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Traffic Violations And Your Auto Insurance Policy

Written by Linda Rey on August 31, 2011 in Insurance  |   4 comments

Life can be complicated, and today everyone is busy running from one place to another at lightning speed. In some cases, people may try to keep up with their lives by driving faster and by disregarding the basic rules of the road in order to…

Life can be complicated, and today everyone is busy running from one place to another at lightning speed. In some cases, people may try to keep up with their lives by driving faster and by disregarding the basic rules of the road in order to save a few minutes.

But does running that yellow light or darting around other, slower cars actually save you any time? It probably doesn’t—and it might even end up costing you time and money.

Traffic violations can cost you more than just the price of a ticket

Traffic violations, including tickets you are given and accidents in which you are involved, are tracked and accumulated by your insurance carrier. The faster you drive, the more extensive the injuries and damages could be in the event of an accident. But driving over the speed limit also likely means you’ll be in for a more expensive ticket.
And the more tickets and accidents you have, the more you pay for insurance.

The severity of a violation or the frequency of the violations overall provides an insight for your insurance company into your potential future as a driver. The company uses this data as a means to determine the likelihood it will have to pay for a claim as a result of an accident in which you were involved.

My favorite question that I hear from consumers is: “What do I pay insurance for then?” My favorite retort is that insurance was originally created to indemnify in the event of a catastrophe. Minor damage and property losses are nothing more than nuisances. Depending on the extent of the damages, it could cost more to file the claim than to actually pay the claim.

What happens if you have multiple infractions

  1. Your insurance will be affected when the underwriters review your Motor Vehicle Report (MVR).
  2. You may need to take a defensive driving course to reduce the number of points on your MVR and get a discount on your policy.
  3. You can try comparison shopping to see if other insurance companies will better rate your coverage.

I cannot express enough the benefits of slowing down, putting the phone down, and paying attention while you drive. Doing so won’t just provide you with a lower auto insurance premium—it may save your life.

READ MORE:
Insurance Quotes: Insurance Brokers vs. Online Quotes
Auto, Property Insurance: Buying First Insurance Plans
Health Insurance for the Self-Employed
Pools and Hot Tubs: What Kind of Homeowners Insurance Do You Need?
Eight Auto Insurance Discounts You May Be Missing

Linda Rey is a licensed insurance agent at Rey Insurance with a broad spectrum of expertise in life, accident, health, property and casualty insurance as well as retirement planning and college funding strategies.

Follow Linda on Twitter.

4 comments

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