How to Use Your Safe-Driving Discount
Learning defensive driving could save more than lives. In addition to learning valuable skills to keep yourself and others on the road safe, taking a defensive driving course could earn you a safe-driving discount on your auto insurance.
Texas Farm Bureau members are eligible for a discount on the course itself. “Then we will turn around and give you a discount on your insurance as well,” says Paige Naylor-Smarrito, a Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Agent in Burnet, Marble Falls, and Blanco. “It’s 5 percent, and every penny counts.”
Naylor-Smarrito took some time to answer frequently asked questions about how to take advantage of your Texas Farm Bureau member benefits.
Q: When should I take a defensive-driving course?
A: In most municipalities, drivers who have not attended defensive driving in the past year can have traffic tickets dismissed by taking a driver-safety course. It is important to remember that if you take a course for insurance purposes and then get pulled over, you will not be able to dismiss the ticket; and an additional moving violation on your record could negatively impact your premiums. Since you can only take defensive driving once a year, I don’t usually advise anyone to take it unless they have a ticket.
Q: What if I’m a commercial driver?
A: The advice is different for commercial drivers. Since the laws does not allow them to dismiss moving violations with a driving-safety course, there is no reason not to take the course every year and enjoy lower insurance rates.
Q: Will I qualify for a safe-driving discount?
A: As long as the course is certified, Texas Farm Bureau members still qualify for an insurance discount whether they are taking it to erase a ticket or not. Members who take a defensive-driving course can earn a discount, provided they have not taken one in the past year.
Q: How do I sign up?
A: There are a variety of options available, including a traditional classroom setting, online courses you can take from home, and even comedy defensive driving. Talk to your Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Agent to make sure your course is certified.
Q: Are there any other discount opportunities?
A: Texas Farm Bureau Insurance also offers academic-achievement discounts for high school and college students (males under 25 and females under 21) who maintain a 3.0 grade point average. There are also savings available for anti-theft devices, as well as for members who have companion property and auto insurance policies.
Call your Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Agent today to discuss your auto insurance options, and learn how to maximize your protection for a reduced rate with the right vehicle safety features.
Coverage and discounts are subject to qualifications and policy terms and may vary by situation. © 2019 Texas Farm Bureau Insurance
