{"id":699,"date":"2016-09-24T18:55:30","date_gmt":"2016-09-24T18:55:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/?p=699"},"modified":"2025-01-17T23:23:57","modified_gmt":"2025-01-17T23:23:57","slug":"10-things-your-insurance-agent-knows-that-you-may-not","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/knowledge-center\/auto\/understanding-auto-insurance\/10-things-your-insurance-agent-knows-that-you-may-not\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Things Your Insurance Agent Knows That You May Not"},"content":{"rendered":"
Car insurance is more complicated than many people seem to realize, and when someone asks for cheap car<\/a> insurance quotes, many factors influence the outcome.<\/p>\n Amanda Shore, an operations analyst for Insurance.com, sums it up eloquently by saying, \u201cA lot of consumers think they have an idea of how car insurance works and think they are informed, but they aren\u2019t. They understand a new Hyundai is cheaper to insure than a new Mercedes and that their driving record is pulled, but many aren\u2019t aware that where they live is such a big deal and that many other reports and rating factors are looked at.\u201d<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a list of 10 things that your auto insurance agent knows about you that you may not be aware of.<\/p>\n Applying for an affordable car insurance policy involves exchanging plenty of information, and while the agent working with you does ask their fair share of questions, they don\u2019t just take your word for everything. An agent knows what information the carrier is pulling, and that may include reports on your mileage, homeowner status, undisclosed drivers living with you, vehicle registration, and who your current carrier is. This information is used to calculate your FICO insurance score \u2013 a score that you don\u2019t have access to.<\/p>\n The ISO rating system consists of 75 symbols attributed to vehicles, depending on make, model, safety ratings, and more. These symbols are used to help calculate how risky it would be to insure you. The higher the rating, the higher the risk, and that translates into higher premiums.<\/p>\n Not all traffic tickets come with the same repercussions, and an agent knows which ones impact your insurance rates and which ones don\u2019t. It\u2019s their job to know your insurance company\u2019s surcharge schedule, the blueprint for how your rates may raise. You can request a copy of this from your agent, but you may need their help to figure it all out.<\/p>\n You may not remember the last time you received a ticket, but your insurance agent does. They also know exactly when these infractions will drop off your record and stop impacting your premiums, and you can request this information from your agent.<\/p>\n You\u2019re unlikely to know how a claim will impact your rates until after you\u2019ve already made it, but it is possible to predict, to some degree. You\u2019ll need the surcharge schedule and a little help from your agent to decipher the complex formula used to calculate it.<\/p>\n1) They know more than you think they do.<\/h2>\n
2) They have their own language and rating system.<\/h2>\n
3) They know if a ticket will raise your rates.<\/h2>\n
4) They know when tickets stop affecting your driving record.<\/h2>\n
5) They know how a claim will impact your rates.<\/h2>\n
6) They know if your crashed vehicle is a total loss.<\/h2>\n