You have probably noticed that some drivers pay more than other drivers even if they drive the same model and year of car. Most likely, you have noticed that young people pay higher premiums than older men than women.

Insurance companies look at a lot of statistics, then look at which statistics apply to which driver. Basically, they are looking to see which group, statistically, has the highest probability of making a claim, which one has the second, the third, etc.

They have noticed that men tend to have more driving accidents than women. That younger people, especially those under the age of 25, tend to have accidents more often than older people. Single drivers tend to be more reckless than married drivers. People who have broken or broken the law once may do it again more often than those who have never done it and end up in an accident. People who drive more tend to have more accidents than those who drive less.

Then they look at the type of car you drive. Here is a combination of statistics and other factors. Statistically, smaller cars tend to cost insurers more than bigger cars (they just aren’t as safe, in part because there are bigger cars). Some cars tend to cost you more because parts are expensive and older cars cost less. Some cars are stolen more often than others. Cars in some neighborhoods are more likely to be stolen or vandalized.

When they’re done looking at all of those things, they have a basis for judging how much to charge you. Basically, they guess how much they will have to pay next year for the whole group that you belong to, they add up their other costs, the profits they want to make, and then they calculate how much they should charge each individual in their group to get all of their payments, costs and Profits.

Some things you don’t control (you can’t just become a middle aged woman just to get a lower premium and you can’t stop people with all the vandalism and car theft). However, many of the things they use to determine the premium to charge you are under their control. You control:

The car you are going to buy

If you have anti-theft devices installed

Whether you drive drunk or not

Whether you make small claims or not

And, at least to some extent, the neighborhood you live in

· And the deductible that you are going to pay.

So, next time you’re looking for auto insurance quotes, do your research. Until then, don’t do any of the things that cause you to be perceived as high risk. And of course, accept that you don’t control the things you don’t control.