Tips on how drivers can save on auto insurance

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A report released the website Insurance Quotes found that four in five Americans have not asked for some common discounts on their car insurance.

Bhavesh Patel is a pharmacist, and he had no idea his profession means he can get a sizeable discount on car insurance. For the last two years he had been paying too much for his cars.

Then, during a casual conversation with his insurance agent at the American Automobile Association, he mentioned his job. She then told him he could receive a discount on his annual premiums because of his occupation.

Patel is not the only one in the dark about discounts. The Insurance Quotes study reported that 84 percent of Americans are not taking advantage of any number of discounts that may be available to them.

"This means that very few consumers either know about discounts or are being proactive to ask about them. Ultimately, what that means is that there's a lot of money being left on the table," said insurance analyst Laura Adams.

In some cases, that can mean a lot of money. For example, in California if a person drives 5,000 miles a year or less, they pay 25 percent less for car insurance that those who drive 15,000 miles a year.

Besides the low mileage discount, some drivers may also quality for discounts because of their marital status, for being a good student, a member of a college alumni association, if the vehicle remains in the garage and of course the driver's occupation.

An insurance agent should ask the right questions to help drivers receive these discounts, but the Auto Club reminds its customers to be proactive because not every carrier offers the same discounts.

"When you come and visit your insurance agent, we recommend that you do spend a little bit of time with them to make sure that you are going to get all the discounts you quality for," said Marie Montgomery, spokesperson for the Auto Club.