If you\’ve recently started getting the mailers from AARP and others touting all their car insurance benefits for seniors, it might be time to do a little digging to sort out what\’s true and what\’s hype. As Erie Insurance agents for the past 26 years we\’ve had a chance to witness the good the bad and the ugly when it comes to specialty discounts. Among those have been several that might be considered \”bait and switch\” when the carriers dropped the discounts within the next two years and eventually cancelled many of the drivers in the program. Imagine switching over companies only to be dropped like the proverbial \”hot potatoe\” shortly therafter. The frustration far outweighs the benefit of saving a few dollars in the short term.

Many auto insurance companies that claim to have senior discounts probably don\’t want it to be known that they also have a unique system for penalizing senior drivers. Many companies have internal systems for rating drivers based on age, credit rating, homeownership, length of time at your residence and other factors and lifestyle habits. Statistically, seniors(as a group) have a higher claim frequency. This is probably due to a slight decline in reflexes and other factors that might be attributed to age. In either case…insurance companies love statistics…they live by statistics and charge more money based on statistics. So…moral of the story…if you\’ve been seeing your auto insurance rates slowly climbing and you\’ve had no claim activity… no violations…you\’re now a victim of \”the matrix\” A series of statistics that says…technically…you\’re more likely to have a claim now. I say …\”it\’s time to shop around\” One of the matrix systems we\’ve encountered recently include a formula that adjusts the rates according to the number of cars and drivers. Seems honest enough…until a retired couple decides they no longer need two cars and they decide to sell one. Wow, they call teh agent and delete the sold car. Shortly therafter the notice comes in the mail and they find out that their rates on the single car have gone up over 50% and in some cases are now as high as the previous two cars were costing. Yep, thats the downside of the car/driver matrix formula. Exactly the kind of things that you need an agent you can trust with watching out for you.

As an Erie insurance agent, I have access to several discounts from Erie Insurance that are taylored to over 55 drivers and especially the safe, accident free drivers. If Erie isn\’t a fit for you we\’ve got plenty of others that have great programs and discounts that will save you hundreds. One thing\’s for sure, we appreciate your business, keep in touch and notify you any time we find additional discounts or coverage that we think you may benefit from. I also have access to a number of companies that have a reputation for stable rates and very favorable underwriting considerations for mature drivers. Jump over to my site and I\’ll get started researching the market for you to see what your options might be.

Author Bio: Univ of Pitt Grad 1984 Started Williams Agency 1986 Providing Better Insurance for Pa & NY residents for Less Money Better Pennsylvania auto insurance for less money email to: dan@williams-agency.net

Category: Finances
Keywords: pennsylvania auto insurance rates, pennsylvania senior auto insurance discounts