How Your Driving Record Affects Your Car Insurance
Your insurance company uses your driving record as a major factor in determining what rate to quote when you apply for a car insurance quote – or whether to accept you as a customer, at all!
What is my “Driving Record”?
Your driving record is your driving history. It includes:
· The date you were first licensed.
· What traffic violations you committed.
· Any collisions you’ve had.
· How long you have continuously held car insurance.
Why does anyone care?
Let’s take them one at a time.
1) The date you were first licensed.
The longer you’ve been driving, the more experience you have accumulated. Most of us were nervous when we first started driving. We may have over-steered and over-corrected, or driven more slowly than the other vehicles around us.
Hopefully, you’re a better driver after gaining some experience.
2) What traffic violations you committed.
Most traffic violations can be linked to safety concerns. Almost all collisions occur because someone did something unsafe. The insurance companies dislike collisions, because it costs them money. So the insurance companies are concerned about traffic violations.
Think about it. Rolling through a stop sign may mean you didn’t bother checking the intersection carefully. Speeding and tailgating reduce the time you have to avoid the cars ahead of you. Passing on a blind curve means you don’t know what’s coming at you. DUI – driving while impaired – means you have slower reflexes and poorer judgment.
Any one of these could mean a collision. 3) Any collisions you’ve had.
Most of us expect that history will repeat itself. You think about the teams records before betting on a game. You expect some friends to make jokes when they are tense, and others to go quiet.
Insurance companies expect that if you have a history of smashing cars, then you’re likely to crash the next one, too.
It may not be fair. Those past collisions might not have been your fault. But face it – would you let your friend borrow your car if they had as many crashes as you?
4) How long you have continuously held car insurance
The insurance companies assume that everyone wants to be able drive all the time. If you sold your car and took the bus to work for a year, they assume that you lost some of your skills.
What can I do about my driving record?
Each state has its own timetable for removing the demerit points for traffic violations and collisions. Time will heal these wounds. Some states and courts also approve some driver-rehabilitation courses. This too will remove demerit points. But check with your DMV before paying for a course, if your only goal is to remove demerit points. Safer driving, and obeying the traffic laws, will help keep you from accumulating new demerit points.
What can I do about my insurance costs?
Regardless of what is in your driving record, you can only determine your current best rate by comparing car insurance quotes. You can obtain car insurance quotes through carinsurancequoter.com for free and with no obligation.
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