Car Insurance for Disabled Drivers: Everything You Need to Know

Key Insights:

• Driving a vehicle as per the will of the driver is the basic necessity of every citizen.
• Drivers with disabilities are finding it difficult to get a car insurance policy to drive their vehicles.
• There are some ways that these drivers can try to get affordable insurance policies easily.

More than 25 million Americans have a minor or major disability and 75% of these people prefer driving their own vehicle. Driving has become a basic necessity for everyone nowadays as everyone wants to be independent. With modern technology and architecture; people with disabilities are now able to drive cars easily.

But buying a modified car and learning how to drive is not enough; you need a modified car insurance policy as well. There are a lot of myths, confusion, and misconceptions around car insurance costs for people with disabilities. And the most common confusion is; do I have to pay for disability car insurance?

This blog is written with the objective to resolve all your confusion and misconceptions about car insurance for drivers with disabilities.

What is Disability Car Insurance?

In reality; the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prevents insurance companies from charging more money to people with disabilities just because of their disabilities. Following are some conditions that are considered disabilities by most the insurance companies, but this list is not exhaustive there are several other disabilities:

• Mental health illness or neurological conditions
• Amputee or parapalegic
• Wheelchair use
• Cerebral palsy
• Hearing or vision loss
• Epilepsy
• Stroke

Can Insurance Companies Charge People With Disabilities More?

No; legally no insurance company can ask you to pay more because you have a disability. But insurers tend to ignore this and consider the drivers with special needs as risky drivers. As a result; they provide higher insurance costs to these drivers.

Most of the drivers feel this is discriminatory as they have to pay extra for something that is not in their control.

How A Disability May Affect Car Insurance Costs?

There are certain ways that insurance companies try to increase the cost of insurance coverages for disabled drivers:

1. Safety Risk

According to most insurers; drivers with disabilities possess a higher risk of getting into an accident. As a result; they consider them unsafe for other drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. This increases the cost of car insurance for drivers with disabilities.

2. Vehicle Modifications

To drive any vehicle drivers with a disability need the following types of modifications in their car:

• Keyless ignition and entry
• Seat belt or pedal extenders
• Siren alert
• Adjustable restraints and seats
• Automatic doors
• Hand controls for drivers with missing limbs or loss of function
• Steering devices
• Emergency brake extenders
• Custom mirrors

These modifications are expensive so does their coverage and claim amount. As a result, the drivers have to pay extra to buy an insurance policy.

3. Consider Additional Coverage

Even if you got to afford the modifications needed to drive a car; you can not expect your insurance company to cover these modifications. As a result; you will need the following additional coverages:

• Mobility Car Insurance Coverage
  This is for the reimbursement of the temporary transportation cost in case your vehicle is in repair after an accident.
• Special Equipment Coverage
  This is for the coverage of your modifications added to your car. It is important to note that; most of the companies do not cover wheelchairs, walkers, and scooters in this. So kindly confirm the coverage clearly before paying for anything.
• Roadside Assistance
  In case you get into an accident or you need help with a tire change or gas then roadside assistance will help you free of cost.

Coverages For Disabled Drivers and Passengers

Full coverage is considered the best car insurance for disabled drivers because you will get everything covered. Below are the coverages you will get with your full coverage policy:

• Collision and comprehensive: to cover any kind of vehicle damage.
• Personal liability: covers injuries to the driver and their property.
• Personal injury protection (PIP) and medical payments (MedPay): cover the cost of medical expenses in case you and the passengers got injured in an accident.
• Uninsured and underinsured motorist: Coverage for bodily injury and vehicle damage if the driver at fault can not cover your expenses.

Disability Car Insurance Discounts

There are no such dedicated discounts for disabled drivers in the car insurance sector. But there are several other discounts that the drivers can use to make things affordable:

1. Policy Bundling
   If you have multiple policies registered in your name like homeowners insurance, life insurance, pet insurance, etc. then you can combine them under one bundle and your insurance company will give you discounted rates.
2. Safe Driver Discounts
   Drivers with a clean driving record get a good discount. If you are a safe driver with no recent DUIs or at-fault accidents then you can ask for a safe driver discount.
3. Good Student Discounts
   Students with an average grade point of B and higher and a higher attendance score are considered good students. They get special discounts up to 20% every year.
4. Discounts For Veterans or First Responders
   If you are a veteran or a direct family of a veteran then you can get up to 25% of discount on your car insurance policy.

Considerations For Disabled Drivers Auto Insurance

There are a few things that you have to keep in mind while searching for cheap car insurance for disabled drivers. These considerations will help you to get your insurance quickly:

• Medical Clearance To Drive
  The most important thing you will need is a clearance certificate from a medical practitioner that you are a safe driver. You will have to ask your local DMV to issue this certificate for you. The DMV will do some tests to assess your fitness and based on that you will get the clearance certificate.
• Honesty When Applying
  Be honest while applying for your insurance policy. Hiding your disability might save a few bucks at the beginning but if you get into an accident and your insurance company got to know about the disability later then there will be consequences.
  The company can cancel your policy instantly and deny all the claims. As a result; it is always better to keep things clear.
• Risk Reduction
  The best way to get a policy or clearance certificate for car insurance for disabled adults is to get your risk reduced. There are a lot of technologies and devices available that are helping drivers to drive safely on the roads.
  There are even driver rehabilitation programs where a professional therapist will help you to decide the best course of action to move forward.

About Auto Insurance Discrimination Laws

There are several laws to save drivers with disabilities from discrimination in any scenario. one of the most important disabled drivers laws is; the Americans with Disabilities Act. This law clearly states that no company can discriminate against drivers on the basis of their abilities.

There are a lot of procedures and processes that the government is following to make sure only safe drivers are getting their licenses. In that case, no private company can challenge the license and the ability of that license holder.

How To Find Cheap Car Insurance For Disabled Drivers

And now comes the most important part; where can I get cheap auto insurance for disabled drivers? Below are some quick ways you can try to get affordable car insurance:

1. Ask For Discounts
   Every company provides multiple discounts based on the profile of the driver. By combining multiple discounts you can get much lower rates.
2. Shop Around And Compare Rates
   Check the quotations from different car insurance companies and compare them to see what others are getting at a similar cost.
3. Maintain A Good Credit Score
   A good credit score will add value to the fact that you are a responsible driver and you will get lower rates.
4. Keep Your Records Clean
   Drivers with clean records are considered safe drivers and they get the lowest insurance rates. Hence; try to avoid getting into an accident or DUIs.

Frequently Asked Questions About Disability Car Insurance

Over To You

Now we hope you got a clear idea about car insurance for disabled drivers. Finding the right company to buy your policy can be a huge task; also, we all need an affordable car insurance that can fit into our budget. RateForce is here for you; our team of expert analysts will do the difficult part of researching the right company for you.

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Source

• Referred to the NHTSA website to check the number of, disabled drivers, in our country on 10th May 2022.
• Referred to ADATA website to understand about Americans with disability act on 10th May 2022.
• Read an article on the NDA website about car insurance rights for drivers with a disability on 11th May 2022.