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Insurance Reduction

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6 Ways You Can Lower Your Cost of Car Insurance

According to carinsurance.com, the average person is involved in three to four car accidents during their lifetime. That is, each person gets into a car crash roughly every 18 years, according to carinsurance.com. Accidents can be complicated and messy, and the lines are sometimes blurred when it comes to who is at fault. In these cases, an insurance agent will determine who was at fault and is therefore who must pay for the damages.

Monthly car insurance payments are one of the largest expenses people pay. Car insurance premium amounts vary by state.

For example, some states offer premiums around $1,000 while other states average around $2,000, according to carinsurance.com. The national average of car insurance premiums is about $1,500.

Elements that Increase Insurance Premiums

  • Young drivers
  • Being single versus married
  • Previous driving citations
  • Careers with high associated risk
  • Poor credit scores

Elements that Decrease Insurance Premiums

  • Drivers aged 25 and older
  • Being married
  • Good credit scores
  • Careers with low associated risk

There are other ways your to lower your insurance premium besides the points listed above.

1. Making Payments in Full, and Online

Paying your insurance premium upfront, instead of making monthly payments, will likely provide you a discount. Many insurance companies charge interest on monthly payments, ranging from 5 to 10 percent. Some companies even offer discounts for making payments online, since it's cost-efficient.

2. Organization Discounts

Many insurance businesses provide discounts to specific groups, like military members, alumni associations, educational groups, credit unions and more. Geico, for example, provides a 15 percent discount on insurance premiums for active or retired military members. Discounts, and requirements for discounts, differ by company.

3. Insurance Bundles

Purchasing multiple types of insurance from one provider often yields a discount, since insurance businesses would like to have all your business. For example, Nationwide offers a 25 percent discount on premiums if you purchase auto, home and life insurance from them. Sometimes, a discount is offered as a fixed amount instead of a percentage.

4. Discounts for Vehicle Features

Cars with added safety features, such as anti-lock brakes, and side and passenger airbags, typically mean lower insurance premiums.

Car alarms and security features can also help to lower premiums. All of these features lower the risk of insurance claims, which is cheaper for the insurance company. Be sure to check with your insurance company about specific discounts. Also check to ensure your car alarm system is on their approved discount list.

5. Discounts for Short Drives to Work, Low-Risk Careers

Some lifestyle habits affect your insurance rate as well. People who drive far or extremely often pay higher premiums. You should report any reductions in driving distance to your insurance company. For example, if you get a new job that entails less driving, you should let your insurance company know.

6. Discounts for Defensive Driving Class

Many drivers are able to complete either a driver's education course or a defensive driver course for a discount. However, driver's education discounts are only offered to drivers under 21. Also, you have to make sure the course you take is approved for discounts by your insurance company. The driver's education course discount amount depends on your policy. For example, high-cost full service policies offer up to 20 percent off, while low-cost policies typically offer 5 to 10 percent discounts.

A defensive driving course can discount your insurance premium as much as 10 percent. To receive a discount, you must provide your proof of completion for whichever course you take.

Our state-approved programs are developed to bring you a convenient, engaging and affordable way to handle all of your driver-related needs.

What people ask about our online traffic courses

  • Is this an authorized and official course approved?

    Our traffic school courses are accredited by many state and local agencies, including Courts and DMVs across the country. Before signing up for this course, you should confirm the specific benefit you wish to gain from this course with the organization that referred you to an online defensive driving course.

  • Which states accept this as an official course?

    Our traffic school courses - including defensive driving, traffic and driving safety, teen drivers education, and insurance reduction courses - are approved by many jurisdictions across the country. When registering for one of our traffic courses, you will be asked to select your state. If you do not see your state as an option, the course is not currently available there.

  • How effective is your online course?

    Research has indicated most auto accidents happen because of human decision or error, not because of a lack in technical knowledge. Our online traffic safety courses are based on the research and findings of psychologists specializing in the human thought process behind driving.

  • What is your refund policy?

    A 100% refund is available to you at any point during the course, before completing the final quiz.

  • Which traffic safety classes do you offer?

    We offer online defensive driving courses approved by many jurisdictions, including local courts and DMVs. Our online traffic safety courses are also approved by insurance companies for point reduction, premium reduction, and even ticket dismissal. Before signing up for this course, you should confirm the specific benefit you wish to gain from this course with the organization that referred you to traffic school.

  • Do you offer training courses for senior drivers and others looking for insurance discounts?

    Yes! We offer driver training for adults and seniors that can result in an insurance premium reduction. Each state has different requirements for who can complete a traffic safety course for an insurance discount. Some states only permit drivers age 55 and older to complete a traffic safety course for an insurance discount. You should confirm any benefits of traffic safety courses with your car insurance agent.

  • Which forms of payment are accepted?

    Payments are made online with a credit card, bank debit card, or a Paypal account. Visa, Discover, MasterCard and American Express are all accepted.

  • When will I receive my certificate after passing the course?

    Our traffic school courses can be completed in one sitting. You will receive your certificate within a half hour of completing the final quiz.

  • What official documents are required for the traffic school class?

    Students must supply us with payment and all required documents, including traffic citations, in the beginning of the class. Each student must also provide a government-issued Driver's License, or similar proof of identification, and confirm their eligibility to attend the course, in order to begin the traffic course.

  • About how long does it take to complete the class?

    The course is about 6 and a half hours long in states we are not considered certified providers, and is available at your own pace, as you are able to log in and out at your leisure.

  • What happens if I do not pass the final test?

    Most of our traffic school courses permit the driver multiple attempts on the final quiz. All quiz questions are multiple choice and true or false, and are based only on the chapter material covered in the course.

  • Am I required to complete the entire course all at once?

    Not at all! You will be able to log in and out whenever you like. Our traffic school course is divided up by chapters, which allows participants to complete one chapter and complete the next chapter when time permits. Our software will remember where you left off and will credit the time you completed in the course so far.

  • Can I use my regular web browser for this course?

    Yes. You may use Google Chrome, Mozilla, Internet Explorer, and any of the other standard web browsers on Mac and PCs. You may even complete our online traffic course on your smartphone, tablet and other similar devices.

  • Where can I find my login information?

    Your login and password are both case sensitive. Each person's login will be their driver's license number. The driver's license number should be entered the same way you entered it when first logging in to the course.

  • Does Motorist Academy report my successful traffic school completion?

    The process for reporting traffic school courses varies by state. Further details will be explained during your registration.

  • What is your protocol for cancellations and refunds?

    You may cancel the traffic school course at any point during the class, and receive a refund, as long as a certificate of completion has not been issued. Refunds will be credited back the original card or account used to the purchase the class. All accepted refunds are issued within 10 days of an eligible cancellation request.

  • Is this a secure website?

    Yes! We are a Verified Secure Site, which means all information provided by students, including personal data and credit card numbers, is encrypted and secured. You may view our secure site verification certificate by clicking respective icon in the address bar of your web browser.

  • How do I reset my password?

    Your login and password were emailed to you during registration if you provided a valid email address. If you aren't able to access this email, or didn't supply a correct email address upon registering, you should contact customer support. You may also request your username and password on the Login Page.

  • The timer in my lesson chapter is still running, but I am done. What can I do?

    The chapter timers in your course must reach 0:00 in order for you to move on and complete the chapter quiz. If you finish reading the material before the timer is out, we suggest reviewing the information in bold, highlights, colors, or in boxes. You can also view the points in the "Let's Review" section.

  • I can’t log in to your website. What do I do?

    If you are encountering problems logging into our website, try deleting your cookies and clearing the temporary internet files in your internet browser. You should also review your privacy settings and ensure you have chosen "Accept All Cookies," for our site. Popup blockers and firewalls could also be the issue - be sure to disable them for our site, if needed. If none of these steps solve your issue, try an alternative internet browser. We suggest Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.