Many Drivers Missing Car Insurance Discounts, Especially Young Drivers

SAN FRANCISCO, July 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Almost two in five drivers are either not receiving any car insurance discounts (30%) or do not know if they are receiving any discounts (9%), according to a new InsuranceQuotes.com report.

A common discount that most people are not aware of is a discount for receiving statements by email; only 33% of Americans with car insurance know about this discount. Less than half (48%) know that their credit score can affect how much they pay for car insurance. Car insurance also costs less for married drivers; only 57% know that.

Young drivers are the least likely to receive discounts, which is unfortunate, since they already tend to pay the highest rates due to their inexperience and perceived risk. Only 34% of 18-29 year-old drivers say they are receiving at least one car insurance discount.

"There are dozens of possible discounts and many are easy to qualify for," according to Laura Adams, senior insurance analyst, InsuranceQuotes.com. "Start by calling your insurance company, because you won't automatically receive all the discounts you're entitled to." That's news to 39% of Americans who have car insurance, according to the InsuranceQuotes.com report.

Some possible discounts that drivers may be missing are:

• Bundling car insurance with another type of insurance such as homeowner's or renter's insurance
• Passing a defensive driving course
• Driving a car with certain safety features (such as passive restraint systems, anti-lock brakes and daytime running lamps)
• Belonging to a certain group (i.e., the military, a union, a fraternity/sorority, etc.)
• College or high school students who maintain at least a B average
• College students who attend a school more than 100 miles from home and do not bring a car

The survey was conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International (PSRAI) and can be seen in its entirety here:

http://www.insurancequotes.com/auto/car-insurance-discount

PSRAI obtained telephone interviews with a nationally representative sample of 1,005 adults living in the continental United States. Telephone interviews were conducted by landline (501) and cell phone (504, including 244 without a landline phone). Interviews were done in English by Princeton Data Source from June 20-23, 2013. Statistical results are weighted to correct known demographic discrepancies. The margin of sampling error for the complete set of weighted data is plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.

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InsuranceQuotes.com is part of Bankrate Insurance. Other Bankrate Insurance companies include NetQuote.com and InsureMe.com.

For More Information:

Kayleen Yates
Senior Director, Corporate Communications
Bankrate, Inc.
kyates@bankrate.com 
917-368-8677

SOURCE InsuranceQuotes.com

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