8 ways to keep your auto insurance costs down...

I read on www.consumerreports.org that According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, car insurance rates rose more than 5% in the past year. Lower gas means more driving, which means more claims and more costs for the insurance companies.
Here are a few ways to help with that…
 

1. Shop your insurance. Many people will get an auto policy, set it up on a draft and forget about it. Super easy right?! They don’t realize every 6 months it might be going up a little, and over time it has gone up a lot! So shop around, get some quotes and see what happens!
2. Don’t file small claims. Most deductibles are around $500. So if you have a claim that is not much higher than the deductible, don’t file it.
3. If you get a ticket, keep it off your record. Do defensive driving, deferred adjudication or get an attorney. Tickets will make your rate go up, and if you get too many in Texas your license could get suspended.
4. Take defensive driving anyway. Some auto carriers give discounts if you have recently taken it, and a Saturday afternoon in the class could save you $$ on your auto insurance. Talk to your agent and see if that qualifies as a discount.
5. Talk to your agent about the new monitoring devices some insurance carriers are offering. They track your driving habits and you could get a discount for trying them out.
6. Check on a bundle discount. If you haven’t already, check rates on putting home/renters and auto insurance with the same carrier to get the discount.
7. If you have teens, make sure they make good grades! Most carriers offer good student discounts!
8. Make sure you have good credit! Your credit score is a factor in your insurance rate with most carriers. The better your credit, typically the better your insurance rate.

An independent agent is always a good idea, because they have access to more than 1 insurance company and they can help you find these discounts and what works best for you and your family.
www.CorinInsurance.com
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