Paying Too Much For Car Insurance? Try These Steps To Reduce Your Bill

From the car you drive to the way you drive there's a lot that goes into factoring your insurance rate.

Shynekia Riley pays twice the state average... Her youth may be working against her.

"Eevery little bit that I can save will help being a student," said Riley.

All the drive we need to search for a solution.

Carolina Choice Insurance owner Max Fain says Riley and others can reduce their premiums by sticking to a middle of the road deductible.

"Normally the difference in the premiums between $500 and $1000 isn't that big a deal, but $250 to $500 is. So just staying at the $500 level is a nice way to save a few dollars," said Fain.

Also, going paperless and signing up for automatic payments can cut your rate more than you think.

"It was amazing how much lower it was every month just because it's being bank drafted every month," said Dena Lee.

"OK, I have to look into that then," said Riley.

This next one may not apply to Riley, but if you own a home, package your policies to get the best rate.

And if your car is an oldie, you can save by just having liability coverage instead of full coverage.

Defensive Driving Courses can shave off a few dollars a month, and so can certain memberships. That's something Riley already knows.

"I'm a part of the national technical honors society and that took about 30 dollars off," she said.

Fain also says, don't forget the most important rate reducer...avoiding speeding tickets. And he's not just an insurance agent. He's a reformed driver himself.

"I haven't had anything against my license now for 10 years. So it can be done, I'm proof that you can change."

If your credit is not good you may want to go an agency where your score is not a factor in setting your premium like ACCC, Safe Auto and Assurance America.  But if you have a good credit rating you may be able to find lower rate at companies that do check your score.