<p>Hurray for CC!!!</p>
<p>I had no clue S's (astronomical) car insurance rates would go down as soon as he leaves for school (the day after tomorrow)...just called my insurance company...his rate dropped from by almost $1000/year!!! (I pay 6-month premiums; the decrease was $468 for each six-month period)...he's still fully insured (I still pay almost $400 for each six-month period)...but what a savings...almost as good as a scholarship! THANK YOU, CC!!!</p>
<p>I said the exact same thing to my insurance agent when she told me that we also would save about $1,000 per year -- "It is like getting a scholarship!"</p>
<p>Well, thanks for all the great advice! Finally after 2 days Allstate called back, but only lowered our rate a bit so I listened to you guys and shopped around and called Geico as some mentioned and they gave us an excellent rate that beat Allstate! </p>
<p>So I am glad I got this advice.
TS Dad - wow, that is so cool that your son got such a plum internship. Yes, my son is very interested in Trojanvision and also crewing on student films. I am sure he will find lots to involve himself with (and hopefully still have time to take those pesky GEs!)</p>
<p>Any insurance company that tells me I "can't" drop a driver won't have my business very long. I'll find out in a few weeks if I'm changing companies :)</p>
<p>I talked to our insurance company last week and basically we CAN'T remove 18-year-old S (who's going to college 600 miles away with no car) from our policy unless we no longer claim him on our taxes. That is their company policy (USAA). But they reduced the rate by $300 or so for the year and he's still covered whenever he comes home or when he drives a friend up there. I argued for a while with the agent, but he said that's the way it is. Since they give us really good rates on auto, home and life insurance, I just said okay, fine. Still irks me though.</p>
<p>Once again, I think it depends upon the state you live in. I believe that in states that require uninsured driver insurance the insurance companies may allow you take your child off of your policy when they are no longer at home full time (as long as they are a certain distance from home...)</p>
<p>We shopped and found that different insurance companies had different policies concerning this topic. Needless to say that our current company was extemely competitive to our previous carrier and generous in their policy towards teenage drivers. We initially discovered this information in another insurance co. newsletter in some waiting room (doctor's ??), and then inquired with our own carrier which was later comfirmed in their newsletter. I guess warren buffet wants my business, he certainly knows what I like in my chocolates.</p>
<p>In the US, 18 is the age of majority. If you can't declare them independent and remove them from your insurance, change companies. No one is going to dictate to me who to insure and how to spend my money. What would you do if they were crack heads and a danger to your insurance rating and credit? Why is it any different that they are good students and in college? They own their tax deduction, they vote, they sign contracts--how can anyone tell you that you have to insure them?</p>
<p>FYI- We changed companies after over 20 years when our son got a license. He has another year of hs. By switching companies after he was licensed we saved 1,700 dollars for the same coverage!!!!</p>
<p>Bandit:</p>
<p>I think that in MA, insurance is mandatory. You can remove your child from your insurance, but if your child wants to drive, s/he will have to have insurance. I assume that family insurance is cheaper than individual insurance; I may be wrong. But with our insurance company, our child needs to be insured only when he is likely to be driving, i.e., when he comes home from college over 100 miles away.</p>
<p>It's a given that if the child is going to drive, either they or the parent will have to buy insurance. That is far different than telling me I "can't" remove the child from my insurance policy.</p>
<p>(We're switching to Geico, just like in those commericials... they offered the most savings and I'll be fully covered.)</p>
<p>It's true... I switched from State Farm recently. </p>
<p>S was insured to drive (had his own car). We sold the car, and he is going to college on the other side of the country, but he is still insured to drive my car while on breaks and summer. I saved a bundle, and living in NJ (highest insurance rates on the planet I think) this was a lot!</p>
<p>Okay, can't was probably the wrong word. I'm thinking that if S was a crackhead, etc... we could take him off, because they probably wouldn't want the risk either. But, yeah, I get your point. It is heavy handed. But then we only pay $100 a month to insure an 18-year-old kid, and I think that's pretty good for California, though I haven't comparison shopped. They're knocking off a quarter of that for him being away, and he'll still get to drive on vacations, during summers and be the designated driver at school if need arises.</p>
<p>A friend of ours takes her D off their family policy when she goes to college and puts her back on for a week of spring break, etc... But she said it cost her about $100 just for a week to do that. Well, she probably ends up saving more than we do. Sigh. What are you guys at Geico paying for your S's anyhow? Anyone care to share?</p>
<p>ZIP. as long as he abides by the conditions. He still is covered as an occassional driver on our cars and anybody elses ( as I remember). If he does not meet the GPA standard. premium goes to ~$1200/yr (as I remember). </p>
<p>I haven't needed to remember for the last two years because his status has not changed. </p>
<p>This summer, he has maybe driven 200 miles solo. And at school he has driven a U-Haul truck 1 mile because he was the only one who knew how to drive a stickshift. He takes the free commuter bus, the 30 miles he has to go to his summer job and gets an extra 45 minutes of sleep. He saves $$, I save $$, insurance company gets a free, unsolicited endorsement from me. We do our part in keeping U$ dollars in USA, keep global warming down, keep another vehicle off the freeway. Everybody happy.</p>
<p>Newsgirl: When my wife and I lived in Hillside NJ, *30 years ago *, someone broke a window, of our 1st car, downright basic (no carpeting) Dodge Dart, for factory AM radio. Ins was high then, hope its better now.</p>
<p>I ran the numbers on Geico last night. I'll save about $1600 a year and keep the kid coverd. I'll be changing companies ASAP.</p>
<p>overanxiousmom; where the heck do you live? The story gecko gave us was son had to be away at college all year, INCLUDING summer, to be elligible for a discount. (and it was no $450 bucks semiannual)</p>
<p>Bandit: Woo-hoo!
There's no place to park around Harvard.</p>
<p>And I really want to know how- ebayispayingforcollege.</p>
<p>The Geico website simply asks if the student is full time at college without a car. Then they ask how far away. Answer those two questions, get the discount. Nothing said about summers.</p>
<p>No car at Harvard, that's for sure.</p>
<p>I talked to State Farm yesterday. There is a small discount for "student away" and for good grades. But they said that state regulations require that we carry son on our insurance year round if we claim him as a dependant on our taxes and he has a license and he will be driving at all. There is a waiver that would let us drop him from the insurance, but then if he drove even once while home on break, he would be driving uninsured.</p>