Skip to main content

Speeding Tickets Can Raise Insurance Costs 53%

Consumers may know that their bad driving record will raise their car insurance, but just how much will a single moving violation cost them?
Plenty, according to a new analysis from Insurance.com. The website looked at 32,000 of its auto insurance policies sold in 2010 and found that those with zero moving violations on their driving record can expect to pay, on average, $1,119 a year in premiums. However, as soon as a consumer had a moving violation on record, the quotes skyrocketed. Their analysis found that:
More from MainStreet.com

The Worst Roads in the U.S.

7 Neighbors That Can Hurt Your Home's Value

What You Lose to Booze
• One violation led to an average annual premium cost of $1,318, an 18% increase.
• Two violations lead to average annual premium cost of $1,497, a 34% increase.
• Three violations lead to an average annual premium cost of $1,713, a 53% increase.
Violations that can cause these spikes include speeding, careless or reckless driving, running red lights, failing to yield or stop at a yield or stop sign, improper passing, making an unsafe U-turn and failing to use a child restraint. (You'll also pay for fleeing from police, driving the wrong way down a divided highway or driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, but, perhaps, in those instances, a higher insurance premium is only part of your problems.)
"The lesson is simple: drivers who speed, drink and drive or engage in other bad driving behaviors will pay through the nose if they want to keep their car insurance," Chris Kissell, managing editor at Insurance.com, said in a press release. "The best way to save money on car insurance is to drive responsibly at all times."
The average annual premiums were calculated by examining 32,746 single-driver, one-car insurance policies sold in 2010. For people seeking new insurance, the site also looked at how violations affect new customers by examining 397,000 insurance quotes also generated through Insurance.com. The analysis illustrated that policies offered to drivers with violations depend on the age of the driver.
For instance, policies offered to drivers 65 and older who have two violations are 57% more costly than those offered to people of the same age who have no infractions. Drivers with two violations in the next closest age group, 55 to 64, only experienced a 47% rise in their rate quotes compared to people in that group who had no violations.
Insurance.com suggests that anyone being charged high rates due to a poor driving record enroll in a driving safety class to help lower rates. They can also raise their deductibles on an auto policy as another way to lower their premiums.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

China Gas Truck Explosion

BEIJING: At least 20 people were killed and 14 others injured on Friday in an explosion caused by a leak of an oil tank truck in south China s Guangdong province.'The explosion, which sparked a massive fire, took place on an expressway in the provincial capital of Guangzhou around 5.15am local time, a spokesman with the city s public security bureau said.He said 20 people were killed in the explosion.State-run Xinhua news agency reported that the 14 others who were injured in the incident have been hospitalised.The fire caused by the blast was brought under control around 8.30am local time, according to firefighters.

Washing Machine Accident

An Oregon family is devastated after a tragic accident took the life of their toddler. Tiffany Hebb was doing laundry, while her 21-month-old Ollie kept her company. When she left the room briefly, he crawled into the washing machine and drowned. A frantic Hebb found her son minutes later trapped in the water-filled basin and tried desperately to resuscitate him. After suffering severe brain damage, he died the following day in the hospital. "It was the worst day of my life," the grieving mother told a local Fox affiliate through tears. Now Tiffany and her husband Chris are on a mission to educate parents about the dangers of the seemingly innocuous household appliance. "I want to make mothers and fathers aware that it's a possibility," she said. Read more: Toddler's trauma highlights laundry room dangers Between 2005 and 2009, two children under the age of five lost their lives in laundry room accidents , according to a report by the Consu...

Plane Crew Thwart Hijack China

BEIJING: Crew and passengers traveling on a plane that had just taken off from a restive city in China s far-western Xinjiang region on Friday thwarted a hijack attempt by six people, authorities said.The plane returned safely to the airport and the six have been detained, a brief statement on the Xinjiang government s news website said, without detailing who the hijackers were.