How to be Eligible for the Massachusetts Safe Driver Plan

The safe driver plan is a policy that's adopted by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The purpose of this plan is to reward safe drivers by offering them low auto insurance premiums and to penalize risky drivers by charging them a surcharge for traffic violations. Although this safe driver plan is put forth for Massachusetts, drivers in other states may also qualify for safe driver discounts if they have a clean driving history for three years before they apply for a new auto insurance policy. Some companies like Nationwide also reward safe drivers by offering them a vanishing deductible, for every year of safe driving. Although the eligibility criteria for safe driver discounts vary across different insurance companies, you should be aware of the safe driver insurance plan put forth by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

How to Qualify for the Safe Driver Plan:

• The safe driver plan is effective for all policies that were purchased between January, 2006 and March 31, 2008. Car owners that obtained a policy from the Massachusetts Auto Insurance Plan on or after April 1, 2008 also qualify for the safe driver plan.
• If you're shopping for auto insurance in Massachusetts, find out which companies abide by the safe driver plan, to take advantage of this merit ranking system.
• Under the safe driver insurance program you could qualify for an excellent driver discount. The Excellent Driver Discount Plus is offered to those licensed drivers who have been incident free during the six-year policy experience period. The Excellent Driver Discount, on the other hand, is offered to licensed drivers who have been free from violations for five years. However, some drivers may still be eligible for an Excellent Driver Discount even though their record reflects one surchargeable incident.
• Although insurance companies are not required to follow the safe driver plan as a merit ranking system, companies that choose to do so follow a point-based surcharge system. According to this system, drivers are assigned points from 00 to 45 based on the number of violations recorded. The points are only applicable to those surcharged incidents that are recorded during the policy experience period (six years). Based on the number of points you accumulate, your insurance policy will be reviewed and altered. The more points you accumulate, the higher the insurance premium you can expect to pay. Conversely, if you have a clean driving record you will eligible for several discounts.
• If your auto insurer doesn't use the Massachusetts safe driver plan, you should speak with an agent to find out how you could avail of safe driver discounts. Some insurers may lower your insurance premium if you complete a defensive driving or driver improvement program. However, since the terms and conditions vary for every insurance company, you need to do your research to find the best plan.

To obtain more information on the safe driver insurance program visit the Mass.gov website. You should read the terms and conditions of any auto insurance contract carefully, to understand your entitlements. Beware of fly-by-night operators that offer you cheap auto insurance or offer you a very low insurance down payment.