Good call on the defensive driving course—I did one after my Audi became a ticket magnet, and it helped more than I expected. Also, bundling home and auto saved me quite a bit...worth checking out if you haven't already.
Defensive driving definitely helps, but honestly, shopping around every year or two makes a bigger difference. Call around, compare quotes online, and don't overlook smaller companies—they sometimes offer better deals. My old Mustang was a ticket magnet too...trust me, persistence pays off.
Totally agree on shopping around—saved me a ton last renewal. Defensive driving courses helped a bit, but honestly, switching to a higher deductible made the biggest difference for me. I was hesitant at first (felt risky...), but after crunching numbers, it made sense. Also, bundling home and auto insurance knocked off another chunk. I drive a family SUV now, but back when I had my sporty coupe, tickets were way too easy to rack up. Learned my lesson the hard way, haha. Anyway, just double-check coverage details carefully if you go cheaper; sometimes lower premiums mean less coverage or hidden exclusions.
"switching to a higher deductible made the biggest difference for me. I was hesitant at first (felt risky...)"
Yeah, I felt the same hesitation. Ended up sticking with a moderate deductible and focused more on defensive driving discounts. Tickets taught me caution—now I just keep it slow and steady...
I get where you're coming from on the deductible thing, but honestly, I found that raising mine didn't save me enough to justify the stress. Last year, I bumped my deductible way up, thinking I'd pocket some serious savings. Then, of course, I got rear-ended by someone texting at a stoplight—totally not my fault, but guess who had to front the cash until insurance sorted things out? Yep, me. Lesson learned the hard way.
Instead, I ended up shopping around for companies that offer usage-based insurance. Felt weird about it at first (didn't love the idea of being tracked), but turns out my cautious grandma-style driving actually pays off. Now I'm saving a decent chunk each month without the anxiety of a huge deductible looming over my head. Might not work for everyone, but if you're already driving carefully, it's worth checking out.
