Last month, a young friend who had just graduated from college was about to buy car insurance for the first time. She knows I write about car insurance, so she came to me for advice. I was happy to help.
I told her about getting competitive quotes from several carriers; I told her about the various coverages – the ones she needs and the ones she might not want right now. I explained about deductibles and how she could lower her monthly premiums by raising the deductible, reminding her that she had to keep the deductible affordable. I told her everything I thought she should know for her situation so she’d be prepared for whatever quotes she got.
Turns out I had forgotten something. She had just gotten married, and her quote would take both her driving history – she’d had a wreck a couple of years ago – and her husband’s into account. Even the best quote came back much higher than she’d expected. Then the agent told my friend why: Her new husband had four speeding tickets on his record.
She said she thanked the agent, hung up, and quietly tried to remember her wedding vows through clenched teeth. Her “speed demon” other half had raised their yearly premium by $600. Needless to say, once she showed him the raw numbers and he saw the look on her face, he vowed to never speed again.
Moving on
Auto insurance providers consider a variety of factors when they calculate premiums, such as your driving record, claims history, where you live, the type of car you drive, and the driving history of everyone in the household who has a license. Keeping a clean driving record is very important because it shows insurance companies that you are less of a risk to them; therefore, they award you with a lower premium.
Typically, the more accidents, speeding tickets, and driving violations you have, the higher the cost to insure you. And sometimes if your driving record is really horrendous, an insurance company may not even write you a policy. However, each insurance company has its own guidelines when it comes to traffic tickets. Some carriers may not raise your rate if you are a loyal customer and have only had one ticket, while another provider may raise your rates for the next few years.
Speeding tickets aren’t forever
Even some of the safest drivers can get speeding tickets, and you can take some action to keep your auto insurance rates from increasing too much. In some cases, you can have the traffic ticket erased from your record, meaning it won’t affect your rates. Some states will do that with a first offense, and sometimes you can get help by attending traffic school.
Yes, traffic school. You may be thinking traffic school is just for driving delinquents, but anyone can attend, even drivers with a clean record. Many insurance providers will actually offer discounts to policyholders that successfully complete approved traffic schools. Depending where you live, your state might even allow you to take online traffic courses so you can save money and stay in your pajamas!
Next time you are in a rush to get somewhere, remind yourself to slow down. Big money – maybe even $600 – could be at stake. That, of course, is on top of the fine and court costs you’ll have to pay if you’re ticketed. Then there are the legal fees to get the ticket reduced or the violation removed from your record. Speeding can be even more costly if it lands you in a dangerous accident. But the thing that should scare you the most is the look on your wife’s face when she hears you’ve had 4 speeding tickets.
Source: AutoInsurance
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