For new drivers getting a driver’s license can be an exciting time. For parents, the moment might be met with some anxiety and trepidation. What they both might have in common is the sticker shock they’ll experience when they find out how much it costs to insure a new driver.

Getting a license, and potentially an additional vehicle, can be expensive enough. When you add the price of insuring a new driver, which can be significantly more expensive than insuring an experienced driver, it can put families in a real financial bind.

Thankfully, many insurance carriers offer a variety of discounts for students and new drivers. In fact, there are so many ways to potentially qualify for an insurance discount it can be hard to keep track. That’s why we’ve compiled this handy guide to everything you need to know about the types of insurance discount for new drivers.

Academic Achievers

Though discount programs will vary based on your carrier and specific plan, the primary source of savings for student drivers is based on academic performance. Drivers younger than 25 years of age, which means both high school and college students, are potentially eligible..

Generally, you’ll need to keep your GPA at a 3.0 or above, which means maintaining a “B” average. You’ll have to submit proof in the form of your report card or other document. You might also be able to take advantage of a discount if you are in the top 20% of your class, score above certain thresholds on college placement exams, or are make it your school’s dean’s list or honor roll.

Distant Students

This unique discount applies to parents and guardians that attend a school far away from them. This discount for parents applies if they have a distant child that does not drive their own vehicle.

The thinking is that parents should get a break on their student driver’s insurance rates if they are only driving the family vehicles while at home. Your insurance carrier may offer such a discount so if this describes your situation you should inquire about it.

Military Members

You may be eligible for an insurance discount if you are an active or former military member. Whether you’re seeking a discount for going back to school post deployment or are eligible for being stationed away from your vehicle, like a distant student discount, it’s worth checking with your provider to see if you can save on your rate.

Another option for members of the military is a reduced rate due to your vehicle being placed into long-term storage. No need to pay for collision coverage and the like if your vehicle is not being driven.

Enhanced Safety Systems

If your vehicle is new enough to enhanced vehicle protection and safety systems, you may be eligible for a rate decrease. Carriers want to incentivize things that prevent damage to you and your vehicle, thereby reducing their potential liability.

Therefore, safety systems such as backup cameras, lane keeping assist, or electronic stability control may reduce your payments. Similarly, anti-theft devices may also reduce your monthly payments, not to mention preventing you of dealing with the life disruption that a stolen vehicle represents.

Educated Drivers

Some insurance carriers will grant drivers aged 25 or younger a discount for completing driver education or driver improvement and defensive driving courses. Check to see which courses are offered in your state.

Additionally, you might be eligible for a program offered by your insurance company. Some insurance providers are also creating their own smart phone applications that will measure your driving performance and offer discounts and incentives for continued safe driving.

For families and student drivers the cost of car insurance can be a real deterrent, but if you know how to take advantage of built-in incentive programs and discount opportunities you can take some of the sting out of your hefty payments.

The post The Best Ways for Students to Get a Car Insurance Discount appeared first on MyImprov.

Senior drivers have more in common with student drivers than they might realize. They each face high insurance premiums based on assessments of their risk. But that doesn’t mean there are some great ways for seniors to receive discounts on their car insurance. Just like students getting a break on their rate for good grades or driver training, seniors have several options to lower their premiums through incentive programs and enhanced driver education.

There are so many options in fact, that it can be hard to keep track. Since no one wants to spend their free time becoming an expert about insurance premium discounts, we’ve put together this handy guide to getting a break on your monthly car insurance payments.

Usage Discounts for Seniors

Work from home? Already retired? If you’re a senior driver that doesn’t drive as often as they may have used to, you may be eligible for a usage related discount.

The concept is simple, if you only drive your vehicle a few times a week, the risk of getting into a collision or causing damage to your vehicle is substantially less than someone that drives more consistently. If this describes your situation you may be able to secure a usage related discount from your insurance company.

Affiliated Discounts

If you’re a senior that is actively involved with a variety of alumni groups, recreational clubs, or professional organizations you may be eligible for a discount on your insurance premium. It will vary significantly from carrier to carrier, but if you are a member of one of these programs it’s worth checking to see if your provider offers a discount based on any of your affiliations.

Bundle Discount

One thing about getting to an age where you’re considered a senior driver, you probably own more things you’d like to insure than you did when you were younger. As such, bundling things like your homeowners and auto insurance is an easy way to save a few dollars on your, now combined, bill each month.

Safe Driver Discounts

One of the simplest ways for senior drivers to earn a discount on their car insurance is through continued safe driving. Though programs and discounts will vary by each individual company, generally the longer you maintain a clean driving record, the more you could be eligible to save on your car insurance.

So if your a senior driver looking to save some money, continue to the safe driving that you’ve practiced for a lifetime. Better yet, consider brushing up on your safe driving skills. You could potentially save even more on your insurance for it.

Insurance Discount Course

As drivers over the age of 50 experienced increased car insurance rates, several states have mandated that they be allowed to take driver improvement courses for guaranteed discounts. Even if you do not live in one of these states, you may still be eligible for a discount for taking a driver improvement course.

Many insurance providers offer their own courses, and there are several online, 3rd party options that you can take from the comfort of your home. Completing one of these courses might help you save as much as 15% on your car insurance, so it’s worth looking into.

Check with your provider to see if you’re eligible for a course. Then, if approved insurance discount courses are offered in your state. There’s no better time to start saving money than today. You’ll be glad you did it.

The post Car Insurance Discounts for Seniors Explained appeared first on MyImprov.

The U.S. battle with the coronavirus has left many Americans struggling to pay their bills. As state and local governments continue to order business closures, lockdowns and curfews, out-of-work homeowners are wondering how to stretch their dollar. We have prepared some tips that can help you now.

1. Defer Your Payments

Take Advantage of Fine-Free Extensions

Various banks, government agencies, and privately owned companies are allowing members to defer their payments, free of any fines. Homeowners are being allowed to miss mortgage payments while some renters are also being approved to make late payments. If your household income has taken a toll due to the corona virus, check with your credit card and utility company to see if they accept deferred remittance.

For more tips on how to increase your financial security, click here.

2. Take an Online Insurance Discount Course

Take Advantage of State-Mandated Insurance Discounts

Taking a state-mandated insurance discount course will save you up to 10%* on your current auto insurance premium without changing your policy. In some states, such as New York and Delaware, these discounts are good for 3 years even if you switch to another insurance carrier. The discount is applied to every member of your household who has a vehicle, so your family can save hundreds if not thousands. Most auto insurance companies throughout the nation will accept a defensive driving (or insurance discount) completion certificate to satisfy an insurance break, even in states where an insurance discount is not mandated by law. The discounts vary by state and age restrictions may apply. Check with your agent to see if you qualify.

Learn about our insurance discount courses.
Learn more about insurance discount courses for mature drivers (55+ years old).

3. Take an Online Driver’s Ed Course

Take Advantage of Special Discounts for Online Driver’s Ed Courses
Driving schools may be closed for now, but teenagers can still take driver’s ed courses online at www.MyImprov.com. Our award-wining online drivers education program is 100% online. These courses have been proven effective in reducing crashes and injuries. So, when our coasts are clear and safe of the corona virus and your teen can leave the house, they can also feel safe behind the wheel. Special discount pricing is available now.

Learn more about our driver’s education courses online.

4. Clear Up Your Traffic Ticket While You’re at Home

Take an Online Traffic School or Defensive Driving Course
If you have a traffic ticket, this would be a good time to clear that up while you have downtime at home.
Take a state-approved online defensive driving class or traffic school to keep these tickets of your record and prevent your insurance rates from going up. You can do the course in one sitting or log off and back on as often as you like. For most states, we’ll even report the completion to the court for you!

Find your state and take the course now.

5. Join A Referral Program

Take Advantage of Making Money While Stuck at Home
Don’t need any of these services, but have friends or family that do? You can join our referral program and earn cash for every person you refer. We provide online courses for every state. Once you sign up, we send you link. You can refer friends by sending them that link or refer multiple friends by sharing the link on your social media channels! You’ll see your PayPal account balance rise every time a referral completes a course!

Learn more and sign up for our Referral Program now.

6. Working from Home? Join an Affiliate Program

Take Advantage of Partnership Opportunities and Corporate Clients
If you run a website or a popular blog you can also join our affiliate partner program and earn much higher commission. You will be joining our growing partnership network, including some of the biggest names in the industry, including Geico, the U.S. Army, Uber and Lyft, who use our online training courses to drive their TRAINING objectives.

You can create additional revenue streams for your business by earning generous commissions while driving value to your customers. You can offer online drivers ed and state-mandated insurance discount courses to your friends and clients!

Learn more about our affiliate partnership program.

The post 6 Things to do to Stretch Your Dollar During Coronavirus appeared first on MyImprov.

The reason why so many people despise the DMV is because everyone has to go there.

Since the DMV has so many people paying money for licenses and registrations, it’s fair to assume they make some pretty good revenue. After all, everyone is a customer. When you sign up for a NY Defensive Driver course, an eight-dollar (in 2018) reporting fee goes to the NY DMV. So, how much money does the DMV make from defensive driving courses?

Defensive Driving Done Differently in New York

In the Empire State, defensive driving courses are referred to as point and insurance reduction program (PIRP.) According to their website, when you enroll in a PIRP, you can remove upwards to 4 points from your driving record. That’s a great deal for reckless drivers who are close to having their license revoked.

The DMV works with other businesses to provide you the courses you need to become your ideal defensive driver. When you go through the program of an approved classroom provider, you will be accredited with completing a defensive driving course. Your in-person classes must be led by a certified defensive driver instructor and you will have to attend the class for 320 minutes.

Alternatively, if attending a traditional classroom isn’t your thing, you can always choose to enroll in an online defensive driving course, which can be completed on your own time. The only obstacle is holding yourself accountable. Coincidentally, being accountable of your actions is the very reason you had to take a defensive driving course in the first place.

How Much Money Do I Spend on Defensive Driving and Who Gets It?

The amount of money you spend on a defensive driving course will vary from institution to institution. You’ll notice that not all courses are equal. That’s why you could be charged more for one course and charged less for another. The course you enroll in is completely your decision and will determine your success as a defensive driver for the rest of your life. No pressure.

You can enroll in a defensive driver course every 18 months in the state of New York for point reduction and once every 3 years for insurance discount. That’s just 3 years until your next one as a New York resident. This will really raise the stakes for those who have a hard time holding themselves accountable while taking online classes.

So, who do you have to pay?

Who makes the money from the defensive driving courses is dependent on who you enroll with. Each traffic school will have their own specialized offers directly for you. The DMV offers a list of approved traffic schools, which you can enroll with – but we have a special favorite, if you couldn’t tell: www.MyImprov.com

The typical range of defensive driving courses will be from $24.00 to about $50.00. When you enroll in a program the money will go to the company that is offering the class but $8.00 will go to the NY DMV. So, when there’s so many reckless drivers on the road needing to enroll in a defensive driving course – you could assume any school could make money.

The post How Much Money Does the NY DMV Generate from Defensive Driving Courses? appeared first on MyImprov.

Owning an automobile can be expensive. There’s the cost of the car itself, gas, registration, maintenance and repairs, and, of course, auto insurance premiums. Noting that, it’s only natural for vehicle owners to try to save money on their total vehicle ownership if possible, and one of the biggest consistent costs is auto insurance.

Though auto insurance rates vary based on state, driving experience and the owner’s driving record, generally consumers should plan to set aside anywhere from $800 to $1,000 per year to insure their car. The good news is that there are several ways to decrease auto insurance costs; from taking a defensive driving course online to bundling your auto package with other coverages. Here are some tips to help shave dollars off your insurance premiums: