather than Somewhere Over
the Rainbow, here are some
reality checks about auto
insurance factors that will
or won’t affect your costs:
That speeding ticket from
10 years ago
– Fuhgeddaboudit. No one
cares any more. The
insurance companies have all
deleted their databases from
that long ago, and you have
a clean slate. If your
premiums are high, it’s for
something else, Cookie.
Bright-colored cars
– One of the few things
insurance companies don’t
discriminate against is
color. Color is not a factor
used to calculate insurance
rates. Even if you’re still
lost in the sixties and
paint your car to look like
a giant, DayGlo-orange and
purple peace symbol,
insurance companies will
just hope your driving
ability is better than your
taste.
One speeding ticket
– Relax. You get another
chance. In most cases, you
have to get two tickets
before your rates go up. And
please, stop stressing over
that one ten years ago. You
got a ticket; you’re not a
paroled ax murderer.
Smoking
– Your auto insurance rates
will not be higher if you
smoke. Your heart and lungs
may be screaming bloody
murder, but your insurer
won’t give a whit unless
you’re DWDFSSL (driving
while dead from smoking so
long). Then you’ve got more
to worry about than auto
insurance, right?
Okay, so what factors do
affect your auto insurance
costs?
Driving history
– A "clean" driving record
keeps insurance costs lower.
But don’t get out the Lysol
and start looking for your
file. The less the insurance
company has to worry about
you, the cheaper your rates
will be. So even though you
may act like the Wild Man of
Borneo every other place, be
a disciplined driver on the
road.
Age, gender, marital
status
– You don’t need a doctorate
in statistics to know that
many 19-year-old single
dudes have their brains on
babes instead of the road in
front of them, while a
40-year-old married lady is
generally going to have her
mind more on driving safely.
Driving patterns and
geography
– That annoying law of
averages plays into this.
The more you drive, the more
likely you’ll be in an
accident. The more people
around you, the more likely
some of them are going to be
babe-on-the-brain dudes or
DWDFSSL, and you’re more apt
to hit or be hit by one of
them. And the more you’ll be
out for insurance.
Your car
– Some cars cost more to
repair, are more easily
damaged in an accident, or
are targets for theft. These
always cost more to insure.
Also, insurers know it’s
usually the Wild Man of
Borneo that buys the Dodge
Viper, not the 40-year-old
married lady..
Amount of insurance
– The higher the policy
limit, the more protected
you are against whatever
fate has in store for you,
so the more it costs. Duh.
Credit history
– In some states, insurers
figure if you don’t pay your
bills, you don’t know how to
read and write, so you
misunderstand traffic signs
for modern art and can’t
possibly be a good driver.
There are many other factors
that determine auto
insurance costs, like the
size of your car engine, who
all is on your policy and
their driving records, the
price of tea in China, etc.,
but we won’t go into those
here because that’s another
story in another book in
another library Somewhere
Over the Rainbow, and the
next time you’re there, you
should check it out – or
call your insurance agent.
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