Car insurance providers love it when a potential auto insurance customer pulls up with a safe car –like those with high safety ratings and features. Safer cars mean less chance of getting into car accidents and filing a major vehicle insurance claim, which is good for the car insurance policyholder and the vehicle insurance company. The policyholder’s insurance rates don’t increase, and the insurance company doesn’t have to provide a vehicle insurance payout after a car accident.
Of course, most cars come standard with essential safety features like seat belts and airbags. Statistics from years and years prove that seat belts and airbags reduce damage and injury in car accidents. Vehicle insurance providers often reward these safety features with discounts on car insurance premiums. One of these discounts is known as a passive restraint discount.
What is a Passive Restraint Discount?
A passive restraint discount is a safety feature discount based on the car outside its standard seat belts. Typically, manual seat belts found in most cars do not apply to a passive restraint discount. Automatic seatbelts, however, are another story.
The automaker must also install these safety features and present them at the car’s time of sale. When it comes to airbags, as long as they automatically deploy (which all do), they always qualify for a passive restraint discount.
How Much Can a Passive Restraint Discount Reduce Your Car Insurance Rates?
A Passive Restraint Discount is an essential factor in calculating car insurance premiums. This discount acknowledges the presence of safety features like automatic seat belts and airbags in a vehicle. The specific reduction in car insurance rates due to a Passive Restraint Discount varies by insurance company, policyholder, and the state in which the policy is held.
The average discount for passive restraint systems can range from 20% to 40% of the portion of the premium that covers medical payments or personal injury protection. However, this percentage can vary based on the insurer’s policies and the specific coverage selected.
It has been reported that passive restraint discounts can reduce monthly car insurance premiums by about $35. Calculated every year, that’s about $420 saved annually on your auto insurance policy premium. All this is for having certain safety features on your car when you buy it, which is quickly beneficial.
What’s The Difference Between an Active Restraint and a Passive Restraint?
Car safety features, or restraints, are either active or passive in both a literal and car insurance sense.
Let’s look at the most basic examples of both types of restraints:
- Passive restraint - A passive restraint is any factory-installed safety feature that activates independently –like an airbag on the front or side of your car.
- Active restraint - These are still factory-installed safety features requiring manual activation, like your seatbelt. Active restraints typically aren’t given insurance discounts.
What Are Some Examples of Passive Restraints on a Car?
You should review a passive restraint checklist and see what insurance discounts your car qualifies for.
Here are some passive restraint systems that can earn you a discount on your car insurance:
- Airbags: These are the most well-known passive restraint systems. In the event of a significant impact, sensors trigger the airbags to inflate, providing a cushion to help prevent occupants from hitting hard interior elements of the car.
- Automatic Seat Belts: These belts automatically wrap around the car occupant when the door is closed or the engine is started. This system ensures that the seat belt is used. However, its popularity has decreased due to the inconvenience for some users and advancements in other restraint technologies.
- Pretensioners in Seat Belts: While regular seat belts require the user to fasten them, pretensioners tighten the seat belt moments before a crash. This helps reduce the belt’s slack, securing the occupant more firmly against the seat.
- Head Restraints: These are integrated into the vehicle’s seats and are designed to limit the backward movement of the occupant’s head during a rear-end collision, thus reducing the risk of whiplash.
- Knee Airbags: Similar to front airbags, knee airbags deploy to protect the lower extremities of occupants during a crash.
How Else Can You Avoid Car Accidents and Be a Safe Driver?
Of course, accidents and reckless driving habits are entirely avoidable on the driver’s part. Being a safe driver can keep you out of trouble and your car insurance rates low.
Here are good driving habits to make instinct:
- Take advantage of passive and active restraint systems.
- Keep your car in good condition.
- Avoid getting behind the wheel while drinking.
- Always wear seatbelts.
- Maintain at least two car spaces from the car in front of you.
- Lower your speed or avoid driving altogether in bad weather conditions.
What Car Insurance Companies Have Passive Restraint Discounts?
Car insurance providers, both local and national, have passive restraint discounts. It’s a common practice across the vehicle insurance industry. The best part about car insurance discounts is that they stack, so if you also qualify for claim-free or policy-bundling car insurance discounts, they can add up, and you can save more.
Are you shopping for car insurance? Insurance Navy can find you the most affordable rates!
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