Is it true that I will pay expensive car insurance bills here in Massachusetts because I’m a senior citizen driver?

William

Boston, MA

Yes, it is quite possible for you to pay higher than average car insurance costs because you are a senior citizen. Car insurance companies generally categorize their customers into age groups, and each of these age groups have their own risk level when it comes to getting involved in car accidents. Seniors are not in the best position to avoid auto insurance accidents as they used to be when they were younger, due of course, to the effects of aging such as poorer eyesight, slower reflexes and weaker stamina. The higher your risk, the more premiums you would have to pay for auto insurance coverage.

As a senior driver, however, there are still some effective steps that you can take to mitigate the impact of senior car insurance rates, here’s how:

1.If you don’t feel confident that you can navigate a vehicle through hazardous situations such snowstorms for example, it is best to refrain from driving at all. Getting into accidents and accumulating tickets are the fastest ways to increase your insurance costs.
2.If you can, drive an older or cheaper vehicle. Car insurance costs would be less.
3.Have additional safety and security features installed on your vehicle.
4.Take defensive driving courses.

To look for car insurance companies that can specialize in senior car insurance, as well as offer competitive rates, we suggest using our free auto insurance search tool. This tool is a great way to shop around and compare policies and quote offers, and find the most senior-friendly auto insurance companies in your area as well.

I heard auto car insurance companies offer discounts to senior citizens. What other discounts am I qualified for?

Borge

Helena, MT

Though it may seem simple, there are a lot of factors that need to be considered for getting discounts. Most states mandate insurance companies to give discounts to senior citizens reaching age of 50 and above, more commonly referred to as mature driver’s discount. Every senior citizen has the privilege of getting lower premium rates, though sometimes it is never automatically given. You should still make queries about this policy because an agent would not always readily offer it. An insurance company would rarely remind their agents to make this discount available for senior citizens. What a senior citizen should do is to remind their agent about auto car insurance discounts for senior citizens if they are opening an account for the first time. If they currently have a policy, they should always update it, so that their carrier will have the opportunity to review the policy and make such auto insurance discounts available for them.

Mostly, insurance companies offer rates of up to 5 percent to 10 percent discounts for mature drivers. Another one you might want to check is mileage discounts given to senior citizens. This is because the senior citizen age group is deemed less likely to drive or be on the road a lot than those from other age groups. The rationale is that the lesser you use your car, the lesser the probability of you getting involved in an accident – and, of course, the lower the premiums get. Aside from this, seniors citizens are also eligible for retirement discounts; those whose age bracket ranges from 50 to 55 and above may avail this discount of up to 5 percent reduction on premiums.