• Driving record
• Credit history
• Make and model of your vehicle, as well as the mileage
• City and state you live in
• Age and gender

Accidents and traffic tickets are one of the biggest contributors for rate increases.  Each year when your policy renews the insurance company will look at your driving record to see if you have had any accidents or traffic violations.

One year I had a “no fault” accident (someone hit my car in an ice storm while it was parked on the street) and my insurance company said I was high risk and dropped me.  Ouch.  It took a few years to get rid of that and get my rate back down.  Sometimes insurance agents will help you by offering as many discounts as possible.  I of course took a defensive driving course and was able to get a 10% discount for 3 years, this really helped offset the high cost.

There are so many items that affect your insurance rates. Here are some more of those items:
• Your age (under 21/25 and over 62)
• Gender (boys under 25…yikes!)
• Full coverage or bare-bones liability
• Married or single
• Own or rent your home
• Longevity/Loyalty (how long you had coverage with your last insurance company)

I remember the good old days when my full-coverage insurance rate was $61 a month. And it even included roadside assistance and towing. When I added my 16 year old daughter to my insurance plan, my insurance more than quadrupled. I thought “Thank God she’s a girl and not a boy. How much would my insurance rates have increased if she had been born a son?” And I did the math. It would have been cheaper to fly her to Sweden to get a sex change.

If you review the items above with your insurance agent, perhaps a few of those items can be addressed and may help to lower your insurance rates. Good driver discounts and good student discounts can also be addressed. Most insurance companies still give a discount for taking a state-approved defensive driving class. It just makes sense that they would prefer that you take a “refresher course” to help make you a better driver. And some reward you for doing so. The discount is typically 10% off your liability insurance for three years (but can be anywhere between 5% and 25% off). Ask your insurance agent about this and all discounts.

Until next week…

Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist

Insurance Rates Increased – Comedy Defensive Driving

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WHY 25?

I have read that the frontal lobe completely develops by 25 years of age. And, it is all about taking responsibility and considering consequences for your actions. The frontal lobe is the part of the brain that controls important cognitive skills in humans, such as emotional expression, problem solving, memory, judgment and impulse control. This is actually one of the last areas of the brain to mature and scientists say may not be fully developed until halfway through the third decade of life. Of course, experience and time behind the wheel also affects a car insurance rate drop.

EMOTIONAL MATURITY

While this may be true, scientifically, I believe that some kids are just more mature than others (old souls, as they say). I know kids that work three jobs while putting themselves through school and helping to support a family. Now, that’s mature and responsible. Some young people are emotionally mature, while some never grow up. Heck, I have friends my age who are still immature and always in trouble. So, why should those who are mature and responsible pay the price for other’s actions? I believe insurance rates should not be based on one’s age, but rather be based on one’s emotional maturity. Perhaps a young driver should be required to pass an emotional evaluation exam. This, combined with driving errors on their driving record should determine what their insurance rates will be.

Until next week…

Daun Thompson

Writer / Comedienne / Artist

EMOTIONAL MATURITY SHOULD DETERMINE INSURANCE RATES – Comedy Defensive Driving

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Although a transit pass here is only $6 per day, it would it be worth it after paying a chiropractor and a mental health therapist for stress therapy. Plus, I’d have to feed the mule. Maybe I could ride it to make my connections! I would definitely love to forgo the cost of operating a vehicle. It would be ideal to be independent of a car payment, auto insurance, fuel, upkeep, garaging, parking fees, toll fees, registration, taxes and other unexpected items. If I compare the two, what would make the most sense, cost-wise?

AAA’s STUDY

In 2017, AAA revealed the true cost of owning and operating a vehicle. They claim that it costs an average of $8,500 per year to own and operate a vehicle! That’s over $700 per month. This study is based on driving 15,000 miles annually, which most of us do. They estimated this on several factors including:
• Depreciation
• Maintenance and Repair
• Fuel
• Electric Vehicle or Not
You only pray that fuel prices drop, taxes don’t increase, you can find a good sale on tires and your insurance company gives you as many discounts as possible.

WHERE DOES YOUR VEHICLE RATE?

My vehicle falls into the medium SUV category, which is the second highest cost vehicle to own and operate. Again, this study is from the fall of 2017, so these rates have likely increased. Where does your vehicle rate on the list? Here is AAA’s list of the least expensive to the highest cost vehicle to own and operate:
• Small Sedan $ 6,354
• Small SUV $ 7,606
• Hybrid $ 7,687
• Med Sedan $ 8,171
• Electric $ 8,439
• Minivan $ 9,146 (humiliated and financially tapped out)
• Lg Sedan $ 9,399
• Med SUV $ 9,451
• Pickup Truck $10,054

When I was shopping for a new car, I only cared about price, safety, appearance and of course the quality of the stereo system. Now it gets me thinking…do I even make $ 9,500 a year at this job that I require transportation for?

Until next week…

Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist

THE COST OF OPERATING A VEHICLE – Comedy Defensive Driving

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The High Cost of Insurance Lapse

Last I checked, over 40% of Texans were said to have been driving around without liability insurance. And now that the law has been really cracking down over the past several years, that number has dropped to 20%. So, yes, to me it has been a good thing. Then again, insurance rates are so very high that I can understand how some drivers cannot afford to pay for it. If you get caught without insurance because you couldn’t afford it, how could you possibly pay the fines, impound fees and the surcharges (approximately $250 per year for a total of three years). In addition, getting cited for driving without insurance is an item that stays on your driving record forever. I would think this would possibly flag you (as would a DWI) that you have allowed your insurance to “lapse” and may allow it to happen again. If anyone will even insure you after allowing your insurance to lapse, you will have to pay extra for an SR-22, making your insurance even higher. You could also have your license suspended, so how can you even work to pay for all of this, let alone pay for your insurance now?

Allowing Offenders To Recover

So, this is good news for those who have been in a perpetual revolving door of fines and surcharges and unable to pay them. Removing surcharges means the price of moving violations and DWI’s will be going up. But, I suppose that’s a risk we take. That’s a risk that comes now with a higher price.

Until next week…

Daun Thompson

Writer / Comedienne / Artist

Driver Financial Responsbility Program – Comedy Defensive Driving

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• Drive carefully
• Observe traffic rules and speed limits to avoid moving violations and accidents
• Work with an independent insurance agent who partner with a wide range of companies to find you the best combination of price and coverage for you
• Take advantage of billing plan discounts
• Take a driver safety course (defensive driving course)
• Inquire about good student discounts, if applicable to you
• Choose a higher deductible
• Enroll in a telematics program like Progressive’s SnapShot or Safeco’s Right Track as your safe driving habits can help you save up to 30% of the premium
• Bundle your insurance plans (home, boat, auto) and save as much as 25%

Insurance rates in my state have increased due to weather claims and it has also been affected by the plethora of claims made due to accidents resulting from texting while driving. Mine went up a whopping 40% due to no fault of my own. Perhaps I should take my own advice and take measures to reduce my insurance rates to a manageable amount. And, while I’m at it, I should kick my 21 year old off of my insurance policy, because yikes-ola!

Until next week…

Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist

Reducing Insurance Rates – Comedy Defensive Driving

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My parents live in a small town in the Midwest. They’re very cavalier about leaving their car parked in the driveway with their keys in the ignition and the windows down. Incidentally, they always know where to find their keys. I live in a large city where we would never even dream of leaving the keys in the ignition. Or would we? I do recall, in the past, running to the 7-11 to get milk. I left my dog in the car with it running and the air kicked on high, but the doors were locked. I thought I would only be in there for a minute, but someone wrote a check and I was in there forever! Who the heck writes checks anymore?

That’s why it is against the law to leave an unattended car running. If it is stolen, thieves will take crazy risks in it, damaging other property and putting other people in harm’s way. Police may be dispatched to chase down the crooks, putting their lives in danger and damaging their own vehicles in the pursuit. So, it just makes sense why not only leaving the car running, but just leaving your keys in the ignition are both against the law. And insurance companies may not cover any damages to your vehicle and the property that your vehicle damages in the pursuit.

Most cars come with a keyless remote for this reason. If someone does try to drive away in your car, unless the put the key into the ignition, it will stall when put into gear. If you have an older model car that does not have this feature, just save yourself some grief by never leaving your car running while it is unattended. Again, in the end, it may cost you more than just your car.

Until next week…

Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist

An Unattended Car – Comedy Defensive Driving

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So here’s the answer. Apparently, one of the most common traffic tickets issued to California drivers is for the rolling stop. When drivers approach a stop sign, they are supposed to come to a complete stop. Not fully stopping can pose a danger to other drivers as well as to pedestrians. That’s why police are cracking down on those of us rollers. After all, if there are no other cars in an intersection, there is no one to completely stop for, right? So, it’s safe. You actually yielded. But your car didn’t “settle” behind the crosswalk line before you left the stop sign or turned right at a red light. So, more police officers are stopping cars that roll through stop signs and red lights without completely stopping. These tickets are costly and can jack up your insurance rates by adding points to your driving record. To remove these points, you can attend a defensive driving school. And the traffic fine should also be reduced if you attend a class. If you have camera lights in your neck of the woods, a majority of those are a result of a rolling stop at an intersection. But those are a civil offense, like a parking ticket and will not go on your driving record. Those affect your registration (license plate), not your driver license.

As a driver, you need to know that speeding is not the only common moving violation now. Coasting through a stop sign or red light instead of making a full stop could result in an accident which is why rolling stop violations are taken very seriously.

Until next week…

Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist

Rolling Stop – Comedy Defensive Driving School

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Since the invention of the automobile and automobile insurance, young male drivers’ insurance rates have always been higher than young women. Boys tend to drive faster and take bigger risks. I suppose that is why. I asked two young men, between 17 and 19 years of age, what they pay for their monthly premium. One said $460 and the other said $416. And, remember, that’s what they pay each month! I thought, thank God I have a daughter and not a son. If I had a son, it would be cheaper to send him to Sweden to get a sex change than it would to put him on my insurance policy.
I have also recently discovered that young men seldom wear seat belts. Why? I don’t know. Maybe it’s just not that cool. But, when asked, they tend to admit that it’s just too darned uncomfortable. My Mother says the same thing. But, I’m not surprised that her generation resists wearing a seat belt, since wearing one was only an option, and not a law until 1986. Actually, my Mother’s exact words are “It’s uncomfortable and will wrinkle her outfit.” Not like going through the windshield won’t put a wrinkle in your outfit, and your head, etc.

So, we know why young drivers pay higher rates. What about insurance rates increasing for elderly drivers? Apparently, age leads to impaired vision, poorer cognitive functioning, changes in physical functioning and typically high use of prescription medications help boost up the rates for these folks.

Of course, what kind of car you drive, where you live and how much you drive factor in to your final rate. So, moral to the story, if you’re between 25 and 70, you should be spending those years celebrating your lower insurance rates. These are your glory years!
Until next week…
Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist
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So, inspections won’t change. And inspection locations won’t change either. The only thing that will change is that you will no longer get an inspection sticker. Now, you will receive a Vehicle Inspection Report (VIR) in lieu of an inspection sticker. And vehicle inspection stations will no longer collect the state’s portion of the inspection fee. They will only be charging the station’s fee. And the state’s fee will be charged at the time of registration renewal.

You must get your inspection no more than 90 days before registration is due to expire. But, to sinc up those (like me) whose two stickers expire months apart, only this first year, they are cutting us some slack and not making us get two inspections in a year. Say, if your inspection expires before your registration. You only need to get your car inspected when it’s due and that will suffice when you get your registration renewal.

And, bottom line, it’s supposed to save the state of Texas over a million dollars! Again, pretty smart, eh?
Until next week…
Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist
Texas Two Step – Comedy Defensive Driving School

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Another reason for the rate difference is that male teenagers tend to be full of testosterone and can be more aggressive and take more risks and drive with less caution. So, how can you keep your son’s insurance rates affordable? Well, driving an older model car until he’s 25 may help. And a higher grade point average helps as well. So, stay in school kids! One day, your insurance rates will be low.

Until next week…

Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist
Boy vs Girl Insurance Rates – Comedy Defensive Driving

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