Why Shopping Around for Insurance Is Vital for Older Drivers

by  |  On March 28th, 2014  |  In Auto Insurance Articles

Everyone wants to find the cheapest car insurance possible. After all, who wants to pay over the odds for getting cover? But how would you feel if you were forced to suddenly pay a much higher premium, or were even refused cover, despite having an exemplary driving record spanning many years.

This is the reality facing many older drivers. Here is a look at the problems they face and just how shopping around might provide a better option.

The Facts

Older drivers are often blamed for being almost as dangerous as the young and inexperienced, and as a result, many insurers are charging much higher premiums or even refusing to provide any cover at all.

But research from the Department of Transport has shown that when taking into account the proportion of drivers on the road in comparison to the number of accidents, older drivers – especially those aged over 70 – are statistically among the safest on the road. Full details of their research can be found on their website here.

This fact is backed up by a survey carried out by the AA. They found that older drivers admitted they were more likely to avoid higher-risk driving, such as at night or on the motorway, leave larger gaps between their vehicle and the car in front and make far shorter journeys.

Yet despite the data pointing towards older drivers being a much lower risk, insurers are continuing to treat them as outcasts and penalizing them based on their age alone.

How to Get the Best Deal

There are a significant number of insurers who are not willing to offer any cover to older drivers, whilst others only provide insurance to those who are already with them and simply want to renew.

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It is this apparent lack of choice which leads many older drivers into simply accepting the first quote they get, or renewing their policy without comparing the deals on offer from other insurers. However, by not considering taking your business elsewhere, you could really be paying too much.

Underwriting the risk associated with an older driver takes an experienced eye and one which is not distracted by the age of the applicant alone. As an older driver, you therefore stand a much better chance of getting a competitive quote if you approach an insurer with experience in your age group.

Even if you have been with your insurer for many years, you still may not get the best deal by simply sticking with them. There’s no substitute for experience and you should pick an insurer with plenty of knowledge of older drivers — they will understand what is relevant and what facts can simply be disregarded.

In order to find out more about over 50s car insurance, it’s worth comparing the deals available as well as going to companies that are experts in providing cover for the older driver. Their online sites usually provide helpful information on what to expect from their products.

With more and more people opting to continue driving into their 70s and beyond, it’s about time the insurers started to take a more modern approach to providing cover.

My name is Bilal Amjad. I am a professional content writer and SEO executive. I have 2 years experience in this field.

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