Auto Insurance For The Senior Citizen

Elderly people often hate to give up the freedom of driving a car to take themselves to the places they need to go. They don’t want to admit that their driving skills aren’t what they used to be because they have gotten older. Statistics show that senior citizens who are over the age of 75 and still driving a car have an extremely high percentage of accidents during the daytime hours – and a good many of these accidents are fatal.

Any sort of automobile accident is a good sign that the elderly should give up driving. Any elderly person who doesn’t want to lose the privilege of driving should decide to do something in order to keep their driving skills sharp. In some states, auto insurance companies will give discounts to senior drivers who have successfully completed a senior driver safety course. An agent will know whether or not such a discount is available where they live.

Seniors can save on their car insurance in other ways. One of the simplest of these is to check out all of the insurance companies that serve the area where they live and compare their rates for the type of insurance that is needed. It’s not widely known how much these rates can differ from company to company, but some insurance industry watchdogs say that 300% is an accurate figure. When doing comparisons, Seniors should make certain that they check to see what the coverage they need will include, and whether or not any discounts can help them to save even more.

Another way for the elderly driver to save is to have a higher deductible. They should also try to see that their car is a make and model that is considered what the insurance industry calls a ‘low Profile’ car. These are cars that are not reported stolen as often as some are, and that also have low costs for repair.

Seniors may also want to think about dropping some coverage from their policy in order to save money. If the car the senior drives is an older car, taking off the comprehensive or the collision – maybe even both – can save them money over time. It’s also a good idea to see if there are discounts given for having safety features on the car. Seniors may also be eligible for group insurance or corporate discounts from their former employers. It never hurts to check these things out!