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Did you know that women drivers pay less for car insurance? Given long-held beliefs ingrained in our society and wisecracks made by comics looking for an easy laugh, that fact may come as a surprise.
So what are women doing well that men aren’t?
Find out what factors are driving the difference in rates. And find out what male drivers can do about it.
There are much better ways to solve the higher rate than moving to the states where gender is banned as an auto insurance rate factor.
We’ll share what you can do to help increase gender neutrality and help decrease your insurance cost. We’ll spotlight both non-tech methods to take advantage of as well as how tech can assist you.
Auto Insurance Differences for Men and Women
It has been a long-held stereotype that men are better drivers. Let’s look at some stats behind the fact that insurance companies tend to charge women a lower rate than men.
Male vs. Female Driving Statistics
Even though slightly more than the majority of people who have a driver’s license in the United States are women, it’s men who rank higher across the board when it comes to bad driving.
For nearly every year from 1975 to 2018, the number of male crash deaths was more than twice the number of female crash deaths, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
And each year from 1982 to 2018, the proportion of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers with blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) at or above 0.08 percent has been substantially higher for males than for females.
When it comes to traffic violations, men are more likely than women to get cited for reckless driving (3.41 to 1 ratio), driving under the influence (3.09 to 1 ratio), seat belt violations (3.08 to 1 ratio), speeding (1.75 to 1 ratio), failure to yield (1.54 to 1 ratio), and stop signal violations (1.53 to 1 ratio).
Auto Insurance Providers Offer Benefits to Women Drivers
To insurance companies, the statistics translate to women being safer drivers. Safer equals lower risk. Lower risk equals lower car insurance rates for women.
How much lower? Here are some examples of average annual rates.
Young drivers: A 17-year-old male would pay $9,027.64, while a 17-year old female would pay $7,559.03.
And while the rates drop significantly for both males and females when they turn 25, there is still a slight rate difference, of $2,889.27 for males and $2,703.28 for females.
Middle-aged drivers: This is the exception to the rule. This is when insurance companies start rewarding you for your age, which they take to mean that you have driving experience.
Drivers in their 30s, 40s, and 50s also tend to be safer drivers — so much so that there’s actually barely a difference between the rate for a 35-year-old male, at $2,445.85, and a 35-year-old female, which is just a smidge higher at $2,449.06.
Perhaps the rates are virtually equal since these are child-rearing years, and moms typically tend to drive their kids around a lot more than dads.
Older drivers: We’re back to a slight difference in rates, with a 60-year-old male paying $2,307.79 and a 60-year-old female paying $2,243.46.
How to Level Auto Insurance Between Genders
If you think that having gender as one of the determining factors of car insurance rates is unfair, then you’ll be happy if you live in California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Montana, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Michigan, which have banned it.
Montana actually passed their ban in the ‘80s, while Michigan is the latest, taking care of it in July 2020.
A better determinate is your own driving history. Besides, an individual’s gender doesn’t determine their coordination at the wheel. What does is mindfulness and practice.
Get Back to Basics
Auto insurance for males is so high between the ages of 17 and 25 because they’re much more likely to be impulsive and reckless behind the wheel. Since the largest insurance rate difference between genders is in this age bracket, we’re going to focus first on simple preventative measures to help reduce accidents, traffic tickets, and DUIs.
If you’re driving under the age of 25, these are tips to learn and live by. If you’re older than 25, re-educate yourself. It never hurts to brush up on forgotten information:
- Don’t blare your music.
- Don’t eat or drink while driving.
- Only use your cellphone for voiced directions and have it mounted.
- Don’t drink and drive.
- Obey posted speed limits.
- Take a defensive driving course to help deal with bad drivers.
- Maintain a safe distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you. The National Safety Council (NSC) recommends leaving several car lengths clear ahead on the highway, and if other vehicles merge into this space, slow down to regain this room.
Take Advantage of Your Vehicle’s Safety Features
It’s a fair guess that you don’t remember all the safety features your car salesperson overviewed with you. So take some time and look through your owner’s manual.
See how many of these your vehicle has that you can take advantage of:
- Adaptive cruise control
- Adaptive headlights
- Anti-lock brakes
- Automatic emergency braking
- Automatic high beams
- Backup camera
- Blindspot detection
- Brake assist
- Electronic stability control
- Forward collision warning
- Lane departure warning
- Lane-keeping assist
- Parking assist system
- Pedestrian detection
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- Safety belts
Use Safety Apps
Apps aren’t just for fun and games. There are several that can help you be a better driver.
Safety-encouraging apps include EverDrive, TextNinja, and SafeDrive.
Try some phone-blocking apps such as LifeSaver, Samsung’s In-Traffic Reply, DriverMode, and DriveSafe.ly, AT&T Drive Mode, Sprint’s Drive First, Verizon’s Safely Go, Cellcontrol, and Canary.
Ask About All Auto Insurance Discounts
Taking a defensive driving course and having safety features can nab you insurance discounts — up to 10 percent and anywhere from 1 percent to 25 percent per feature, respectively — but there’s so much more you can try for.
Here’s a list of the most popular discounts offered by most of the major auto insurers:
- Accident-free
- Alumni or professional organizations
- Anti-theft devices
- Continuous coverage (loyalty discount)
- Distant student
- Early signing
- Full payment
- Good student
- Green vehicle
- Homeowner (bundling policies)
- Low mileage
- Mature driver or senior
- Multi-car
- New car
- Occupation
- Paperless/e-bill
Since this isn’t a comprehensive list and the types and amounts of discounts can vary by insurance providers, ask your insurance broker or agent what is available. Some insurers have close to 40 discounts.
As you can see, putting effort into becoming a better driver will save you on auto repairs, auto insurance, and possible vehicle-related injuries to yourself and others.
And don’t forget the additional benefits. You’ll impress your significant other — or someone you’re aiming to get to that status — and you’ll set a good example for your children.
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Karen Condor is an insurance expert who writes and researches for the auto insurance comparison site, 4AutoInsuranceQuote.com. She recently took advantage of safety features and other auto insurance discounts to save over $700 a year on auto and home insurance.
This content is brought to you by Anne Davis.
Photo: Shutterstock
