When purchasing a new vehicle, paying for additional safety features may not seem like a valuable out-of-pocket expense at the time, but these additional precautions may not only help save the lives of the driver and his or hers passengers, they may also reduce car insurance quotes.
Why give discounts for safety features?
Auto insurance companies tend to give substantial discounts to drivers who have safer cars because the less likely a person is to be hurt or hurt someone, the less an insurance company is going to be potentially liable for. Lowering the number of injuries that occur can significantly reduce all insurance companies’ overhead costs, making them more likely to give discounts to drivers with extensive safety features.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conducts a series of crash tests for cars every year and reports those results on its website (nhtsa.gov). These tests can help potential drivers determine if the vehicle they are shopping for will hold up in a crash and may also influence an insurance company to provide cheaper auto insurance quotes.
Seat belts save lives
Insurance companies tend to be fans of automatic seat belts and give discounts for certain models, although it seems fewer vehicles being made these days have the automatic feature. However, belts save more than 10,000 lives a year so if the vehicle model has an option for an automatic safety belt feature, it may be in the driver’s best interest to add it to the car.
Airbags
Another valuable safety feature that comes standard in many newer model cars is airbags. These are able to increase the safety of adult passengers when used with seat belts. They should not, however, be used in place of a seat belt. Many new cars have head airbags, side airbags, and are sensitive to the weight and position to the passengers, providing a further level of support. These additional airbags typically cost extra, but if they can help prevent a traumatic brain injury, they may be well worth the money.
Traction control
Outside of the cabin, there are other safety features that can help lower insurance costs as well. Features that can help control the traction of a vehicle can help limit the number of accidents in rain and bad weather, as well as prevent rear-end collisions if a driver slams on their brakes. Most car insurance quotes for vehicles that have an anti-lock braking system in place will be cheaper.