Five simple strategies can save you money on car insurance. At www.OhioCar-Insurance.com our least experienced agent has 23 years in the insurance industry. We like to put this to good use and regularly offer you tips to help save money on your insurance premium.

With huge numbers at the gas pump and rising prices everywhere else, we are all keeping an eye on every penny we spend these days. Not surprisingly, car insurance is no exception.

People that have maintained the same insurance relationship for years are suddenly looking for every opportunity to save a little money to offset rising prices and are looking to find the lowest cost insurance option.

Allstate has just increased their rates on average 6.3% while Progressive has increased their rates roughly 4% across the board. You can expect other carriers to begin to follow suit very soon.

Why are rates going up?
1. Medical Cost Inflation remains high. 14.3% increase in April 2008;
2. Steel prices are up over 61% in the last two months;
3. Plastic is up 24%;
4. Dow Chemical raised prices 20% on June 1st. (Plastics used to produce car dashboards, tires, speakers, insulation, paint and electronic casings.

Whenever steel and plastic costs increase, the cost to repair vehicles (severity) increases within nine months (approximately) and the companies will attempt to get ahead of the curve.

With this in mind, following are some useful tips that can help you reduce your insurance premium:

1. Calculate Your Deductible.
Higher deductibles usually mean lower insurance premium for your policies. This is a personal business decision you must make to fit your specific circumstances. If you are willing and able to pay a higher amount in the event of an accident, you might be able to save money by increasing your deductible. BUT, remember to run the numbers. You might save $100 or $200 by going from a $100 to a $1,000 deductible… but if you have an accident you just spent an extra $900!

2. Drive Safe.
Your driving record significantly impacts your insurance premium. If you have had accidents or moving violations you're likely to have a higher insurance premium when it comes time to pay your bill. However, drivers with good driving records almost always qualify for discounts on their car insurance policies. The simplest way to be a safe driver is to just pay attention. Do not use cell phones (Talk, text or surf the net) or other electronic devices while driving. Never drive while under the influence of drugs, alcohol or when you’re tired or sleepy.

3. Safety Devices ARE Worth It.
Simply stated, safety and anti-theft devices lower the chance that your vehicle will be stolen. The lower the risk of theft, the lower your insurance premium. Be sure to tell your agent about any devices on your vehicle so they can make sure you receive the proper credit.

4. Cool Cars are Usually More Expensive to Insure!
High end sports cars and more expensive vehicles are simply more costly to insure because they are more expensive to repair in an accident. This is not good when it comes to your car insurance. Spend some time doing a little research before you buy. Ask your agent how your insurance company determines the car insurance cost for a particular vehicle. Most agents will give you a quote on the vehicle you're thinking about so you will know in advance.

5. Drive Less
clients who average 30 miles or less a day for their commute usually qualify for low mileage discounts. Also make sure any vehicle you don’t drive daily and is driven less than 5,000 miles per year is rated as a “pleasure” vehicle.

BONUS:
Don’t buy into the direct writer rhetoric “cut out the middle man” slogan and waste time at every “direct” writer site re-keying your information for one quote (or making a bunch of calls and spending 10 or 15 minutes to get one quote) when you can get multiple quotes and find the very best policy from one place with an independent agent. (As an example, note that 97.4% of the time we find a less expensive alternative to the direct writing companies). Note that combining your home/renter's coverage with your auto coverage with the same insurance company you can usually save anywhere from 17% to 30% or more on BOTH policies!

With the cost of everything going up these days, one sure fire way to save money (Usually hundreds of dollars) is by taking a close look at your insurance.