Defensive Driving Courses Can Lower Insurance Rates

Taking defensive driving courses can lower insurance rates by improving your driving record and proving to your insurance provider that you aren’t a risky driver. Along with defensive driving classes, you can also lower your car insurance rates by requesting higher deductibles and comparison shopping online. Enter your ZIP code below to start shopping for free auto insurance quotes.

UPDATED: Jul 16, 2021

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It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right coverage choices.

Advertiser Disclosure: We strive to help you make confident insurance decisions. Comparison shopping should be easy. We are not affiliated with any one insurance company and cannot guarantee quotes from any single insurance company.

Our insurance industry partnerships don’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own. To compare quotes from many different insurance companies please enter your ZIP code above to use the free quote tool. The more quotes you compare, the more chances to save.

UPDATED: Jul 16, 2021Fact Checked

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Chris Tepedino is a feature writer that has written extensively about home, life, and car insurance for numerous websites. He has a college degree in communication from the University of Tennessee and has experience reporting, researching investigative pieces, and crafting detailed, data-driven features. His works have been featured on CB Blog Nation, Flow Words, Healing Law, WIBW Kansas, and C...

Full Bio →

Written by Chris Tepedino
Insurance Feature Writer Chris Tepedino

Laura Walker graduated college with a BS in Criminal Justice with a minor in Political Science. She married her husband and began working in the family insurance business in 2005. She became a licensed agent and wrote P&C business focusing on personal lines insurance for 10 years. Laura serviced existing business and wrote new business. She now uses her insurance background to help educate...

Full Bio →

Reviewed by Laura Walker
Former Licensed Agent Laura Walker

UPDATED: Jul 16, 2021

Advertiser Disclosure

It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right coverage choices.

Advertiser Disclosure: We strive to help you make confident insurance decisions. Comparison shopping should be easy. We are not affiliated with any one insurance company and cannot guarantee quotes from any single insurance company.

Our insurance industry partnerships don’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own. To compare quotes from many different insurance companies please enter your ZIP code above to use the free quote tool. The more quotes you compare, the more chances to save.

Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by insurance experts.

UPDATED: Jul 16, 2021

Advertiser Disclosure

It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right coverage choices.

Advertiser Disclosure: We strive to help you make confident insurance decisions. Comparison shopping should be easy. We are not affiliated with any one insurance company and cannot guarantee quotes from any single insurance company.

Our insurance industry partnerships don’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own. To compare quotes from many different insurance companies please enter your ZIP code above to use the free quote tool. The more quotes you compare, the more chances to save.

UPDATED: Jul 16, 2021Fact Checked

One way to reduce the cost of car insurance is to take a driver improvement course. The idea, from the insurance company perspective, is that people who take an active interest in being better drivers are also going to be a lower risk, and since the company saves money, they pass the savings on to you. Defensive driving courses are not the only way to save money on car insurance, but taking one will definitely be a step in the right direction.

Insurance Risk

Insurance is based on recognized risk, derived through careful calculations and hundreds of statistics. As the amount of risk for insuring a person goes up or down, the cost of insuring them changes in direct proportion. For example, if your risk goes up, the amount of your premiums will increase. If your risk goes down, such as taking a defensive driver course or improving your credit score, then the cost of insuring goes down as well. The more you can reduce the risks you pose, the lower your premiums can be.

Voluntary Driver Improvement

A voluntary driver improvement course can be taken in a physical classroom or attended online. Once the course is successfully completed, you will be presented with a certificate of completion that you can show to your insurance agent to receive an auto insurance discount. You can only make use of this option a single time, and the course cannot have been ordered by a court of law or the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Other Ways to Reduce Costs

In addition to taking a defensive driver course to reduce insurance premiums, you can also get cheaper car insurance  in other ways too. Raising your deductible will lower your premiums, but be careful not to set the deductibles higher than you can realistically afford to pay out of pocket. Driving an older car and dropping your collision coverage will also reduce costs.

Finally, choosing a car with a good highway safety record and a number of factory-installed safety devices will result in your premiums
being much lower than you thought was possible. When your defensive driver course discount is added to all the other discounts available, your premiums could turn out to be several hundred dollars lower than you had first expected.

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Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by insurance experts.

Chris Tepedino is a feature writer that has written extensively about home, life, and car insurance for numerous websites. He has a college degree in communication from the University of Tennessee and has experience reporting, researching investigative pieces, and crafting detailed, data-driven features. His works have been featured on CB Blog Nation, Flow Words, Healing Law, WIBW Kansas, and C...

Full Bio →

Written by Chris Tepedino
Insurance Feature Writer Chris Tepedino

Laura Walker graduated college with a BS in Criminal Justice with a minor in Political Science. She married her husband and began working in the family insurance business in 2005. She became a licensed agent and wrote P&C business focusing on personal lines insurance for 10 years. Laura serviced existing business and wrote new business. She now uses her insurance background to help educate...

Full Bio →

Reviewed by Laura Walker
Former Licensed Agent Laura Walker

Free Insurance Comparison

Compare quotes from the top insurance companies and save!

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