| I Pulled this article from the Ohio Department of Insurance web site. Check your auto policy to see HOW you are rated. Look for commute, or to and from work, and more specifically how many days per week and how many miles each way. If you stop your daily commute in exchange for car pooling, or public transportation, let your agent know and you could save money on your car insurance as well as fuel costs. | |
| Wednesday, June 25, 2008Driving Less Because of High Gas Prices Could Lead to Lower Insurance Premiums
COLUMBUS — As gas prices hover around $4 a gallon across the state, many Ohioans are driving less, using public transportation or car pooling to get to work. Ohio Department of Insurance Director Mary Jo Hudson is encouraging Ohioans to tell their insurance agents if they are using their cars less, as it may result in a decrease in their auto insurance premiums.
“How much a person drives their car is one of the key factors insurance companies use to determine auto premiums,” said Director Hudson. “Changing your car’s designation from ‘work’ to ‘pleasure’ could result in a lower premium.”
Most insurance companies divide drivers into three categories: pleasure drivers, those who drive 15 miles or less one way to work and those who drive 15 miles or more one way to work. Drivers who drive as part of a carpool may be eligible for pleasure driver status if they drive less than two days a week or two weeks in a five week period. Also, Ohioans who have recently moved closer to their jobs or have switched jobs to a location closer to their home may also be eligible for lower premiums.
A change in designation could save a driver anywhere from 5-15% depending on the insurance company. A quick call to your insurance agent will determine whether or not you qualify for a rate reduction and how much that reduction will be.
Ohioans with questions concerning insurance are encouraged to call the Department’s consumer services hotline, 1-800-686-1526. Additional tips and more information about insurance, including a link to the Insure U web site, can be found at the Department’s web site, www.ohioinsurance.gov.
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