18 replies to this topic

[Kev-O]

for the Americans out there Do insurance companies charge us more for having to drive with hand controls??????? I am paying $250 a month for just ME. I don't remember paying that much B4 my accident

[kashley]

Kev-O, on Dec 20 2007, 04:57 PM, said:

for the Americans out there Do insurance companies charge us more for having to drive with hand controls??????? I am paying $250 a month for just ME. I don't remember paying that much B4 my accident

They do not charges us here in Texas but they do charge extra because the van customized. So we usually have to do a customization. Also you might be running into, if you let your insurance laps since you have not been driving. In that case you basically start all over again for time of continuous insurance coverage. Usually if there is a 6 month gap you get a worse rate then if you had kept insurance and not driven. Also if you have any accidents MVAs or tickets in the last 3 to 5 years they will hold that against you.

If you live with your parents or a students, you might see if you can get a policy under them so you get their discounts. Basically you have your own policy and you pay for yourself you are just under their household. Of course this is all Texas stuff it might be different where you live.

[Kev-O]

kashley, on Dec 20 2007, 11:12 PM, said:

Kev-O, on Dec 20 2007, 04:57 PM, said:

for the Americans out there Do insurance companies charge us more for having to drive with hand controls??????? I am paying $250 a month for just ME. I don't remember paying that much B4 my accident

They do not charges us here in Texas but they do charge extra because the van customized. So we usually have to do a customization. Also you might be running into, if you let your insurance laps since you have not been driving. In that case you basically start all over again for time of continuous insurance coverage. Usually if there is a 6 month gap you get a worse rate then if you had kept insurance and not driven. Also if you have any accidents MVAs or tickets in the last 3 to 5 years they will hold that against you.

If you live with your parents or a students, you might see if you can get a policy under them so you get their discounts. Basically you have your own policy and you pay for yourself you are just under their household. Of course this is all Texas stuff it might be different where you live.

I was in a MVA but i was not at falt. an i think i worded it wrong but i am under there insurance so thats them paying

[Mikerowaved]

My '98 minivan just has a $100 Monarch set installed that I bought off of eBay and the seat right behind the driver was removed for my wheelchair. There are no other mods. I just changed my insurance from AAA to Ameriprise (through Costco) and for 2 cars and 2 drivers I'm paying about $70/mo with full coverage.

The difference probably being I'm 50, I have a perfect driving record for the past 5 years (my wife has 1 ticket), I own 2 older cars (wife's T-Bird is a '94) and stuff like that. It pays to shop around, *BUT*, depending on your age, your vehicle, your driving record, amount of coverage, etc. you might not get much better than you're doing now.

Bottom line, the disability itself is probably not a factor.

[Tim13]

250 a month sounds pretty steep, you might want to shop around a little.

[Kev-O]

Tim13, on Dec 21 2007, 11:20 AM, said:

250 a month sounds pretty steep, you might want to shop around a little.

i know thats like $20 more then my car payment. Its with state farm an my family has been with them for a long time now. i dont know ill talk to my folks an see if we can go somewere else

[kashley]

Kev-O, on Dec 20 2007, 07:03 PM, said:

I was in a MVA but i was not at falt. an i think i worded it wrong but i am under there insurance so thats them paying

The best thing would to ask your agent why the increase. There could be allot of factors such as the car you drove then and the one you drive now or the amount of coverage. Mustags cost more than a Focus ect. Also check to see if you take a defensive driving course or an alcohol awareness course if there is a discount. I know one company has a video for young drivers, if they watch it there is a discount.

[Kev-O]

kashley, on Dec 21 2007, 06:55 PM, said:

Kev-O, on Dec 20 2007, 07:03 PM, said:

I was in a MVA but i was not at falt. an i think i worded it wrong but i am under there insurance so thats them paying

The best thing would to ask your agent why the increase. There could be allot of factors such as the car you drove then and the one you drive now or the amount of coverage. Mustags cost more than a Focus ect. Also check to see if you take a defensive driving course or an alcohol awareness course if there is a discount. I know one company has a video for young drivers, if they watch it there is a discount.

state farm has that driving video which i have already done, an it gave me a discount because i have had a driving class. Ill have to call them an see WTF is up. thanks yall

[Tim13]

Kev-O, on Dec 21 2007, 06:37 PM, said:

i know thats like $20 more then my car payment. Its with state farm an my family has been with them for a long time now. i dont know ill talk to my folks an see if we can go somewere else

There are online sites like esurance.com which you can use to get estimates from several companies at once that can help find better rates.

Nationwide has been great to me, Geico was cheap till i moved to FL, then they skyrocketed.
Progressive loves to quote the lowest rate then "progressively" raise them every billing cycle.

Edited by Tim13, 21 December 2007 - 07:43 PM.

[chop-02]

I no in New York your creidt history has a lot to with the coast of ins..For example if you have bad creidt you will pay the same as a DWI-drunk driver Sounds dumb welcome to NY

[McRobb]

After rehab 3 1/2 years ago, they recommended that I take a driving course from rehab that would cost me $1100 and my insurance would not pay for it. Needless to say, I did not have that kind of money so I did not do the class. But, they did tell us to watch for increases in our car insurance because Iowa has a law that rates cannot be raised because you are disabled.

We have been with American Family for a long time - way before our wreck even - and they have treated us well. But, we are older and have had not tickets, etc. and the wreck that left me a para was not my fault.

I was also told by the county here that I would have to go and take the driving test using my hand controls and when I checked with rehab about that, found out that there is no law about that either. I had a valid driver's license before the accient and it is still valid, no matter how I am doing the driving. When I have to renew at the end of next year, we will see what they want me to do.

[Tinbasher]

Here in the UK the DDA (our ADA) specifically prohibits loading on car insurance for disability reasons. They still load for age, record, size of engine etc.

[kashley]

Kev-O, on Dec 21 2007, 01:33 PM, said:

state farm has that driving video which i have already done, an it gave me a discount because i have had a driving class. Ill have to call them an see WTF is up. thanks yall

Those discounts usually only last for three years, do they have a good student discount you could get?

[Kev-O]

kashley, on Dec 26 2007, 09:23 PM, said:

Kev-O, on Dec 21 2007, 01:33 PM, said:

state farm has that driving video which i have already done, an it gave me a discount because i have had a driving class. Ill have to call them an see WTF is up. thanks yall

Those discounts usually only last for three years, do they have a good student discount you could get?

yeah they have good student discounts but im not what you would call an A student lol.

[kashley]

Kev-O, on Dec 26 2007, 08:31 PM, said:

yeah they have good student discounts but im not what you would call an A student lol.

Check with your agent, I do not think you have to be an A student to get. It may be just a certain GPA and that you maintain 12 hours per semester. It would be better to check on than miss out on the savings.

[sjean423]

I just had hand controls installed, and I called my insurance company to let them know. There was not increase, they just noted it in the policy. (I live in Connecticut.)

[Mikerowaved]

McRobb, on Dec 22 2007, 04:32 PM, said:

After rehab 3 1/2 years ago, they recommended that I take a driving course from rehab that would cost me $1100 and my insurance would not pay for it. Needless to say, I did not have that kind of money so I did not do the class.

They told me the same thing in California. I didn't have that kind of money either, so I installed the hand controls anyway and went out and practiced in non-populated areas.

McRobb, on Dec 22 2007, 04:32 PM, said:

I was also told by the county here that I would have to go and take the driving test using my hand controls and when I checked with rehab about that, found out that there is no law about that either. I had a valid driver's license before the accient and it is still valid, no matter how I am doing the driving. When I have to renew at the end of next year, we will see what they want me to do.

In Calif once they find out you've been permanently injured in a way that could affect your driving, they ask you to come in for an extended driving test. (Same one they give to the older folks who need a more thorough screening.) Instead of taking 10-15 minutes, it takes around 45-60 minutes over different roadways, including freeways. I passed it with no problems after just a few days of practicing with hand controls on my own.

Back on topic... The other posts have been correct about the fact that the disability itself shouldn't affect your rates. It's probably a combination of other things, just like any other kid still living at home has to put up with.

[Tim13]

Quote

In Calif once they find out you've been permanently injured in a way that could affect your driving, they ask you to come in for an extended driving test. (Same one they give to the older folks who need a more thorough screening.) Instead of taking 10-15 minutes, it takes around 45-60 minutes over different roadways, including freeways. I passed it with no problems after just a few days of practicing with hand controls on my own.

I was told in rehab i had to have an evaluation done but didn't bother to, never mentioned it to any of my insurance companies either but when my AK drivers license was up for renewal a year after the injury, i asked them to put a designation of hand controls only on it and did the same when i got my FL one, both states did it without asking for proof that i could actually use them properly.

Check around for rates and play one companys quote off against another if you have to.

[gsp23]

My family has been with American Family since before I could drive and I have stuck with them (I'm now 32). My rates didnt change at all. I did my driving eval and contacted my insurance company and they werent sure what to do at the time, after spending some time waiting on hold they said that it made no difference in the policy at all and that they just made a notation in the policy that hand controls were installed in the vehicle but thats it.