Trip the Light Fantastic without Paying a Fortune

Trip the Light Fantastic without Paying a Fortune

The Secret to Finding Cheap Auto Insurance in New York City

People came in droves to New York to enjoy a better life. Isn't it time they were able to enjoy better auto insurance premiums too?

If you've ever spent more than about five seconds there you already know why city residents have such a hard time finding cheap auto insurance in New York City. Between bumper to bumper traffic, pedestrians who think they're Evil Knievel and cabbies who could have been kamikazes if they'd been born in the right country, it's no wonder most New Yorkers don't even own a car! For those that do, however, finding auto insurance that doesn't cost them an arm and a leg can be the rough equivalent of trying to swim across the Atlantic in the middle of winter - long, painful and next to impossible!

The good news is, even if you're brave enough to live (and drive) in the heart of accident central there are still ways to cut your auto insurance premiums so you're not living on Ramen and Kool-Aid. For example:

1) Keep a good driving record. Yes, granted, that might be hard when you spend most of your time on city streets that would make most stunt drivers quail in terror, but look at it this way-if you can drive in New York City you can drive just about anywhere. Your skills behind the wheel play a huge role in decreasing the chances that you'll be responsible for an accident and have to file an insurance claim. That makes your auto insurance provider happy, and they tend to pass on their particular brand of happiness in the form of Good Driver discounts on your annual premiums. And remember, if you didn't cause the accident, your insurance provider isn't going to hold you responsible.

2) Pump up the safety features on your car. The good news is that most of today's cars come with standard safety features like seat belts, air bags and anti-lock brakes. While they might not play a huge role if you're involved in an accident at twenty miles an hour, they're great when you run into the out-of-towner who actually thought a 35 mph speed zone meant they could drive 40 or 50 and get away with it. Don't worry, they'll learn! Until then, air bags and seat belts can decrease the chances you'll have to spend the rest of your day sitting around in the ER of a city hospital counting the spots on the ceiling. Oh, and they lower your auto insurance premiums too!

3) Say, "Anti-theft devices". Now repeat. Although the number of auto thefts per year have fallen 50-75% in New York City, most of New York's auto insurance providers haven't jumped on the bandwagon to acknowledge the fact that this could mean it's safe to lower their insurance rates. Until they do, autos equipped with car alarms, fuel switches and tracking GPS are continuing to enjoy dramatic discounts on their comprehensive insurance coverage.

4) Park in a garage. Parking your car in a garage, either personal or public, rather than on the city streets greatly decreases the chances that your car will be a victim of vandalism and/or theft, decreasing the chances that you will have to file an auto insurance claim and, in turn, possibly lowering your insurance premiums (depending on your company's personal policies).

These are just general guidelines. Every auto insurance provider has its own policies when it comes to the discounts they offer on their insurance policies, so the best thing you can do is talk to your insurance agent about the discounts they offer and what they would recommend for you, personally. Remember, cheap auto insurance in New York City might be hard to come by, but it's not impossible. Give my regards to Broadway!

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