Understanding Insurance for Autistic Drivers

Insurance can be a confusing concept for any driver. We have all had questions like, “What coverage level should I choose? What carrier offers the best service?” It’s a complex topic and as part of our mission to educate autistic individuals on driver expectations, we felt it was vital to address insurance during our seven-part webinar series here at Driving with Autism. Today’s topic will be covering the different types of coverages and why they are important. We will also cover ways to save money and ensure you are getting the best price available.

What exactly is insurance and why do you need it? Insurance protects you against financial harm. This can be because a tree fell on your car and you need to pay to have it fixed, or because you were at fault in an accident and need to pay the other party for their damages or injuries.

There are many different insurance coverages available, and we will discuss a few of the most important to consider when purchasing insurance.

• Bodily Injury Liability: This covers the cost of injury and/or death to others caused by you in an accident.
• Property Damage Liability: This covers the cost of damage to property caused by you in an accident.
• Collision: This covers the damage to your car in the event of a crash. This coverage is typically subject to a ‘deductible’ which is the portion you must pay before the insurance company pays. The higher your deductible, the lower the cost.
• Comprehensive: This covers the damage to your car caused by events that are not a crash such as fire, theft, vandalism, and more. This coverage is also typically subject to a deductible.
  • Glass: It is important to ensure that glass coverage is included with your comprehensive coverage. Glass coverage covers damage to your glass (such as a cracked windshield) and helps pay to repair or replace the glass. Since this is a big safety concern, most insurance companies offer this coverage with no deductible.
• Rental Car Coverage: This covers the cost of a rental car while your car is being repaired.

Insurance is important because of the unpredictable nature of driving. One day all conditions are perfect and some days you may get yourself in an accident. Often things are beyond your control and insurance helps to ensure you do go into financial ruin due to a small mistake or natural catastrophe.

There are several ways to control insurance costs. The first and most important is to maintain a good driving record. Violations, tickets, accidents, and insurance claims all affect your Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) and can cause your insurance premiums to go up.

Another way to keep insurance premiums down is by opting for higher deductibles. While having a higher deductible means you will have larger out-of-pocket expenses in the event of having to file a claim, it can also provide significant cost savings on your insurance policy bill.

Another method to keep insurance costs down is to make full use of various discounts offered by insurance companies – these include things like low mileage discounts, good student discounts, multi-car discounts, multi-policy discounts, and more.

Driving with Autism also highly recommends working with an independent insurance agency to help you with this complex topic. Insurance agents are licensed professionals who will help guide you and select the insurance coverages that are right for you. Insurance agencies advocate for their clients and work with multiple insurance companies. As a result, they can consult you on the kind of coverage you should carry and are able to get you quotes from many insurance companies without you having to do the work, they even work with insurance carriers that you would not have access to on your own.

While insurance can be quite confusing, it does not have to be a barrier preventing you from driving. There is a lot of good information out there and we at Driving with Autism will help in making this more accessible. Not only do we cover the topic of insurance in our seven-part webinar series, but we also partner with trusted insurance agencies like Kovalev Insurance. Kovalev Insurance is an insurance agency that provides auto insurance for autistic individuals and understands how to best serve our diverse community. Be sure to check them out on our resources & partners page.

If you are interested in learning more, check out our webinar series here: Autism Driving Prep Education Classes | Purchase Training

Contact us for autism-centered virtual education driving school training.