How Driving History Affects Car Insurance
When shopping for car insurance, your driving history can have a considerable influence on your car insurance quote. Several factors are considered by insurance companies when quoting you a price on car insurance.
Car insurance differs from state to state, but in most states, moving violations will result in a penalty of points on your license. The more points you accrue, the more an insurance company will consider you at risk for future penalties and accidents, and the higher your car insurance quote will be. These moving violations include running red lights, illegal u-turns, and speeding. Most states, however, will allow you one moving violation every three to five years before they increase your premiums, so one ticket may not make an impact on the car insurance quote you receive.
Depending on the state, these points may be taken off your record permanently after three years, whereas in other states the points may drop but the violation will stay on your personal record permanently. In some states, serious infractions, such as a DUI or DUI Manslaughter, can remain on your record for life.
To discover what your specific state laws are regarding insurance, you can contact your state's licensing authority. They can tell you how long your MVR (motor vehicle record) is kept.
In a similar fashion, car accidents will also result in a higher car insurance quote. The penalty resulting from an at-fault accident depends on the severity of the accident and the number of points assessed, and can raise your insurance rates up to 30%. Furthermore, car insurance companies may be aware of any license suspensions. Any other infractions may be considered, and all could result in higher car insurance quotes. Age is also a consideration. A teenager's premiums are higher than an adult's, even if they both have clean records.
Therefore, whenever receiving a moving violation, it is recommended that you appear in court and contest the ticket. Even if you plead guilty, there is always a chance that the ticket will be reduced in such a way that you will not receive any points for the violation. Even though you will still have to pay a fine, you will also save money every month on car insurance. Also, some states offer programs where you can attend driving school in order to remove points from your record. Anything you can do to reduce the points on your record is worth the time and money investment.
Therefore, being aware of your driving history is important when getting car insurance quotes. Saving money just requires a bit of preemptive research and a little know-how. The result is a better policy.
