{"id":855,"date":"2013-03-14T19:36:03","date_gmt":"2013-03-14T14:36:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blazeminds.com\/blog\/?p=855"},"modified":"2015-05-02T03:40:14","modified_gmt":"2015-05-01T22:40:14","slug":"car-insurance-and-seniors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blazeminds.com\/blog\/car-insurance-and-seniors\/","title":{"rendered":"Car Insurance for Seniors"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>We\u2019ve all heard horror stories about 95-year-old drivers who jump the curb and hit buildings, pedestrians or both.\u00a0 Unfortunately, these incidents are among the factors that drive the car insurance rates up for those in the senior age bracket.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Is it fair?\u00a0 Well, yes and no.\u00a0 With people living longer these days, there are certainly many older adults who are very healthy \u2013 both mentally and physically \u2013 who are at least as skilled behind the wheel as their younger counterparts.\u00a0 Unfortunately for those folks, the facts remain \u2013 seniors are overall a high-risk group.\u00a0 And that\u2019s what makes their car insurance more costly.<\/p>\n<p>For a variety of reasons, fatal accidents are more common among drivers 75 and older.\u00a0 Factors include health conditions such as a sudden heart attack and stroke.\u00a0\u00a0 There are also some less dramatic reasons why seniors are more apt to be involved in an accident.\u00a0 These include inattentive driving, slower reflexes and worsening eyesight, especially at night.\u00a0Dementia\u00a0can also be a concern.\u00a0 Drivers who are mentally impaired may become lost and panic.\u00a0 Some have been known to proceed through red lights without stopping or even travel the wrong way down a one-way street.\u00a0 And surprisingly, driving\u00a0<i>below<\/i>\u00a0the speed limit can be just as dangerous and speeding.<\/p>\n<p><i>Not<\/i>\u00a0surprisingly, seniors want to be able to drive as long as they can to maintain their independence.\u00a0 And to keep driving, car insurance is a must.\u00a0 Here are some tips for senior drivers to consider.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Be proactive with your driving skills \u2013 Go to the DMV and get a brochure with the latest rules and laws regarding driving situations in your state and study them.\u00a0 It\u2019s easy to forget what\u2019s law ands what\u2019s just etiquette.\u00a0 Also, with changes in roads and highways over the years, there may be some new things to consider (like roundabouts, for instance) that didn\u2019t exist when you learned to drive.<\/li>\n<li>Take a Driver Safety Program \u2014 AARP offers such a course, and some other agencies may do so as well.\u00a0 The successful completion of a safety course can mean a nice\u00a0discount\u00a0on your car insurance.<\/li>\n<li>Consider the driver\u2019s seat \u2013 Can you see over your dashboard?\u00a0 Is the instrument panel easy to read?\u00a0 Make sure your seats and mirrors are adjustable and your car is designed to give you the best view possible before you hit the road.\u00a0 For your personal ease, also choose a car that has lightweight doors, easy-to-use seatbelts and a height best suited to getting in and out smoothly.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t dose and drive \u2013 Certain medications may affect your driving.\u00a0 Ask your doctor about side effects and don\u2019t drive if your medicine may make you a danger to yourself or others.<\/li>\n<li>Choose a higher deductible \u2013 If you\u2019re a safe driver who doesn\u2019t drive as much as you used to, raising your deductible will lower your rates.<\/li>\n<li>Discover the discounts \u2013 Check into other options that may provide discounts.\u00a0\u00a0AARP\u00a0or AAA membership.\u00a0 Drive a car that has a lower incidence of theft.\u00a0 Buy a car equipped with anti-lock brakes and airbags.\u00a0 Ask about discounts for low-mileage drivers.\u00a0 And if your car is an older model, you might consider dropping the collision coverage portion of your policy.<\/li>\n<li>Shop around \u2013 Get quotes from more than one company before you make your decision.\u00a0 It just takes a little planning \u2013 and safe driving, of course!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We\u2019ve all heard horror stories about 95-year-old drivers who jump the curb and hit buildings, pedestrians or both.\u00a0 Unfortunately, these incidents are among the factors that drive the car insurance rates up for those in the senior age bracket.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":860,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes"},"categories":[1323],"tags":[290,289,293,292,291],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blazeminds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/855"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blazeminds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blazeminds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blazeminds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blazeminds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=855"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blazeminds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/855\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9192,"href":"https:\/\/blazeminds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/855\/revisions\/9192"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blazeminds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blazeminds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=855"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blazeminds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=855"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blazeminds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=855"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}