No doubt, you’ve heard the phrases “Safe Driver” and “Good Driver” with respect to auto insurance premiums. However, you may not be sure exactly how they are defined, if you qualify for one, or what impact it may have on your automobile insurance. Let’s take a deeper dive.
The term safe driver is used interchangeably with the term good driver, and is defined by most insurance carriers as a driver who is accident and ticket free for a period of time that is determined by the individual carrier.
Some carriers consider the past 3 years as adequate history for designating someone a safe or good driver; others review a 5-year history. This designation brings with it significant discounts on your auto insurance premiums. Other carriers also offer user-based discounts in which a device is plugged into a car’s smart hub and tracks your driving habits. It’s worth looking into some of the most popular auto insurance carriers to see how they consider safe drivers and apply their discounts. Take a quick look:
State Farm
State Farm reviews the past three years of a driver’s history for accidents, violations, tickets, and claims you may have made to determine eligibility as a safe driver. Discounts of 30% or more, depending on the state in which you reside, may be applied to premiums. If you drive a new model Ford or Lincoln you can connect through SafeDrive for additional discounts. There’s also a Drive Safe and Save app for your smartphone that will earn discounts for your good driving habits.
Geico
Geico considers the past 5 years of driving history and discounts of up to 22% on most policies are applied to auto insurance premiums. They also calculate discounts if you belong to their DriveEasy, user-based technology in which you plug their device into your car’s hub to track your driving habits earning discounts as you drive.
