7 Car Insurance Tips You Should Know Ahead of Spring Break
No two words excite the average college student quite as much as “spring break.” However, an unexpected car wreck can ruin your good time, and that’s why our car insurance tips for spring break are so important.
With these tips, you can make sure your car is safe and ready for a week of road-tripping fun. Best of all, you might be able to save yourself (or your parents) some money on your insurance premium long after the break is over.
Ready to stay safe, save money, and still have fun? Keep reading to discover our best car insurance tips for spring break.
1. Getting Enough Car Insurance Coverage
One of the most frequent questions we receive is this: Do I have enough car insurance? This is a hard question to answer because everyone’s situation is different. For college students, it may be worth adjusting your car insurance before the trip.
Why is that? Many college students do not drive all that much in college. Those who live in dorms have less of a need to drive from one place to another; those outside of dorms often rely on everything from public transit to catching a ride with friends.
Because of that, your policy may only include liability car insurance. That’s the kind of coverage that only pays to cover the damage you cause and doesn’t pay to cover damage to your own car. That may make sense when you’re just hanging around a college town, but you definitely need to add the protection of collision insurance (or, if you already have it, consider raising your limit) before spring break starts and you enter potentially dangerous situations.
2. Consider Comprehensive Insurance
We have already touched on the two most common types of coverage for car insurance: liability and collision. However, there is another type of coverage you should consider adding to your policy, and that is comprehensive insurance. These three together add up to full coverage car insurance.
If you don’t already know, comprehensive insurance is designed to protect your car even when you aren’t behind the wheel. Therefore, a good comprehensive policy can cover things like vandalism, theft, broken windshields, storms, falling trees, and more.
Drivers who skip out on comprehensive insurance usually do so because they feel safe in the areas where they normally live and work. During spring break, though, you are likely to travel far outside your comfort zone, and that may mean taking your car into unexpected dangers. With comprehensive insurance, you are protected even if your vehicle is stolen in the night while you are sleeping in a hotel.
3. Safe Driving Matters
If you and your friends are taking your car to travel during spring break, there is something you should know: Driving safely matters now more than ever!
Obviously, safe driving is important because it helps protect your safety and the safety of your friends. It is also important because a safe driving record can help lower your insurance cost in a couple of different ways.
The first way is that your insurance carrier will assess your driving record over time and if it is good, you can ask them to lower your rate. Teenage drivers are the riskiest drivers and must pay the highest insurance rates. As time goes on, your safe driving record can be used to persuade the insurance carrier to lower your premium.
The second way is that your insurance carrier offers a number of discounts, including a safe driving discount. So staying safe during spring break can help you save some serious money once you’re back at school.
4. Good Student Discount
Another discount that most insurance carriers offer is a good student discount. As the name implies, this is a special discount you can get for keeping your grades up.
This discount is usually tied to your GPA. Basically, as long as you can maintain a target GPA or higher, your insurance carrier can offer you a continuous discount.
This is important to keep in mind because many students struggle with grades after partying over spring break. As long as you don’t fall behind in your studies, you can experience serious car insurance savings.
5. Fraternity/Sorority Discount
Another type of discount that insurance carriers offer is an organization discount. In short, you may qualify for a discount by being a member of a certain type of organization.
A surprisingly large number of insurance carriers offer discounts for membership in a fraternity or sorority. If you’re already in one, you may not need to do anything else in order to qualify.
If you check on these discounts ahead of spring break, you can spread the good word to your Greek brothers or sisters. Maybe they’ll even be grateful enough to buy you a meal during the trip!
6. Driver Training Discount
Many parents worry about their college-student children driving during spring break. As mom and dad are so fond of saying, they aren’t worried so much about your driving as they are about everyone else’s driving!
That’s why you should consider taking a safe driving course ahead of spring break. Such a course teaches defensive driving techniques that can keep you safe as you travel.
On top of that, completing a driving safety course may qualify you for additional discounts from your insurance carrier. Because of that, the modestly priced driving course will eventually pay for itself and then some.
7. An Ounce of Prevention
Our last tip is nice and simple: When it comes to protecting your car, an ounce of prevention is always better than a pound of cure!
Regular maintenance can reduce your chances of getting in a car wreck. Start by checking your tires and rotating them. You also need to inspect your lights (inside and out) and make any repairs or replacements that are necessary. Finally, you need to change your oil and replace any worn-out wiper blades.
All of these things can reduce your chances of getting in an accident and having to use your insurance in the first place. Plus, your car will be that much safer once you return from spring break and finish out the semester.
Get the Best Car Insurance Today!
Now you know our best car insurance tips for spring break. Do you know where to find the car insurance that protects you and your ride throughout college?
Here at InsureOne, we are devoted to keeping college students safe and saving money. We are always ready for you to get a car insurance quote online. Alternatively, you can pick up the phone and give us a quick call at 800-836-2240. Finally, feel free to come into one of our convenient nearby offices!