Like my blog? Sign-Up for a FREE newsletter! OR Give a ‘Like’ to my FaceBook Page
People love getting discounts on their auto insurance, and insurance companies have plenty of discounts to hand out. Some discounts that auto insurance companies offer are based on your car’s safety features. Safety features can help prevent damage or injury during an accident or help recover your car if it gets stolen. Your insurance agent will know some of your car’s features by looking at your Vehicle Identification Number, but there are others that you might need to tell him about.
1. Anti-Lock Brakes
Anti-lock brakes keep your car’s brakes from locking up when you push too hard on them by making a pumping motion on your brake pads. This motion can keep your car under control when you are driving in bad conditions like wet or icy roads, keeping your car from skidding and getting into an accident. You can tell if your car has anti-lock brakes by turning on your car and watching the dash lights that turn on. If your car has a light that has “ABS” written in a circle, you have anti-lock brakes. Your can also tell you car has anti-lock brakes if your brake pedal pulses under your foot when you press down hard on it.
2. Air Bags Generally speaking, the more air bags you have in your vehicle, the happier you will be with your car insurance rate. Many insurance companies offer tiered discounts for air bags, giving you a higher discount for more devices. For example, you might receive the smallest discount amount for a driver’s side front air bag, the next step up for dual front air bags or the largest discount for front and side air bags. Air bags keep people safer during an accident, so insurance companies are willing to give you a discount if you have them.
3. Daytime Running Lights
Daytime running lights are headlights that come on automatically when you turn on your vehicle. Always having your headlights on makes your vehicle easier for other drivers to spot, reducing the likelihood that you will be in an accident due to others not seeing your vehicle. Make sure you tell your agent if your car has daytime running lights.
4. Anti-Theft Devices
Anti-theft devices come in a variety of forms, but all of them are meant to help prevent your car from being stolen. Some anti-theft devices like aftermarket car alarms need you to turn them on to be activated. Passive anti-theft devices are those that are automatically armed, like needing micro chipped keys in order to start your vehicle.
5. OnStar
OnStar and similar services encourage insurance companies to give discounts for a couple of reasons. If you have an accident, quick emergency response can get you to a hospital sooner if you are injured. If your car is stolen, OnStar can help locate your vehicle so your insurance company doesn’t need to pay to replace it. Let your insurance agent know which safety features your car has so you can get the highest discounts they have. If you have any questions about whether your car has certain features, have your agent look at your vehicle.
Author bio: Alexander Yates lives and writes in London. He writes for www.carinsurance.org.uk where you can find more information on car insurance.