THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2021 Page 15 Last, But Certainly Not Least By Gini Pariseau F How Older Drivers Can Save on Auto Insurance Dear Savvy Senior, Can you provide any tips to help seniors reduce their auto insurance premiums? I just got hit with a 15 percent increase on my car insurance and am looking for ways to save. Fixed Income Frank Dear Frank, Unfortunately, auto insurance rates went up signifi cantly over the past year as the pandemic eased and more Americans got back on the roads. But there are plenty of ways to cut your premium. To fi nd out what discounts may be available to you, contact your auto insurer and inquire about these options, and any others that may benefi t you. Low mileage discount: Most insurers off er discounts to customers who drive limited miles each year, which is usually benefi cial to retirees who drive less because they don’t commute to work every day. These discounts usually kick in when your annual mileage drops below 7,000 or 7,500, which is signifi cantly less than the typical 12,000 miles most Americans drive a year. Drivers Ed discount: Many states require insurance companies to off er defensive driving discounts – between fi ve and 15 percent – to drivers who take a refresher course to brush up on their safety skills. These courses, off ered by AAA (aaadriver.online/register/roadwise) and AARP (aarpdriversafety.org), cost $20 to $30 and can be taken online. Monitored driving discount: Many insurance providers offer discounts based on how and when you use your car. To get this, the insurer would provide a small monitoring device that you would place in your car to track things like your acceleration, braking habits, driving speeds, phone use and when you drive. Drivers are rewarded between 10 and 50 percent for safe driving and for not driving late at night. In addition, many insurance providers also off er discounts to drivers who do not have any violations or accidents for three or more years. Membership discounts: Organizations that you belong to can also lower your insurance premium. Insurers off er discounts through professional associations, workers’ unions, large employers or membership organizations such as AAA, the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, AARP, etc. You could even qualify for savings based on the college you attended or the fraternity or sorority you belonged to decades ago. Bundle policies: If your auto policy is issued by a different company from the one insuring your life or home, call each insurer and ask if bundling the policies would be cheaper. Improve your credit: You may be able to lower your car insurance premium by paying your bills on time and reducing the amount of debt you carry. Insurers look at how their customers manage credit to get an idea of risk and to price policies. Better rates are given to those with good credit scores, typically 700 or above. Increase your deductible: While it’s not right for everyone, paying a higher deductible could save you big on premiums. For example, raising your deductible from $200 to $500 could reduce the cost of your collision and comprehensive coverage by 15 to 30 percent. Going to a $1,000 deductible could save you 40 percent or more. Consider your car model: If you’re shopping for a new vehicle, call for an insurance quote before you decide what to buy. Some vehicles are safer and cost less to repair than others. Insurance companies collect data about each make and model and use it to determine how much to charge customers. Comparison shop: To fi nd out if your current premium is competitive with what other insurers charge, or to help you look for a diff erent provider you should comparison shop. Online brokerages such as CarInsurance.com, TheZebra.com and QuoteWizard. com let you plug in basic details – such as your age and your car’s make, model and year – to compare rates from insurance companies. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior. org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. inally, here it was…Christmas Eve. It was the night Allison had been waiting for. The family would gather around the tree as Allison and her two older brothers gave their parents their gifts. It was the fi rst year Allison had been old enough to be part of giving her very own present to her parents. Allison was excited about her gift because she had made it herself. As her parents sat in the two big chairs beside the fireplace, her brother Jamie pulled a red box with a green bow stuck to the top out from under the tree and handed it to his mom. She read the little tag aloud and opened the box. Inside was a beautiful red candle, and as his dad put a match to its wick, Jamie told them that it would smell like cinnamon in a minute. Everyone waited and commented on the wonderful cinnamon scent. Next came Peter, who proudly presented a gold box with gold ribbon to his Dad, who read the tag and opened the box. Inside was a wonderful assortment of jelly candies. Everyone sampled a diff erent fl avor and commented how good their choice was. Allison came up next with her hands behind her back. In one sweeping action she presented her gift and held it in front of her. It was a big card that had a Christmas tree on the front with Santa and his reindeer going over the top of it. At the bottom, Allison had printed “Mom and Dad” with a diff erent color for each letter. Allison’s mom reached for the card, and both parents leaned together as they read the inside and commented on the pictures. Allison’s dad sat the card on the mantle and suggested everyone sample another round of jelly candies. He then turned the room lights down so they could appreciate the glow from the candle better. The card Allison had made for her parents faded out of sight on the mantle as the candlelight illuminated the coff ee table and the candy box. Allison began to feel her gift didn’t match up to her brothers’. The card had only provided momentary excitement as it was opened. Already it had faded in comparison to her brothers’ gifts. She passed on the next round of jelly candy and expressed her desire to go to bed so Santa Claus could come. She went to sleep dreaming of a magic moment when her parents would like and enjoy her present the best. The next morning she came down the stairs to the living room, and while there were so many presents under the tree from Santa, the fi rst thing she noticed was the coff ee table. The candle had burned itself away and the box that contained the jelly candy was empty. But there, sitting high and proud on the mantle, was her card. MAPC launches new report ranking Metro Boston bike paths, greenways and trails H ow does your community stack up when it comes to creating safe, accessible walking and bicycling routes? A new report aims to help you fi nd out.The “Metro Boston Municipal Trails, Bikeways & Greenways Inventory” study released this week by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) is tracking the region’s progress toward building new bike and pedestrian facilities across Greater Boston – ranking cities and towns based on total mileage recently built. It compares communities based on shareduse path, bicycle lane and foot path availability. The report also examines access disparities by race and socio-economic status, and it off ers a list of high-priority projects to link key routes regionally for greater equity. According to the report, Cambridge, Somerville and Boston are leading the region by bike lane mileage, with more than 15 percent of streets in Cambridge featuring some form of protected bike lane, and at least 10 percent of streets in Somerville and fi ve percent of streets in Boston. The report is current through the end of 2020 and is using data pulled from trailmap.mapc. org, MAPC’s inventory of bike and pedestrian infrastructure in Greater Boston. The full report is available at mapc.org/ resource-library/trails-inventory. According to MAPC, the goal is to update the database annually. “It’s great to see this kind of data in one place, and to be able to show lots of measurable momentum toward building out a safe network of interconnected trails and bike lanes,” said MAPC Senior Transportation Planner David Loutzenheiser. “The goal is to get even more information, especially in light of how transportation patterns continue to evolve amid the pandemic, and to be able to use that to help cities and towns make a case for future investments.” “There’s great news in the report, showing the significant progress that’s been made since the time in the early 1990s when the Boston area bicycle and trail network consisted of the Paul Dudley White Path along the Charles River and the Minuteman Trail in Arlington,” said Malden Councillor-at-Large Stephen Winslow, who founded Bike to the Sea in 1993 to help create what is now the Northern Strand Community Trail, which connects Everett to Lynn and Nahant. Connecting the Northern Strand through to Salem is one of the fi ve key regional routes identifi ed in the report as a high priority for the region. “I’m hopeful that as more residents become familiar with the newest facilities being added through the Complete Streets and Shared Streets programs, that momentum will continue to build towards the vision of a transformative regional network,” said Winslow. Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition Executive Director Galen Mook said bicycling infrastructure helps to support a growing economy and attracts new development while alleviating traffi c and pollution that is harmful to communities. “This ranking of bike lanes, trails [and bikeways] across the Metro Boston region by MAPC shows which municipalities are investing in their communities, and provides incentives and best practices for municipalities to inspire and educate leaders to take action,” said Mook. “Since this report showcases exactly where the gaps are, policymakers and municipal leaders in communities that didn’t rank as high will hopefully be motivated to invest in their infrastructure as the benefi ts of better bicycling and walking infrastructure become apparent.” For Advertising with Results, call The Advocate Newspapers at 781-286-8500 or Info@advocatenews.net
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