When it comes to calculating your insurance rate, one of the numerous criteria examined by automobile insurance carriers is your age. Why? Your age is an excellent predictor of your driving experience and likelihood of an accident. You’re far less likely to get into an accident if you’ve had more time and experience behind the wheel, which means you’ll cost your insurance provider less to cover, and they’ll be able to charge you a reduced rate. However, there is a common misunderstanding that you must wait until you reach the age of twenty-five to see a reduction in your auto insurance premiums. While you will almost certainly spend less than when you were a teenager, you may not experience a big price drop on your twenty-fifth birthday. Your age does not affect your premium rate or override other significant criteria, and rather than a sudden reduction in prices, you’ll observe a gradual fall in rates throughout your adolescent years. Let’s take a look at how your age impacts your insurance, why younger drivers pay higher premiums, and how they may save money on their insurance regardless of age.

Young drivers, as previously stated, are more likely to be involved in an accident than older drivers, making them more risky to insure. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the fatal collision rate per mile driven for 16 to 19-year-olds in the United States is approximately three times that of drivers aged 20 and up. The crash rate among sixteen–nineteen-year-olds is approximately four times that of drivers twenty and older, according to police-reported crashes of all severity levels. Take a look at the steep drop in accidents between the ages of sixteen and eighteen, and then again between the ages of nineteen and twenty! Crash rates appear to level out after then, regardless of age, before rising again as drivers approach their late seventies and early eighties. Is this to say that, like youthful drivers, senior drivers have higher premium rates? Yes, it does! Let us, however, take a step back. In general, as you become older, your insurance becomes less expensive – up to a limit. Teenagers and young adults, as previously stated, are considered one of the most dangerous age groups to insure owing to their lack of driving experience. But what about that magical twenty-five year old age? Is it true that your auto insurance rate drops on your quarter-life birthday? Not at all.

Now, let’s return to our group of senior drivers. As you can see, after a motorist reaches his or her mid-seventies, his or her insurance premiums begin to rise again. Unfortunately, as we age, our response speeds and reflexes deteriorate, making us more unsafe behind the wheel – and more risky for insurers to cover. Unless you reside in a jurisdiction where insurance premium differences by gender are prohibited, gender will affect your rate. Men, particularly young men, pay more for auto insurance on average than women. This is primarily due to the fact that younger males are more likely to: spend more time behind the wheel, be involved in a major accident, receive traffic infractions, drive while intoxicated, and possess vehicles that are deemed greater risk, such as sports cars. 

If you’re a man reading this and thinking to yourself, “Hey!” Whether you’re thinking, “I’m extremely careful, none of those things apply to me,” see if your insurance company offers automobile monitoring devices to monitor your driving patterns. If they do, despite being a young male driver, you may be able to lower your rate. In their early years, generally between the ages of sixteen and twenty-three, the difference between what young men and women will pay on vehicle insurance is most pronounced. Most people will see a significant price reduction after they reach twenty-three–twenty-four. It begins to level off between the ages of twenty-four and twenty-five, although males may continue to witness price decreases until they reach the age of forty-five. Because insurance prices are based on risk, even if you’re in your twenties, your driving record may keep your rates high. Have you accumulated a slew of traffic tickets? Have you had a number of mishaps? If this is the case, regardless of your age, your risk profile will stay high. Things like a DUI ticket or a poor credit score are other hazardous habits or occurrences that will keep your premium high. Another explanation might be that if you start driving for a ride-sharing service, your insurance rate will likely remain high due to the increased hazards that commercial drivers face.

For more information about auto insurance and home insurance, visit https://www.lafamiliainsurance.com/blog/!