It’s a well known fact that anyone who has an “eventful” driving history full of tickets and accidents is going to pay much higher auto insurance rates than a driver who does not have one single accident or traffic ticket. Although some drivers may not care how their driving history appears, they should note that it will become more and more expensive to insure their vehicle and themselves with every traffic incident. Not everyone can afford to spend an entire paycheck on their auto insurance premium. Also, any auto insurance provider can get to the point where they feel the driver they are insuring is too risky of a driver as evidenced by the number of claims made or tickets reported. The insurance company can drop the insurance they were providing to any driver who demonstrates a lack in ability to drive safely. If drivers find themselves continually in the situation where their insurer refuses to supply insurance, they may begin to wonder, who will provide the insurance I need to drive?
While looking for an insurance company to insure a driver with a not-so-clean driving history, the driver should be avidly working on cleaning up their driving record. If possible, any recent traffic tickets should be eliminated from the driving record by attending traffic school. This option of attending traffic school is usually given within a certain number of days once the ticket has been issued, and after that time period, the option expires and the ticket is registered on the driving record. The insurance company is then notified, who makes record of it and increases the driver’s insurance rates.
Learning about and making a conscious effort to follow the traffic laws in the areas where the driver goes will help decrease the number of incidents that occur. Know what the speed limit is no matter what road you are traveling. Too often drivers do not realize what speed they are traveling at until a traffic officer points it out as a ticket is being written. Paying attention to and knowing what speed limits are usually in certain areas (neighborhoods, highways, etc.) will help. Also, be aware of traffic signs that indicate changes in the road. These signs of changes include the start and end of school zones and construction zones, where the fines for speeding double in these areas. Watch for stop signs and yield signs and travel at least three seconds behind the driver in front of you to better avoid collisions. Include plenty of time for travel to avoid speeding to make up time, and stay calm while driving to steer clear of any road rage.
In an effort to clean up a driving record, encourage the driver to drive less while keeping the registration and driver’s license current. Carpooling or taking the bus to and from work or other destinations will lower the number of miles put on the owned vehicle, as well as keeping the driver off the road which prevents additional traffic incidents. Because cleaning up a driving record involves waiting for a period of time before incidents are removed from the record, it is best to do all things necessary to help speed that process up and not add anything to it.
There are high risk auto insurance companies who will provide their insurance to drivers who cannot find insurance anywhere else due to their mishaps on the road. These high risk drivers will not be able to rely on just any company to provide insurance, nor should they expect to pay at inexpensive rates either. However, the longer you are with an insurance company and aren’t letting the policy lapse, the better are the chances that the rates will decrease over time. Begin your search for auto insurance here on our site by entering in your zip code on our homepage.
Finding a company to provide insurance to someone who has a history of bad driving is most of the time a tedious and time consuming experience. However, no one can really blame the auto insurance industry. They make their money when people pay for insurance and never (or very rarely) make a claim for damages to be paid. When insurers regularly pay for damages made by the same driver, they begin to realize they are losing profit with this high risk driver and increase the premiums for the policy or cancel the policy altogether. Insurance companies see drivers as a high risk when they behave in a manner that will lead them to needing the insurer to pay for damages by making a claim. The higher the risk, the higher the premium price.
When a troubled driver has a current auto insurance policy, there are ways to help make that policy cheaper as time goes on. As mentioned earlier, driving safely to avoid additional marks on the driving record will help with the progressive decline in rates. Another method that has been used is to drive and insure a vehicle that is older, one that does not need comprehensive or collision coverage. Eliminating coverage will lower an insurance premium, but the risk must be weighed. If it would cost more to carry comprehensive and/or collision than the total value of the car, don’t purchase it and save money.
Some insurance companies offer classes that drivers may take to learn how to drive with more caution. These are called defensive driving courses, and if passed, the driver can earn a discount on their premium for a few years. Even if it’s a small discount, it can be coupled with other ways of lowering the cost of insurance to see some big changes in the final price.
Don’t get discouraged if you are a driver experiencing difficulty finding or keeping auto insurance due to misfortunes on the road. Take responsibility and discover what can be done on your end to become a better driver. These efforts will pay off as insures begin to see the positive changes and they will become more willing to offer their services at reasonable prices. Because of state law, you must have auto insurance to drive. Look at auto insurance companies and decide what they can provide to you both short and long term.
