Does having a child affect your car insurance?

Having a baby changes virtually every aspect of your life. You know that your life will revolve around sleepless nights and diapers for the next couple years, but did you know that everything down to your auto insurance will be affected?

With a new baby in the home, it’s important to review your insurance, but that doesn’t mean that your new addition will affect your rates.

When you have a baby on board, it immediately changes the way that you drive. You suddenly start to think about the dangers of driving fast and the consequences of having an accident.

Without adequate insurance limits, the money that you’ve been saving to send you precious baby to college could be tied up settling personal injury and damages claims.

Make sure you have the right coverage to protect even the smallest members of your family. Enter your zip code above to get started!

Purchasing a Safer Vehicle

You don’t have to buy a minivan when you have a baby, but many new parents decide to trade their sports cars in for safer models that have more roomy interiors.

If you decide that it’s time to buy a car with a better safety rating, it could have a positive impact on your premiums.

Auto insurance companies use several different factors to calculate your rates. One of the factors that the company uses concerns the type of vehicle you’re insuring and its size.

While mileage and location have a bearing on the rates, the car’sISO rating has the most dramatic effect.

An ISO symbol is used to estimate how much future claims for damage will cost the insurer. Vehicles that are stolen less often or exhibit less severe damage in accidents will have a cheaper ISO Rating Symbol.

Companies also look up how much damage the vehicle causes to other vehicles by researching its rating through the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Home Ownership Can Change Your Rates

If you decide that you’re tired of renting, buying a condo or a house may qualify you for a discount.

Some companies give out a homeowner discount because clients who own property are proven to be more loyal consumers.

Since buying a house demonstrates that you’re responsible, you can drive your rates down and even qualify for a multi-line discount in the process.

Qualifying for a Good Driver Discount

While it’s not immediate, becoming a parent might qualify you for the Good Driver Discount over time. In most states, the Good Driver Discount is given to drivers with eitherone moving violation or one damage-only accident.

If are two or more infractions or a combination of tickets and accidents, you’re disqualified from receiving this large discount.

When you are responsible for the safety of your child, you’re likely to slow down and follow the laws of the road.

As tickets and accidents drop off of your record, your rates will fall. Since surcharges fall off after three years, it’s possible that you can re-qualify for the Good Driver Discount by the time your baby is a toddler.

Raising Your Liability Limits

If you’re driving around with state minimum coverage, it’s important to reassess your needs.

The bare minimums are sufficient for people who don’t own property, but when you have a child you want to protect your finances at all costs.

With minimum limits, one accident can eat up all of the money that you’ve put away for your child’s college fund.

It’s difficult to say exactly how much coverage you’ll need to pay for third-party claims. The answer depends on how much property you own and how much of a target you are in today’s litigious society.

Most experts recommend that drivers purchase at least:

• $100,000 per person for injuries
• $300,000 per accident for injuries
• $100,000 per accident for damage

The Cost to Insure a Teenage Driver

Time flies when you’re raising a child. Soon, that little baby will become a full-fledged teenager.

It’s not until they are licensed to drive that you have to worry about insuring them, but that time comes much faster than you’d expect.

Be ready to pay exorbitant rates to insure your teen driver, especially if you have a boy.

Having a baby changes everything, even your insurance. While you don’t get a discount for being a parent, there are ways that being a parent can bring your rates down.

If you want to reduce your premiums, use our FREE online rate comparison tool and see if being a parent pays off with competing carriers.