Speeding Ticket Can Drive Up Insurance Premiums
Stepping on the gas may save you time, but it may also cost you money. You may not only be slapped with a speeding ticket, but you also may wind up paying higher auto insurance premiums for years. Insurers consider drivers who speed a higher risk. Speeding increases the possibility of injury, property damage or even death. If you have a speeding ticket, make sure you shop around for auto insurance quotes to get the best rates.
Risky behavior
Insurance companies consider speeding risky driving behavior for good reason. About one-third of all fatal crashes involve speeding. More than 1,000 Americans die in speed-related accidents each month. In 2008, 11,674 people died in vehicles exceeding the speed limit, according to Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Highway Loss Data Institute, industry-sponsored research groups. At higher speeds, airbags, seatbelts and safety devices are unable to prevent injuries. Also, at higher speeds, road barriers and railings are not as effective at preventing further damage.
Higher premiums
Even one speeding ticket can increase your premium and tarnish your safe-driver record. However, if you get more than one speeding ticket, you might be paying thousands of dollars more in higher premiums. A study in California showed that drivers who had one speeding ticket over a three-year period had a crash rate 50 percent higher compare to those who had no speeding violations. And for drivers with two or more tickets, the crash rate more than doubled. Review your driving record, before you apply for auto insurance quotes.
Safety courses
If you do get pulled over for speeding, take steps to avoid getting a ticket. Be polite to the officer. Maybe he will let you go with a warning. However, if you do get a speeding ticket, find out if you can get it dismissed. In some states, you can ask the department of motor vehicles or the traffic court to erase the ticket from your driving record, if you haven’t had any recent citations and if the violation was minor. You also may be able to enroll in a safety course to remove the violation from your record. Check with your state’s department of motor vehicles to see what options are available.
When you are ready to buy a new car policy, you can call agents in your local area, contact insurance companies directly or use InsuranceQuotes.com to instantly get competitive auto insurance quotes from the nation’s leading insurance providers. Simply fill out a simple online form on InsuranceQuotes.com to find the right insurance coverage at the best possible price. Take the time to protect you and your family today.
