This is a three part series on some of the ways you can lower your car insurance premiums to a more manageable level.

Have everyone on your policy drive carefully. If one car is in an accident, all cars can be penalized for it. If the accident is severe enough, you could end up paying more for as long as five years. That is a whole lot of money that you could be putting to other uses, so you have to be careful when driving – especially if you have younger ones on your policy.

Speaking of the younger ones, they will greatly increase your policy because of their age and their lack of experience behind the wheel. Having your child take an actual driving class many times will get you somewhere around a 10% discount on their insurance upon completion of the class. Ask your agent about limiting the amount of time that they are allowed to drive (some will give you a discount if your child only drives during the daylight hours), for that can sometimes give you a break as well.

What you pay is just as important as how you pay. Check with your insurance company to see if there is a discount for paying every six months, or once a year, instead of monthly. Some car insurance companies charge you more if you pay by the month. Some companies issue twice a year, so you pay when the policy is issued instead of breaking it into more than one payment. State Farm is known for charging just a couple of dollars if you want to split it into two payments, but some companies will charge you as much as $20 a month for the ability to pay monthly.

Above all, talk to your agent and tell them that you need to reduce your premiums – see if there is anything they can suggest that will help you bring them down to a more manageable level. They understand that times are tough all over, and that anything they can do to help you helps them in the long run – as you will stay with them instead of shopping around for a better deal.

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