AARP Car Insurance

As much as the AARP may do to fight it, age discrimination is an unfortunate fact of life - and nowhere is this more the case than in the world of car insurance. Few other industries blatantly and admittedly discriminate against seniors, and the worst part of it is that drivers ages 55-65 pay far higher car insurance rates than they should have to. This is because, from an actuarial perspective, the cost of insuring drivers ages 70 and over would be too high for them to bear, so car insurance companies make younger seniors, 55-65, subsidize them. Well the good news is that Arkansas seniors can do something to lower their costs - the state government says so!


AARP Driver Safety Courses

AARP (The American Association of Retired Persons) offers driver dafety courses throughout the United States, and many car insurance companies gladly grant discounts to seniors who pass the courses. In Arkansas, however, it isn’t a voluntary matter - every car insurance company within the state must give seniors who pass the test a discount - by law! You do not need to be a member of AARP to take the test, but there is a fee involved - in most cases it’s only $10, which is a pittance compared to what you will be saving once you pass.

In Arkansas, the AARP class is a four-hour course designed as a refresher for drivers 50 and over. It focuses on learning to deal with the demanding task of driving in today’s busy streets and highways, and it gives strategies for adjusting to age-related changes in hearing, sight, and reaction time. The course also goes over recent changes to Arkansas laws.


Not only will you save by taking the course, but you might also save your life. After all, as the AARP says: “The roads, vehicles, and traffic patterns of today are much different than when drivers first learned to drive. As the conditions of driving have changed, so has the driver. The course is designed to extend driving years in a safer manner.”


How to Enroll - In Arkansas and Elsewhere

AARP driver safety courses are given regularly in Arkansas and throughout the U.S. Two upcoming courses in Arkansas are April 6 from 8:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. at the Hubach Center in Searcy, AR (for more information, call Lisa Blount at 501-380-1053); and April 17 from 1-5 P.M. at the Valley Baptist Church, 3328 Hwy 36 North, Searcy. If you miss these courses, simply ask your car insurance agent when there’s another one close to your home.

If your car insurance agent isn’t the type of guy you can just call up and ask that question, then perhaps it’s time you started looking for a new agent. In fact, if your agent is an old friend, you’re probably even a better candidate to begin comparison shopping. After all, if your agent views you as a “captive customer,” he’s much less likely to make sure you’re getting the best deal.

Shopping around for the best car insurance rates is easy thanks to the internet and websites like carinsurancerates.com. In fact, there are several car insurance companies that give even bigger discounts for passing a driver safety course than mandated by Arkansas law. You’ll never know how much you can save until you try!

Arkansas Car Insurance: A Quick Guide

Car insurance can seem like a literal quagmire of choices for the new motorist; however, there are some rules that all drivers need to know going into the game. Complete information regarding the various ins and outs of Arkansas’s insurance requirements can be obtained by contacting the Arkansas Insurance Department in Little Rock at 1-800-282-9134 or by visiting their website, http://insurance.arkansas.gov.

AR requires that all drivers have liability insurance; this will pay for damages inflicted to the person and vehicle with whom the insured is in an accident that was of their making. Minimum state coverage is 25/50/25, which means that if there is only one person in the vehicle that was struck the insured’s insurance provider will pay for twenty five thousand dollars worth of medical expenses, if there is more than one person harmed in the accident fifty thousand dollars of their combined expenses will be covered, and if property was damaged (such as a private residence or a guardrail, as well as the other vehicle involved) twenty five thousand dollars will be allotted for repair.


AR does not require that their motorists carry any more than the minimum liability when they are driving; however, it is recommended that all drivers have more coverage than this. Comprehensive/collision insurance exists to pay for damage to the vehicle of the driver responsible for the accident, preventing them from finding themselves with thousands of dollars worth of repair. This will also pay for vehicle damages in the event that a car is struck by a deer or is damaged due to inclement weather conditions. In the event that the cost to repair a vehicle is greater than the vehicle’s blue book value per the Kelley Blue Book the vehicle will be declared totaled and the blue book value awarded to the driver. Gap coverage may also be an option for those individuals whose auto loan value exceeds the blue book value of their vehicle.

Even though most states require that all drivers carry liability not all of them do, and even those that do have drivers that choose not to comply. Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage provides for payment medical and repair expenses for damages to the vehicle and person of the insured if they are involved in a hit and run or are struck by a car whose driver either does not possess insurance or whose insurance is insufficient to cover the total costs incurred.

Kelley Blue Book, Your Best Friend

Why Kelly Blue Book is Your Friend
If you’ve ever purchased or sold a used car, then you’ve almost certainly heard of Kelley Blue Book. They are universally king when it comes to determining a new or used vehicle’s value. In fact, the term “blue book value” has become used so often that it is now virtually synonymous with the car’s market value. Many car dealerships turn to Kelley Blue Book when estimating the trade value of a customer’s car. It’s all pretty impressive for a company that started as a two man dealership in 1918. The owner, Les Kelley, began circulating lists of all the vehicles he wanted to purchase and how much he was willing to pay for them. Before long, Kelley’s lists became popular among local banks and dealers, who considered his estimates as a standard. In 1926, the first ever Kelley Blue Book was released. The guide was mostly used around the Los Angeles region until the 1940’s when it went nationwide. Since then it’s gone on to become one of the most popular and well known consumer and trade publications available. You can even find most of its information online now through the Kelley Blue Book website. Here’s an idea of what you can find in a Kelley Blue Book.

What Information does Kelley Blue Book Provide?
While you already know that Kelley Blue Book provides used and new car values, it also does the same for motorcycles, RVs, snowmobiles, mobile homes, and even personal watercrafts. Of course, used and new cars are the main focus and Kelley Blue Book provides a plethora of information about them, such as:

A vehicle’s manufacturer suggested retail price or MSRP
The dealer invoice price
A car’s trade-in value
What people and insiders are saying about a vehicle
Private party prices