Free Guide to Cutting Costs on Garrison Auto Insurance Online

Scraping up a payment for overpriced auto insurance can dwindle your savings account and put a big crunch on your finances. Doing a price comparison is a great way to help make ends meet. Companies like GEICO and Progressive all claim big savings with fancy advertisements and it is difficult to sift through the bull and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.

It's important to compare prices yearly since insurance rates are constantly changing. Despite the fact that you may have had the best deal a couple years back a different company probably has better rates today. Starting right now, ignore everything you know about auto insurance because it's time to teach you the proper way to find lower rates on auto insurance.

If you have a current auto insurance policy or need new coverage, you can learn to find better prices while maximizing coverage. Finding the best rates in Garrison is easy if you know what you're doing. New York vehicle owners just need to know the proper methods to buy auto insurance over the internet.

Are you getting all your discounts?

Companies that sell car insurance don't list every available discount in a way that's easy to find, so here is a list some of the best known as well as the least known discounts you could be receiving. If you aren't receiving every discount you deserve, you are throwing money away.

  • Good Student Discount - Performing well in school can get you a discount of up to 25%. The discount lasts well after school through age 25.
  • Life Insurance Discount - Select insurance companies reward you with better rates if you take out a life insurance policy as well.
  • Senior Discount - If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may be able to get better auto insurance rates.
  • No Accidents - Drivers who don't have accidents can earn big discounts compared to drivers who are more careless.
  • Payment Method - By paying your policy upfront instead of monthly or quarterly installments you may reduce your total bill.
  • Accident Waiver - A handful of insurance companies will forgive one accident before your rates go up if you are claim-free prior to the accident.
  • Passive Restraint Discount - Vehicles with factory air bags or automatic seat belts can qualify for discounts of more than 20%.
  • Seat Belt Usage - Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to buckle their seat belts can save up to 15% off your PIP or medical payments premium.
  • Government Employees - Active or retired federal employment can save as much as 8% with certain companies.
  • Anti-theft Discount - Vehicles with anti-theft systems help deter theft and will save you 10% or more.

Drivers should understand that some of the credits will not apply to your bottom line cost. Most only cut individual premiums such as medical payments or collision. So even though they make it sound like all the discounts add up to a free policy, companies wouldn't make money that way.

New York auto insurance

Good Decisions Result in Lower Rates

Smart consumers have a good feel for the factors that help determine auto insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what controls the rates you pay enables informed choices that can help you get lower auto insurance prices.

  • Traffic citations inflate rates - Even a single speeding ticket can boost insurance rates twenty percent or more. Careful drivers have lower premiums compared to drivers with tickets. Drivers who get flagrant violations such as reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence may be required to submit a SR-22 form with the DMV in their state in order to keep their license.
  • Your location affects your rates - Residing in a rural area has it's advantages when buying auto insurance. Less people living in that area translates into fewer accidents and also fewer theft and vandalism claims. City drivers tend to have congested traffic and much longer commute distances. Longer commute distances can result in more accidents.
  • Men pay higher rates - Statistics have proven women are more cautious behind the wheel. However, this does not mean men are worse drivers. Women and men are in accidents at about the same rate, but men have costlier accidents. Men also get more serious tickets like reckless driving and DUI. Teenage male drivers are most likely to cause an accident and therefore are the most expensive to insure.
  • Your auto insurance rates can be influenced by your job - Did you know your auto insurance rates can be affected by your occupation? Occupations like doctors, social workers and dentists tend to have the highest average rates because of stressful work requirements and lengthy work days. Other occupations such as pilots, historians and performers receive lower rates.
  • Save money with special equipment - Purchasing a vehicle with an alarm system can help bring down rates. Theft prevention features such as tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar all aid in stopping auto theft.

Tailor your coverage to you

When it comes to buying proper insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is not a one size fits all plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs and your policy should reflect that. For instance, these questions can help discover whether you might need professional guidance.

  • Should I buy only the required New York minimum liability coverage?
  • When does my teenage driver need to be added to my policy?
  • Should I put collision coverage on all my vehicles?
  • What companies insure drivers after a DUI or DWI?
  • What can I do if my company won't pay a claim?
  • Does my policy cover me when driving someone else's vehicle?
  • Should I drop comprehensive coverage on older vehicles?

If you can't answer these questions, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or click here for a list of auto insurance companies in your area. It's fast, doesn't cost anything and can help protect your family.

How can State Farm and Allstate save drivers who switch?

New York drivers get pounded daily by advertisements for car insurance savings by State Farm and Allstate. All the ads have a common claim that you'll save big after switching to their company.

How can each company say the same thing?

All companies have a preferred profile for the driver that earns them a profit. An example of a preferred risk might be profiled as between 30 and 50, has no prior claims, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. A propective insured that hits that "sweet spot" will qualify for the lowest rates and as a result will probably save when they switch companies.

Potential insureds who are not a match for the requirements will be charged more money and this can result in business not being written. The ad wording is "customers that switch" not "everybody who quotes" save that much. This is how companies can advertise the way they do. That is why drivers should get quotes from several different companies. It's not possible to predict which insurance companies will provide you with the cheapest rates.

Learn more about auto insurance in New York

More detailed New York auto insurance information is available at the New York Department of Financial Services website. New York drivers can file complaints about a company, view agent and company licensing information, learn about insurance regulations, and read industry bulletins.

New York auto insurance quotes

In the end, you save

In this article, we covered a lot of techniques to reduce auto insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more you quote, the better your chances of lowering your rates. You may be surprised to find that the best prices are with the least-expected company. Regional companies may only write in your state and offer lower rates than the large multi-state companies such as .

As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, it's a bad idea to skimp on coverage in order to save money. There have been many cases where consumers will sacrifice liability limits or collision coverage only to find out that the savings was not a smart move. Your goal should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at a price you can afford, not the least amount of coverage.