Most people cringe at the thought of purchasing insurance. Home, auto, health, life…Where does it end?

A better question is where should it end?

Insurance can be a valuable tool to protect our health, financial future, and property.

Many types of insurance policies are highly recommended, if not mandatory, and well worth the miniscule cost to protect our interests. Unfortunately, there are organizations out there playing into our fear of the unknown to sell us insurance coverage we may not need.

These insurance flops may not be necessary either because the odds are astronomical you’d suffer a loss from the event insured against, or there is another policy you may (or should) already have in place to cover you against the specified peril in question.

Let’s take a look at the top 10 insurance policies you could probably do without:

1. Rental Car Insurance

Also known a collision damage waiver, or CDW, this is not really insurance; rather, a promise from your rental car company stating they won’t make you pay for damage to a rented vehicle. This coverage is actually provided in most personal auto policies (check before you rent) under your liability limits. Additionally, many credit card companies will provide this coverage, up to a specified limit, when using their card for purchase.

2. Life Insurance for Your Children

This is typically sold under the guise that rates can be very low for a child and you may get to keep the low rates throughout their lifetime (and build value if you purchase a whole life policy). Think this one through. The reason the rates are so low is because the odds are slim your child will not grow up to be a healthy adult. The insurance companies make big money, because they don’t pay out many claims (that alone is an indicator it might not be a great value for you). It may be a better idea to start putting money away for a college fund or any other investment account.

3. Flood Insurance

Read this one carefully. You either REALLY need flood insurance or your REALLY don’t. Don’t take this article to say flood insurance doesn’t have its place in the legitimate insurance arena. However, if you do not live in a flood plain or near a waterway or coastline, this might not be necessary for you. You’ll probably know if you need flood insurance if your lender requires you to purchase it to get your mortgage approved. A flood certification is part of the loan process. Not sure? Call your lender.

4. Mortgage Life Insurance

You’ve probably received junk mail regarding this type of insurance if you own a home. This falls under the category, “either have or should have” as mentioned above. A good life insurance policy, whether term or whole, already incorporates the cost of your mortgage, in addition to many other bills you will likely leave behind. No need to double up on this one by adding the mortgage life policy. Click here to read more about how much life insurance you should purchase.

5. Private Mortgage Insurance – PMI

If you finance over 80% of the value of your home purchase in one loan, PMI is mandatory to protect the bank or lender against default. PMI can also be avoided by borrowing no more than 80% of the value of your home, or by taking out two concurrent loans, with the first capped at 80% and the second for any amount above that.

6. Credit Card Balance Insurance

Eerily similar to PMI, discussed above, this is insurance you can purchase for something you should avoid in the first place. Look; if you have to buy insurance, which costs you more money, to cover you against money you shouldn’t be spending, you might be making a mistake. Think twice!

7. Unemployment Insurance

Unemployment insurance is already offered by the state you reside in, but this type of coverage (sold as a separate policy) may be necessary for those who earn large salaries, not typically replaced by state provided unemployment benefits. Financial planners will probably suggest you start and maintain a rainy day fund to cover you in the event you lose your income rather than pay more money for insuring yourself against it. We are not trying to beat a dead horse here, but it may be better to save and plan for some negative events than purchase insurance against them.

8. Personal Injury Protection – PIP

Many in the insurance world share the opinion that this coverage is not necessary for those who are already covered by an existing health insurance plan. The case can be made that PIP is nothing more than health insurance for you while in your car. Speak with your independent insurance agent before cancelling or deciding not to purchase this type of coverage.

9. Accidental Death

Also commonly offered on as additional coverage on an auto insurance policy, accidental death insurance is another example of insurance you “either have or should have,” in the form of a life insurance policy. Many life insurance policies already contain language that provides additional benefits if your death is the result of an accident.

10. Auto Physical Damage Coverage

This coverage is typically mandatory if you lease or take out a loan for your vehicle. Your lender requires it to protect their financial interest in your car. However, if you own your car outright and it’s not very valuable, you might consider dropping this coverage from your auto policy to save some money. It doesn’t make sense to pay for insurance in the event your car is damaged or totaled if you would just purchase a new car rather than fix your existing one.

In summary, insurance can protect your health and financial future, but certain types, discussed above, may slowly eat away at it as well.

It’s important to speak with an insurance agent prior to reducing or removing coverage from an existing policy.

One of the main points of this article should be that it’s important to be informed prior to making insurance decisions. You might find that having good health, life, homeowner’s/renters and auto insurance will cover your needs if you are the “average Joe.”

Get online quotes or speak to an independent agent if you have any questions about your insurance coverage or premium.

Insurance is a numbers game…bottom line. There is a simple answer to every insurance question that begins with, “why is insurance so expensive for X?”

The short answer is because the group in question causes, and/or is involved in more auto accidents and receives more tickets than the average driver. Period.

The same goes for why car insurance is so expensive for teenagers.

You may ask what tickets have to do with it? Same deal; drivers with more tickets are more likely to get into accidents.

But in order to completely understand it all, you need to know how insurance rates are determined.

Let’s focus on one particular piece of the equation to demonstrate why rates are higher for people less than 25 years of age.

Insurance companies keep track of every claim they have to pay for (because it is money they actually lose).

Additionally, there is an organization, known as Insurance Services Organization (ISO) that allows insurance companies to access their compiled data about claims from other companies.

What do they do with this information?

The next step in the process, simplified for the purpose of this article, is to plot the data on a graph and look for certain trends that stand out from “the norm.”

When the information is plotted, it becomes obvious who has more accidents. Naturally, insurers charge those individuals higher insurance premiums.

For example, newly licensed individuals, people under 25 years of age, and those who aren’t married.

Conversely, those with historically fewer auto accidents are charged lower premiums for coverage.

This is also the reason insurance companies review your MVR, C.L.U.E. report and even vehicle history records to determine exactly what type of driver, or “risk,” you represent in terms of filing a claim.

It is worth noting that insurance companies are not allowed to evaluate us based on attributes that can be considered discriminatory, such as race or religion.

What is this information leading to?

Nowadays, insurers are attempting to segment their potential insured into as many different identifiable attributes as possible. This will ensure that those who deserve cheap car insurance get it, and those who are likely to file a claim will pay more. It’s really a way to make it more equitable for everybody.

This pricing model gave rise to the new craze of providing discounts to drivers (good student discount, good driver discount).

For example, if you’re part of a group that normally pays higher car insurance premiums, you may still be able to achieve a lower overall premium for having a good insurance score, maintaining continuous coverage, or being accident free for a specified period of time, perhaps three to five years (how can I lower my car insurance rate?).

Get online insurance quotes or visit your local independent insurance agent to obtain quotes from multiple insurers. The premium you pay may be greatly reduced by seeking coverage from the type of insurer who has an appetite for your particular “risk group.”

The good news is that when it comes to life and health insurance, the younger you are, the more likely you are to pay a lower premium for coverage…so you’ve got that going for you!

(photo: cappellmeister)

If you’ve ever been in a car accident, you know it can be a lot of drama. Aside from any health-related issues, you’ll probably also have to deal with damage to your vehicle.

Whether the accident was your fault or caused by another party, you’ll want your car repaired or replaced as soon as possible.

This is where things can get messy. In the unfortunate event your car is totaled, you are typically at the mercy of the insurance company’s adjuster, who ultimately determines the value of your car.

Which companies are used to determine a car’s value?

This isn’t really an industry secret. There are three companies an insurance adjuster typically relies on to determine a vehicle’s value:

1.Kelly Blue Book

2.Edmunds

3.Nada

Loss Valuation Methods

However, each company uses a slightly different valuation technique. Who is the best? It’s hard to say. But whichever company determines your car’s value to be the highest is likely the company you would agree with.

Often times, your opinion will differ from that of your insurer, and how much money you receive for the totaled vehicle will depend on your policy language. Specifically, the valuation method you agreed to; either replacement cost or actual cash value.

Replacement Cost

Unlike homeowner’s insurance, replacement cost is not an option for every car on an auto policy. On the typical policy, replacement cost is only offered on newer vehicles.

Usually your car can’t be more than two years old, or in some cases, three years old (the latter being rare).

This is basically because a car’s value depreciates quickly. Insurance companies would lose quite a bit of money if they were to agree to replace a three or four year old car with a new one. If this were common practice, we would all be paying much higher insurance premiums than we do now.

Actual Cash Value (ACV)

Actual Cash Value is determined by taking a vehicle’s replacement cost minus depreciation. This is the most common valuation method employed by auto insurance companies.

For example, say you purchased a $20,000 car in 2007. In 2010, your car is totaled and needs to be replaced. Since cars lose most of their value in the first couple years, your $20,000 car is now only worth $14,000…no matter what you still owe on it, which would likely be in the $15,000-$17,000 range after three years, depending on down payment.

That could put you in a precarious position. A check from your insurance company for $14,000 would leave you with as much as a $3,000 auto loan or lease balance deficit.

This is where gap coverage, also known as loan or lease coverage, would come into play. If you have a newer vehicle, less than two years old, it might be a good idea for you. For an additional premium, your insurer will pay the difference between what your car is worth and the outstanding balance on your current loan.

Stated Value:

Finally, there is stated value physical damage coverage, which is normally reserved for classic cars or any other vehicle whose value may be hard to determine. Ultimately, you and your insurer agree on the vehicle’s value prior to policy inception. You will likely have to produce an appraisal from a reputable source to back up your proposed value.

Tip: Keep in mind that if the accident is your fault, you would need to have physical damage coverage in place to ensure your car is repaired or replaced by the insurance company.  That includes both collision and comprehensive coverage, assuming the accident was the result of anything other than a collision.

Anyone who has ever shopped for or purchased insurance has surely asked this question.

Many of us feel like we don’t really need insurance, and only purchase it because it is mandatory to operate a motor vehicle or necessary if we carry a mortgage.

Insurance agents regularly hear the complaint from clients who have paid for insurance for “X” amount of years without ever having an accident or filing a single claim.

Insurance is a Cheap Risk Management Tool

The reality of the situation is insurance is an extremely cheap tool for transferring risk. For every one of us who hasn’t had an accident, we know of someone who totaled a brand new car, had a tree fall on the roof of their house, had something stolen out of their car, or worse, caused a car accident where someone was injured and needed expensive medical attention.

All of the above are “risks” we take every day by operating a car or owning property. That said, where would those who suffered one of these losses be had they not had an insurance policy to cover their liability or property damage?

Depending on the severity of the loss, the answer is likely bankrupt! Better yet; ask the individual who suffered the loss and was reimbursed, how they feel about it. Their point of view has probably changed drastically regarding the matter.

Insurance Costs Are Spread Among a Group

It is important to understand how insurance rates are determined to fully grasp why the costs are what they are. Insurance is a social tool. This means that everyone in the group “pitches in,” or pays a small premium to benefit the group as a whole.

In exchange for the small premium, the insurer might pay out a vast sum of money at any given time as a result of your negligence or to replace your property if it is stolen or otherwise damaged. The amount the insurer pays out would likely be much more than the average individual could afford at any given time, which is exactly what makes insurance so important.

Some people pay into the “pool” and don’t get benefits (file claims) while others do. The problem is you never know when your time to “get something out” will be, therefore, we must continually pay into the “pool” to ensure we get the benefits when they become necessary.

Cost of Insurance Varies Based on Individual Characteristics

The cost of insurance depends greatly on individual characteristics, some of which are under our control, and others that aren’t.

For example, you cannot help what age you are at any given time (such as a teenager), but you can certainly control how fast you drive, or how expensive of a home or car you purchase or how you manage your personal finances (insurance score).

There are also several discounts available to us (good drivers discount, good student discount) as insured that we can take advantage of when trying to snag a cheap rate.

It Pays to Shop Around

Independent insurance agents know one of the biggest reasons a person pays too much for insurance is their loyalty to a particular insurance company, which stops them from shopping their rate every few years.

Often times, insured will mistakenly believe that one particular insurance company is more dependable than another, based on limited knowledge of the industry, or simply by believing in a television ad campaign.

Tip: This leads to blindly accepting higher rates each year from your insurance company. Many of the largest insurance companies in the U.S. also have the highest insurance rates!

While there are less-than-reputable insurers in the U.S., they are few and far between. Each State Department of Insurance aggressively regulates insurance companies who conduct business within their borders.

Insurers must meet strict financial guidelines to ensure they can pay claims and answer to any consumer complaints filed against them. Additionally, a reputable insurance agent will not sell insurance for a company that has a history of poor customer service. It’s bad for their business!

Get online insurance quotes or contact your local independent insurance agent if you feel like you’re paying too much for your insurance. It’s the best way to ensure you get the coverage you need at the price you want.

Insurance Q&A: “Do insurance companies check driving records?”

Well, some do…and some don’t. The answer depends on the risk profile of the insurance company you most closely match up with.

But it’s a safe bet your driving record will be ordered as part of the underwriting and pricing review for your insurance policy.

The companies that don’t regularly order driving records probably won’t tell you, as they hope you’ll fess up about the tickets and accidents you’ve had – that way they won’t have to pony up the money to pay for the reports, which can cost between $1 and $7 each.

It may not sound like much, but if a company is paying for thousands of reports on a daily basis, with no guarantee of issuing a policy, it can add up quickly!

And while you might be able to fib about your driving history to lock in a lower rate, if the company decides to review your records after the policy is issued, they may raise your premium mid-term or go as far as to drop you or not renew your policy.

What do the driving records reveal about you?

A Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) details your tickets and accidents, while a C.L.U.E report documents your claims history. Insurers also review Motor Vehicle History reports.  Typically, your driving history is reviewed as far back as five years for standard and preferred insurers and three years for non-standard companies.

How do insurance companies use your driving records?

Underwriting:

For underwriting purposes, you driving record, comprised of your MVR and/or C.L.U.E. report, may be checked to determine if you are an eligible candidate for their program. For example, standard and preferred insurance companies may not offer a policy to a driver who exceeds their acceptable underwriting guidelines.

On the other hand, non-standard insurers may allow any number of tickets and/or accidents for a driver (or household), but will charge accordingly. Their “appetite” is much broader than that of the standard and preferred carriers. These insurers are much more comfortable with below average driving records.

Pricing:

The other purpose of the driving record review is to determine how much money to charge you for insurance. It’s a big part of how car insurance rates are determined. Put simply, the more tickets, accidents and claims you have on your record, the more you can expect to pay.

It should make perfect sense, but it also helps to understand how insurance companies make money to better understand the pricing of your insurance policy.

What if I can’t obtain insurance because of a poor driving record?

If you are deemed uninsurable by even the most lenient of insurance companies as a result of your driving records, you can still obtain insurance via an assigned risk program.

Assigned risk programs are usually state run insurance programs that will insure any driver. These programs are necessary mostly because car insurance is mandatory in nearly all states.

After all, it wouldn’t make sense for a state to force you to have insurance, but not provide an option for you to purchase it.

In order to qualify for such a program, you must typically demonstrate that you have attempted to get insurance in the regular marketplace, but have been turned down by at least two non-standard companies.

This type of insurance is not designed for those who cannot AFFORD a policy from a non-standard company, but rather for those who have been denied coverage. And yes, you can expect to pay a very high premium for this type of car insurance.

Similar to credit reports, driving records aren’t error free by any stretch, so be sure to ask for the results to verify you are charged accordingly.

Tip: Be sure to shop around, as your current company may be charging you for a ticket received as far back as five years ago, while others only look back three years.

(photo: specialkrb)

American consumers submitted 38.8 million online quote requests and purchased a record 2.8 million auto insurance policies online last year, according to a recent study conducted by comScore.

Both requests and purchases were up more than 20 percent versus the previous year as consumers looked for new ways to save on auto insurance during the ongoing recession.

Many industry insiders also believe insurance, like many other services, is becoming commoditized.

In other words, the average consumer no longer perceives any difference between insurance companies or products, and makes their buying decision based on ease of purchase and price.

Is that an accurate representation of what auto insurance has become?

It depends on who you ask. Companies who already do business solely online will tell you insurance is just a pricing game…the lower the premium, the better the policy.

Companies who sell exclusively face to face with captive agents will tell you a different story…as they scramble to get online.

State Farm has gone so far as to create a website called whyagent.com, aimed at convincing you to go with an agent while also offering an online quote, which likely gets routed to a local agent in your area based on the address you provide.

Unfortunately, State Farm only has one policy to offer their insured, which leaves them vulnerable to the client who surfs the web to “shop their rate.” They clearly recognize the value of using the internet to snag more customers, but cannot do much in the way of offering pricing options…other than reduce coverage.

Can’t you get the best of both worlds?

Sure. In order to get the ease of use and the rate comparisons, you can continue to shop online, but if you prefer an actual human being, you can search for a local independent agent who offers online quotes.

An independent agent will be able to shop your rate with several insurers at one time to ensure you get the best deal. That’s a far cry from the limits of a captive agent and the impersonal touch of direct insurers.

What should you look out for?

Shopping and/or purchasing insurance online can be an easy way to obtain insurance and be relatively certain you have a fair rate. It’s certainly a better choice than purchasing from a captive agent (Farmers, Allstate, State Farm), who can all only offer you one policy at one price.

However, be sure to at least speak with an insurance agent about how much insurance you need before you make a purchase. At the end of the day, you need to make sure you’re properly covered, and the best way to do so is to work with an agent.

Is the trend likely to continue?

comScore noted that 35 percent of respondents who had not purchased insurance online would be likely to do so in the future, and that trend only looks to be rising.

But be sure to supplement your online shopping with the knowledge of a local independent agent if you’re not sure what liability limits you should have, or if you need things like physical damage coverage, PIP, gap coverage or med pay.

Make that call even faster if you don’t know what those coverage types are!

State Farm apparently has too much money to spend on advertising…which should make their policyholders pretty upset.

After all, if they are the largest personal lines insurer in the United States, why don’t they offer the lowest rates? Isn’t that how the concept of bulk sales works?

But I digress. State Farm, which is focused on the increasing trend of individuals buying insurance from direct insurers like Progressive and Geico, has launched a campaign to remind us all why we need an insurance agent.

I visited the whyagent.com website to see why I needed an agent, and was disappointed to find they don’t really offer any solid reasons, rather than make a weak attempt at comedy.

State Farm’s overall point appears to be that we need an agent so we have a live, local person to answer our questions and “take care” of our insurance needs.

Of course, that’s really only half the story. The other half of the story won’t be addressed by State Farm because it won’t help them sell any insurance. Just having “an agent” might not do you any good.

The fact is, using an independent insurance agent, rather than a captive State Farm agent, is the best route to ensure you get the best deal on your insurance (independent agent vs captive agent).

A captive agent only has one pricing option for your policy. No choices…other than take it or leave it.

The only way to get a “better deal” from a captive agent is to reduce coverage.

If you buy a State Farm insurance policy and they raise their rates, your agent can’t do anything for you, other than tell you that “rates are going up everywhere,” which is an outright lie. Insurance rates have been dropping for nearly six years.

On the other hand, an independent insurance agent can “be there for you” and shop your rates with several different insurance companies to ensure you get the best rate, without sacrificing coverage to snag a better deal.

If the insurer you choose raises their rate, an independent insurance agent can simply shop your rate again and move your policy to a company who isn’t raising rates to take more of your money.

Remember, State Farm, like any other national corporation with a multi-million dollar television advertising budget, is selling an image. I can’t blame them, it’s proven to work.

But what most consumers aren’t aware of is the fact that many captive insurance agents had ZERO insurance experience prior to becoming agents.

In fact, that is one of the main recruiting strategies for captive insurers. They can give you a turnkey insurance agency. That’s a pretty scary thought.

Conversely, independent agents almost always have multiple years of insurance industry experience because they cannot get contracts with insurance companies without proving they know what they’re doing.

Do yourself a favor. If you’re currently insured through one of the large insurance companies that advertise on television every waking second, at least consider contacting an independent agent to obtain a quote or two.

You might be shocked to see how much you are overpaying for your insurance.

Although car insurance rates are cheaper for women than men, new technologies seem to be making teen girls a greater risk behind the wheel, according the Allstate 2009 State of Teen Driving survey.

Of the 1,063 teens who participated, 51% of girls said they were likely to use a cell a phone to talk, text, or e-mail while driving, compared to just 38% of male respondents.

And 84% of girls said they were likely to adjust music selections or volume while driving, versus 69% of boys.

Technology aside, 48% of girls said they were likely to speed more than 10 mph over the limit, compared to 36% of boys.

Additionally, 16% of girls described their driving as “aggressive,” nearly double the 9% rate seen in 2005.

Girls are also less likely to speak up if they feel the person behind the wheel is driving unsafely.

Of course, women typically have fewer accidents than men, so their car insurance rates are lower.  And there’s a good chance the boys in the survey are fibbing more than the girls.

But it appears as if the gap is narrowing, so don’t be surprised if you’re stuck paying an arm and a leg to insure your 16-year old daughter.

To keep car insurance rates in check (car insurance is expensive for teens), the best thing your teen can do is maintain a healthy credit score, get good grades in school, obey traffic laws, and drive defensively.

By doing so, your teen will have a better chance of being eligible for discounts offered by car insurance companies, such as the good student discount and the good driver discount.

They’ll also be a whole lot safer out there on the road!

Search for car insurance quotes online or get in contact with your car insurance company or independent agent to determine if your teen qualifies for such discounts.

As of today, auto insurance is mandatory in the state of Wisconsin.

Going forward, drivers in the state will be required to carry liability coverage and proof of insurance.

The minimum liability limits in Wisconsin are $50,000 per person for bodily injury, $100,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $15,000 for property damage.

The state’s minimum liability limits, which were raised in January, are nearly the highest in the nation, behind just Maine and Alaska.

Those caught driving without proof of insurance may face a $10 fine, while those caught without insurance can be fined up to $500.

Wisconsin had been one of only two states that did not require auto insurance coverage, the other being New Hampshire.

“This upcoming change in the law means that people who are currently uninsured need to act now to get the required auto liability coverage in place,” said Wisconsin Insurance Commissioner Sean Dilweg, in a press release.

“Fortunately Wisconsin has a very competitive auto insurance marketplace with over 200 insurance companies doing business here,” added Dilweg. “Someone looking for coverage should be able to find the insurance they need and get covered almost immediately.”

If you’re unable to obtain auto insurance via the private market (such as through a direct insurer or independent agent), you can get coverage via the Wisconsin Auto Insurance Plan (WAIP).

The big question is whether the new law will actually lead to better auto insurance coverage in the state – roughly 15% of drivers in Wisconsin are uninsured.

There’s a good chance that those currently driving without insurance will continue to drive uninsured, all the more reason to carry uninsured motorist coverage.

(photo: diomakr)

It would be great if the sticker price were the only consideration when making a decision to buy that new car you’ve been eyeballing.

But with the economy still barely sputtering along and unemployment holding steady, or increasing, depending on who you talk to, most of us need to consider the overall cost of car ownership when deciding which ride to take home with us.

One of the main drawbacks to car ownership is the cost to insure our vehicles.

While the liability portion of auto insurance is determined mostly by our choice of limits, age, sex, and driving record, the physical damage portion of the policy is mostly determined by the expected cost to repair damage to the vehicle.

Simply put, the more your car is worth, the more expensive it is to fix if damaged and the more expensive it is to insure. Period.

Remember, if you lease or have a loan on a vehicle, your lender, or loss payee, will require you to have full coverage (liability and physical damage) in order to protect their financial interest.

Tip: You may want to consider purchasing gap coverage on a newer vehicle if you owe more than the car is currently worth.

So let’s take a look at the top 10 cars cheapest cars to own (with car insurance included), based on a recent survey from Car and Driver:

10. Hyundai Elantra
Insurance: $3,527
Total ownership: $21,586

9. Kia Forte Sedan
Insurance: $3835
Total ownership: $21,533

8. Suzuki SX4 Sedan
Insurance: $3,563
Total ownership: $21,487

7. Kia Soul
Insurance: $3,760
Total Ownership: $21,063

6. Toyota Yaris Three-Door Hatchback
Insurance: $3,597
Total ownership: $19,847

5. Kia Rio Sedan
Insurance: $4,000
Total ownership: $19,378

4. Chevy Aveo Sedan
Insurance: $3,536
Total ownership: $19,309

3. Smart Fortwo Coupe
Insurance: $3,279
Total ownership: $18,487

2. Hyundai Accent three-Door Hatchback
Insurance: $4,351
Total ownership: $18,029

1. Nissan Versa 1.6 Base
Insurance: $3602
Total ownership: $17,506

Car and Driver rolled in the cost of car insurance over three years assuming the driver was a 28-year-old single male with no tickets, living in the same area as its Ann Arbor offices.

You may notice the insurance costs do not necessarily correlate directly with the cost of the vehicle or the total ownership cost. Some vehicles may be more expensive to repair or may be inherently more dangerous to drive.

Get insurance quotes online or contact your local independent insurance agent to ensure you get the coverage you need at lowest possible premium.

Read more: How can I lower my car insurance rate?

(photo: paulhoule)