Charles Goodman Group: Friendly Chappaqua NY Insurance Broker
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has been increasing its requirements for earning the Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick awards, but more car manufacturers than ever have produced vehicles that won the awards. Even though a record number of recalls plagued the auto industry in 2014, the number of cars considered safest nearly doubled from the year before. Seventy-one cars earned either Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick , increasing from 39 cars in 2013. Not only do these vehicles save lives by providing additional crash safety features, but they can help lower insurance premiums when combined with a good driving record and other items, such as defensive driving courses.
When you talk to a Chappaqua insurance agent, bring up any safety features your car may have and inquire about available discounts. Your broker usually doesn’t know that your vehicle has a passive restraint system, anti-lock brakes or adaptive headlights unless you mention it, and these features are all proven to make vehicles less risky to insure.
When a vehicle earns a Top Safety Pick award from the IIHS, it doesn’t automatically translate to discounts on coverage.
The insurance agent experts at the Charles Goodman Group of Chappaqua NY can assist you with any questions regarding health insurance or property insurance.
While a car may be safer than others in an accident, it doesn’t reduce the risk of accidents or make repairs cost less. However, top-rated cars can save lives and reduce injuries, making a direct impact on the cost to insure these vehicles. A driver with a good driving record will pay less for coverage than a driver who has caused accidents, and additional safety features further reduce the risk of a careful driver getting in an accident. Features that raise a car’s visibility, such as daytime or adaptive headlights, make it less likely to be hit by other drivers in low-visibility situations. Because your premiums are based on statistics, including data from other drivers similar to you, your insurer has a precise way of calculating the cost to insure your vehicle. Certain cars cost more to insure than others, and while the difference may seem arbitrary, it’s based on data collected from across the country.
Reducing your premiums and keeping them low is important, but the most important part of insurance is having enough coverage. To protect yourself against uninsured and underinsured motorists, it’s a good idea to have comprehensive coverage that pays for repairs when another driver is at fault but can’t make a payment. It can also pay for any hospital bills resulting from the collision, and depending on your policy, it may provide compensation for lost income.