Everyone wants to feel safe when driving their car. Car manufacturers have responded, and there have been many new safety features introduced into automobiles in recent years. This can make the car safer to drive, but does driving a safer car actually lower your insurance premium?
There is no clear-cut answer to this question. While there are safety features that can result in a lower insurance premium, it’s ultimately the quality of your driving and the number of claims on your record that will make the most impact on the cost of your auto insurance.
How a safer vehicle can lower your insurance rates
Certain safety features can lower the cost of your auto insurance. These include airbags, seatbelts and daytime running lights, all of which have been standard features on vehicles for some time now. But what about new features like advanced driver assist or backup cameras?
Some of these features can result in lower cost on your insurance, but mostly they are there to help you be a safer driver. That’s how driving a safer car lowers your insurance premium—by making you safer on the roads, which can mean fewer accidents and claims on your record.
How a safer vehicle can raise your insurance rates
While safety features are always a good thing to have in abundance on a vehicle, they can sometimes actually result in an increase in your insurance premium. For example, some advanced safety features can increase the cost of repair for a vehicle. That, in turn, increases the cost of insurance, since that additional cost must be factored into the premium.
Advanced safety features also create the risk of making a driver too reliant on those safety features, leading to a higher chance of allowing them to become distracted or not being as alert behind the wheel. Even if these safety features prevent major injury during an accident, a minor accident that requires costly repair may still occur.
Does driving a safer car lower my insurance premium?
The best way to lower your insurance rates is by being as safe as you can on the roads and avoid getting into accidents. Drivers with a good credit score also tend to get better rates, as insurance companies see this as a good sign they will be paid on time.
While it is true that some safety features can lower the cost of your auto insurance premium, if you are driving a safer vehicle in an effort to lower the insurance rates for your vehicle, you may be missing the point of all those enhanced safety features. They’re there to keep you safe from harm, and to protect you should anything unexpected happen.
They’re also there, in part, to give you peace of mind when driving that you are safe and looked out for, and to help you get back on the road should anything happen—much like your insurance. To find out if you can get a discount on your auto insurance for having certain safety features in your automobile, contact Affordable Car Insurance Tampa today.
