HARTFORD, Conn. (WFSB) – College students will be heading back to campus soon. Before they do, there are some questions their families should be asking their insurance company.

College students often don’t bring a car with them, and if they aren’t driving regularly, they can ask to pay less for their car insurance.

Heid Summa is an account manager with Howard & Gay Insurance in Connecticut.

“The biggest discount that you can get on auto insurance is if you’re away at school over 100 miles without a vehicle,” said Summa.

Summa says the 100-mile rule is pretty standard, but sometimes insurance companies will make exceptions if you ask.

“I reached out to the underwriter and said, look, my son cannot have the car up at school. He’s 88 miles. Would you still give the discount? And they did agree to it. Sometimes carriers will allow for it and other times they’re very strict and it has to be the 100 miles,” said Summa.

Summa says if a student is bringing a car to campus, make sure your insurance company knows where it is parked.

“I mean, there could possibly be an issue with denying a claim if you didn’t advise them that your son has the vehicle in New York City or in Boston, and you’re living here in West Hartford or Fairfield,” said Summa.

Summa says students can also ask about discounts for good grades or for any driver’s education classes.

Summa says you should also check your homeowner’s insurance policy to see if it will cover the contents of a student’s dorm. If they are living in off-campus housing, she suggests looking into adding a renters insurance policy.

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