After falling or remaining flat through 2007, average auto insurance premiums rose an average of 1.05% during the first quarter of this year, a new survey by Insurance.com, a website that lets consumers compare insurance quotes, found.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to lower your insurance rates:

•Drive Safely. Just 1 speeding ticket could raise your insurance premium. Conversely, many insurers will lower your rate if you haven’t had an accident or been ticketed in the past three to five years.

•Raise your deductible. Raising your deductable from $200 to $500 could reduce the cost of collision and comprehensive coverage by up to 30%. Raising your deductible to $1,000 could lower your premium by 40% or more. Just make sure you have enough money put aside to cover the higher deductible amount in case you’re in an accident.

•Take advantage of discounts. Many insurers provide a discount of up to 15% for teenage drivers with a B average or higher in school. Some also offer a 5% to 10% discount for policyholders who take a defensive driving course.

•Driving less often (if you use public transport to go to work for example) could reward you with a low-mileage discount. You’ll probably need to provide documents to support the change in your driving habits.

•Consult your insurance agent before you buy a car. Premiums vary significantly from one type of vehicle to another as insurers review several factors (repair costs, model’s safety record…).

•Shop around and fill in a comparison quote. Switch for a new policy well before your current policy comes up for renewal if possible as many insurers provide an “early shopping” discount of up to 12%.

Allstate car insurance has been ordered to cut car insurance rates by 15.9% for residents in California. The news is likely to have a big effect on Allstate’s bottom line with the company insuring about 10% of the states cars. The rate cut comes into effect on April 14 and will result in average savings of $124 per vehicle.
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If you have a Dodge you really need to shop around for budget car insurance quotes, to obtain a Dodge car insurance quote click here. Unfortunately the Dodge features in the top 10 list of most stolen motor vehicles in many states, a factor that could increase your car insurance rates.

In Colorado the Dodge Neon 1995 comes in as the 6th most stolen vehicle and the Dodge Ram Pickup ranks in at number 9. In Michigan the Dodge Ram Pickup tops the list and in Texas Dodge pickups come in as 3rd most stolen.
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To obtain a Michigan car insurance quote click here.

Michigan is the country’s only state that requires all motorists carry unlimited medical coverage. Car Insurers have wanted for years to allow lesser and cheaper coverage, claiming it may remove the incentive for many that drive illegally without insurance due to high car insurance rates.
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Low affordable car insurance is easier to get if you drive a vehicle that is considered both safe and ‘low-profile’. You may want to rethink that flashy sports car or SUV you’ve been thinking about buying as you’re more likely to get cheap car insurance on a family car or minivan.

A safe affordable vehicle, not only better protects the driver and passengers, but it also protects your wallet. As some cars cost more than others to repair insurers take this into account when calculating your car insurance rates. There are a number of online resources you can use to check the typical repair costs for popular vehicles. Insurers are also interested in how the vehicle takes care of you and your passengers in the event of an accident, and obviously you should be too!
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Have you given your car insurance a tune-up lately? Get the most out of your coverage by making sure you haven’t made one of these common mistakes:

- Adequate Protection
A common way to save money on car insurance rates is to reduce the liability protection. Before you reduce your liability protection to cut costs consider how a bad accident could affect you financially. Medical bills, lost wages and vehicle damage can add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. You should make sure your liability protection is adequate to cover you, your passengers and your property in a worst-case scenario.

- Buying the Cheapest Car Insurance Available
You’ve heard the saying “you get what you pay for” and often it’s true. You can save a lot of money by shopping for a car insurance online quote, but make sure you assess all the benefits included before you go ahead and purchase. One way many companies cut costs is to use less expensive parts rather than the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts. Use of non-original parts can affect the look of your vehicle, decrease its value and void your warranty.
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Progressive car insurance recently reported fourth-quarter results, with profit falling 41% due to reduced car insurance rates.

Progressive car insurance’s net income dropped to $236.1 million, down from $400.9 million for the same period last year. As a result of the drop in income Progressive car insurance is eliminating jobs and combining units to reduce expenses. Progressive car insurance announced in November 2007 that it would reduce its workforce by around 1.3%, a cut of 341 jobs.

The car insurance companies attempt to drop car insurance rates to attract customers seems to have worked with the number of Progressive Car Insurance policy holders rising by 4% in the year.
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With more than 411 people killed on New Mexico roads in 2007, it is truly disappointing that AAA car insurance has announced it will stop offering safety classes in January 2008.

The classes were clearly popular with an estimated 3,200 drivers attending every year, these drivers will now have to look elsewhere for safe driver training and car insurance discounts.
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Car Insurance Rates can put a major dent in your wallet. Getting cheap car insurance can really help your budget and getting a low cost car insurance quote may be easier than you think. This article provides you with some tips to help you get the most affordable car insurance possible.

1- There are a number of online services that compare car insurance quotes for you instantly, saving you time and providing your with a discount if purchased online. For example, insurance.com compares more than a dozen car insurance quotes for you which result in an average saving of $451.

2- Investigate any car insurance companies that offer discount car insurance for taking a driver training course.
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This article has been written to give you some advice on what you can do if you’re car insurance company is giving you a hard time. You don’t have to sit back and suffer from their ignoring,stalling and disputing, you do have options to settle your dispute.

To begin with call your car insurance companies claims department. Don’t forget, you’re the customer and your car insurance rates pay their salary. If the individual you’re speaking to doesn’t seem to care about your problem, (always make a note of the name of the individual you spoke to and the date you called) then find and speak to their superior.
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