August 20, 2010

Three Driving Violations That Affect Auto Insurance Quotes

When you call an auto insurance company for an auto insurance quote, the company will ask you about any driving violations that you may have had in the past. Insurance companies base their quotes on various factors, and driving violations are one area that they will be interested in.

There are three driving violations that can affect your auto insurance quote. These three violations are speeding tickets, past DUI or DWI violations and other kinds of driving violations where a traffic law was disobeyed.

Having a speeding ticket on your record in the past three years can remove the safe driver discount on your car insurance quote. This can raise your quote by as much as 2 percent, depending on the state where you live. The reason is that the speeding ticket is a moving violation that could result in an accident, which makes you more of a risk to insure in the eyes of the auto insurance companies.

Having a DUI or DWI on your record will also raise your insurance. Individual state laws govern DUI offenders, and most state laws now mandate that insurance companies give you a SR-22 form for receiving a DUI violation. A DUI or DWI on your driving record is a serious violation, and most auto insurance companies will classify you as a “high risk” driver if you are arrested and ticketed for a DUI. In fact, having a DUI on your record may even result in your current insurance policy being canceled. Not only will you then receive a higher quote from a new insurance company for the DUI, but you will also receive a higher quote because you were canceled by another insurance company.

If you are ticketed because you broke other driving rules, it will raise your insurance quotes as well. For instance, being ticketed for failing to stop at a stop sign, running a red light or failing to stop at a rail crossing, all raise insurance rates. This is because you are showing a lack of responsibility and a willingness to take risks. Having a number of these types of traffic tickets will also get you classified as a “high risk” driver.

Insurance companies lower insurance quotes for safe drivers who do not take risks and obey all traffic laws. High risk drivers are more likely to get into an accident than those who qualify for safe driver discounts. The best way to keep insurance quotes low is to maintain a safe driving record. Avoid these three types of violations in order that your auto insurance quotes will not be affected.