There are a lot of features on a car that can have a positive impact on your car insurance. Things like anti-lock brakes, airbags, high crash safety ratings, and more will all help to keep your rates down. Of course, conversely, not having these features, driving older vehicles that have had safety recalls, and so on can have a negative impact on your car insurance rates.
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What you need to understand is that certain safety features ensure that if you have an accident, you and your vehicle are protected in specific ways during that accident. This reduces the amount of damages to your car and to yourself, which reduces the amount of money that the car insurance company may have to pay out after an accident.
Are there any particular features for which a car insurance company looks?
As mentioned above, anti-lock braking systems (also known as ABS) are a big deal. This prevents your brakes from locking up if you have to slam on them while driving. In addition, they prevent skidding and spinning, which can reduce the amount of damage that occurs if you have an accident.
Airbags are another big deal. In fact, the more airbags that you have, the more you are going to save with this safety feature. If you have a vehicle with airbags for the backseat passengers as well as those of you in the front seat, you are going to get more of a discount than you would if you only had airbags in the front.
Another feature that can garner you a deep discount is a kill switch for your car. A kill switch is a device that allows you to disable a circuit or multiple circuits to your engine, preventing a thief from starting your car when you aren’t there. There are also remote kill switches that can turn off the engine of your car from a distance if your car is stolen.
How can I find out which cars offer the best safety features?
If you are looking for the best features in terms of crash safety, then you will want to visit the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) website. On this site you can find virtually any make or model of vehicle and you can review its safety data. Unfortunately, what you won’t find is in-depth information on each vehicle; just the facts about it.
If you are looking for more detailed information, there are two sources that you can use. The first is Kelly Blue Book. Kelly Blue Book rates vehicles on a number of factors, including safety. What’s more, it will provide you with the cost value of the vehicle.
Another source that you should consider is Consumer Reports. While you will have to pay an annual fee to see the information found here, Consumer Reports offers unbiased reviews of most late model vehicles as well as their safety features. It also offers reviews on those safety features being tested in real-world situations.
What do insurance companies use to determine the safety of a vehicle?
Insurance companies keep a database of every make and model vehicle in the world, every version of that vehicle, and every possible feature that it can offer. In addition, they use the IIHS for the safety data that they need to determine the safety of the vehicles that you choose.
Insurance companies don’t favor after-market parts on vehicles for additional safety, with the exception of a kill switch or a car alarm. For example, they don’t want you coming in after the fact and adding passenger-side airbags in an effort to get a discount because they won’t offer you one based on that. This is because an after-market part has the potential to fail when installed or to be installed incorrectly.
If your vehicle has safety gadgets from the manufacturer that don’t appear in the insurance company database, it is your right to ask for an inspection of your vehicle so that you can get the discount you deserve. You may be able to prove your case with the sale sticker from your vehicle, if you still happen to have it.
Overall, you should consider driving a vehicle with top-of-the-line safety features, not for insurance purposes, but because these features can save your life. With more newer vehicles equipped with great safety features as a standard, you shouldn’t have any difficulty finding a great vehicle that keeps you safe.
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