It's natural to look for more affordable solutions, especially when
dealing with such a tedious thing as auto insurance. Sure, we all know
that it's good thing to have a car insured, and that it can save a lot
of money in case of an accident. But all this reasoning doesn't do much
to the annoyance when you check for auto insurance quotes and see how
much the thing will cost you. Yes, there are many ways to get more
affordable auto insurance quotes, and there are even more articles on
them. However, there's one method that is rarely considered despite its
general usefulness: defensive driving.
What is defensive driving
Defensive driving is a set of rules and techniques that take the
driver beyond the basic level of traffic rules. Developed by the
specialists at the US National Safety Council during the 1960's as a way
to train professional civilian and military drivers, the defensive driving concept has
grown into an entire education subject over the decades. Now it is
available through numerous public and private schools and courses, where
you can get the respective training. But what does it train actually?
Defensive driving is all about teaching the drivers how to avoid
potentially risky situations while on the road and in traffic. The way
you should act in various risky situations is also taught, which is
important for minimizing the risk of collision. To put it simple, the
principle is aimed at making a safer and more cautious driver out an
ordinary one.
How it can help
It may look somewhat irrelevant to auto insurance quotes at first,
but defensive driving can seriously affect your premiums once you
complete the course. The logic is this: once you become a better and
safer driver and have the certificate to prove it the insurer will
downgrade your risk rating, which implies cheaper insurance. Since
insurers are so sensitive about any form of risk assessment they are
actually very glad when a car owner can provide a defensive driving
certificate - this means that they can reduce the risk of an accident,
and insurance claim respectively. So, from the insurance point of view
it makes a lot of sense to enroll in defensive driving courses.
Moreover, if you happen to have tickets, violations or penalty points on
your driving record, in some states defensive driving courses can be
used to eliminate some of these bad entries. Which, of course, means
that you'll be able to get better auto insurance quotes.
How to start
Starting with defensive driving is quite easy. Since the courses are
available virtually everywhere in the country, you should fine a school
or course that is convenient for you in terms of schedule and location.
Just make sure that they provide a fully legit certificate after the
students complete the course, otherwise there's no point in enrolling.
The process of learning itself can be different depending on the school
you've signed up with. There may be different levels of proficiency or
specialized courses for drivers in different trades. But in essence it's
all about assessing the situation on the road adequately and knowing
how to proceed in order to minimize risk. And that's certainly a great
bonus to having cheaper auto insurance.
