Car Insurance Articles

How Playing Video Games Can Lead To Cheaper Car Insurance Quotes

2009-10-27

For years people have associated video games with teenagers and people who are too lazy to go outside. However people who play video games may have an upper hand when they go to get car insurance quotes. The reason? Rather than killing brain cells, playing video games can actually strengthen the connections in the brain that deal with hand-eye coordination. According to a recently published article on Pr-Canada.net, "video games allow drivers to enhance their acuity, hasten their reflexes and strengthen their memory." Having fast hand-eye coordination is useful when playing video games, however it can also translate into faster reflexes while driving one's the car as well. Ultimately, this can result in lower car insurance rates and saved money.

According to the same source "a recent study showed that there was an 18 percent increase in the number of drivers between the ages of 65 or older in the last 10 years. As the baby boomer generation becomes older, the number will only continue to rise. With more aware drivers on the road, the number of auto accidents could potentially decrease." Taking this into consideration, one of the major insurance companies, Allstate, sponsored a program that sent out video games to 100,000 of their customers. The bundle of five games, called InSight and developed by Posit Science, "was designed to improve the mental awareness of older drivers, saving them money in the process on their auto insurance rates." This isn't the only game that helps people raise their mental awareness, however. There are several games for Nintendo's handheld DS that target people who want to keep their minds stimulated. The most popular is called Brain Age, and features puzzles ranging from math problems to Sudoku.

However not all car insurance providers are so quick to lower the car insurance premiums of their policyholders. This is still a new concept in the car insurance industry and companies are still experimenting with the benefits that playing video games can offer their policyholders. Despite the fact that this sort of discount is still relatively new to the market, it may benefit you to contact your insurance agency to see if they currently offer a similar program. Doing so may lead to having your current insurance premium reduced or your rate dropped. And if your current company doesn't offer this, the next time you decide to shop for car insurance quotes, inquire at various companies whether they offer the discount. The worst they can say is no, and it will be worth it to potentially save a decent chunk of change. As the old saying goes "a penny saved is a penny earned," and in this economy every penny counts.