When you break a traffic law, the severity of the violation can land you with more than just a fine. It can wind up haunting you in the form of raised auto insurance rates for years. In this article, we discuss how common traffic violations affect your insurance rate and which ones have the most significant impact on insurance premiums.
Safe driving should always be your number one concern. Remember the 3 Cs as you drive: Conditions Constantly Change!
Speeding & Reckless Driving
Speeding is not acceptable and is a significant contributor to traffic-related deaths. The same goes for reckless driving. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report stated that crashes related to reckless driving (such as cell phone use, speeding, passing on the wrong side, etc.) causes more than $40 billion in property damage and kills thousands. While speeding and reckless driving won’t necessarily ruin your insurance rate the first time around, getting ticketed often raises your violation points, and thus, affects your premium—usually spiking it 20-30% per ticket.
Running a Red Light
There’s no reason to run a red light. Because so many accidents happen due to people ignoring a blaring red signal, traffic cameras have been installed at numerous intersections throughout the country. Depending on the laws of each state, the violation points you get assigned for the infraction change—but each point raises your insurance rates.
Failure to Stop
Rolling stops might seem like something you should get a slap on the wrist for, but this is not something you do when you drive carefully. Tickets can cost up to $200, and your insurance premium can spike upwards of 15%.
DUI
Drunk driving can fatal and costs thousands in immediate fines and future insurance premium hikes. There is no fixed penalty to DUI, and if you do not beat the charge it can severely damage you and your insurance. Not only will the insurance increase about 20-50% for several years, but you'll also be forever labeled “high risk.”
Fleeing From Police
You want to keep flashing lights out of your rear view and money in your pocket, right? Then never speed away from a cop. The demerit is serious—up to 24 points on your driver record, a fine, and potential time in jail. Your auto insurance will also cost a fortune.
It’s the responsibility of every person behind a steering wheel to drive carefully. If you do something that is considered illegal, then you run the risk of not only getting a traffic violation, but your insurance premium will increase. The easiest way to keep your rates from rising is to follow the rules.
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