Jeff : How long will it take your your high risk auto insurance cost to go down once you have had speeding tickets?

Response : Speeding tickets is an indication to the insurance company or a red light flag that you are a high risk driver. Now, the second issue to consider here is if you have had speeding tickets which are more than one or just one ticket. If it is only one ticket than the auto insurance premium will increase by 10-15% per month or yearly. The record would stay on your books for 3 years by the insurance companies, but they will remain in your record for 7 years.

 Now, if you have had more than three speeding tickets, than the normal market or personal line auto insurance companies will decline your application and you would have to go to the specialty market to be insured. The specialty market generally insurer this risk since they are the underwriters for high risk insurance. The auto insurance rates will be high and you will have to pay a much higher auto insurance premium than what you were paying to the personal auto insurer.

 If you have speeding tickets than this are some steps or measures you need to take :

1)     Enroll yourself in a good defensive driving school.

2)     Get anti-brakes installed so that you are not able to speed.

3)     If you are driving a sports car than you need to change the model since you are more likely to speed in a sports car than an ordinary car.

4)     Learn to control to urge to speed.

 Last but least you need to shop around for high risk auto insurance quotes and you will definitely get affordable auto insurance.

Which drivers are termed as high risk? Can you get an affordable quote for this risk?

Response : High risk insurance or High risk drivers are drivers who have a bad driving record. This driving record is because of the age-group that they fall into and the perils normally associated with this age group or secondly due to your adverse driving history. When you’re in this category, it’s because you’re considered a bad driver. Now, there are various reasons why you could’ve gotten this title. According to your driving record, your history shows that you’ve either made bad decisions, gotten into bad situations or are losing your motor skills. Those that have made bad decisions include those who have gotten a DWI/DUI. Drinking while driving is one of the riskiest and worst problems that you can get into.  Those that have one or more DUIs are likely to have the highest of all rates. In most cases, their down deposits are in the high hundreds, possibly in the thousands and total policy amounts are in the thousands for sure. The danger these motorists pose is very grave.

Getting into a car intoxicated can lead to a fatal accident and auto coverage providers don’t want to be responsible for the expenses associated with it. So if you have a history of getting a DWI or were involved in an accident where you were under the influence of alcohol or drugs, likely it could happen again. A lot of people constantly drive while drunk or under the influence of drugs, so it’s mostly not a one time thing. With this being known, a lot of insurers are not going to want to insure you. They charge more to offer your car protection, so that they can secure themselves from all of the money you may cost them later on.

Then there are those who are constantly pulled over by the authorities because they are breaking laws of the road. If you are known for getting citations, then it is likely you will have higher policy rates than the average driver. In the eyes of the vehicle coverage company, you are a dangerous driver. When you are speeding, not wearing your seatbelt and running red lights, you are that much closer to getting into an accident and if you’re involved in an accident without wearing a seat belt, you could get thrown from the vehicle, which will cost more for medical bills. All of this is adding up in their eyes and you will have to pay the price upfront with a high deposit and monthly payments.

New drivers, such as teens and others who’ve recently gotten their driver’s license are also consider risky motorists. Teens are known for being in a lot of accidents, so they are known as risks. Taking driving courses can help make you less of a danger on the road; plus, when auto insurers see that you’ve taken classes that improve your driving ability, they look at it like you’re gaining experience.

Last, folks that are 65 and older are known as dangerous drivers because their vision and hearing are becoming impaired. Then there’s the fact that the senior citizens’ mobility loses control, along with their reaction time and coordination. It’s unfortunate that some people grow older and have to go through the body’s process of slowing down, but it happens at some point or another. This is why the elderly are required by state to be tested regularly for eyesight and hearing. Some are even required to retake their driving test. Taking driving courses too can help to lower premium quotations.

You have come at the right place for finding an affordable quote. You can plug in your information above and get quotations from various car insurers around the country. See what type of prices you can find for the coverage you need. In order to get the lowest rate possible, you’ll need to raise the deductibles as high as possible and set your liability limits as low as possible; this will help to conjure up a lower premium rate. You can also search around for discounts that you are qualified for — if you’re a student that makes good grades (B average or higher), then you may be able to get a cheaper policy quote. Having a good driving record would have given you the biggest discount of all because that’s what vehicle protection providers are looking for the most. Make sure to check with your state to see what type of coverage you are required to have in order to legally drive around. You should also find out whether or not the car protection is only applicable for your state or if you’re able to receive benefits if involved in a collision during out-of-state travels. You can find information on mandated coverage for your state easily accessible on the internet.

You should be buying enough coverage and it is also important that you secure your financial stability by purchasing a sufficient amount of automobile coverage. For instance, getting into an accident that isn’t your fault could still cost you if you aren’t equipped with underinsured and uninsured motorists protection. Having this on your coverage will ensure you get paid for expenses for damage and bodily injuries, even if the other driver is unable to. It costs more to add on, but not by much and it’s great to have.

Mike Hill : How many drinks does it take to reach significantly impairing BAC since I need to avoid a DUI conviction or DUI insurance?

Response : DUI insurance would be needed once you have a DUI conviction. With Halloween down the corner and a time for parties, it is obvious that you will enjoy your party and drinks and than comes the difficult part of driving back home. It is obvious that you are concerned about how many drinks would be needed for you to reach significant impairing BAC. Now that is definitely difficult to state and know since it would differ from person to person. The effects of alcoholic drinks differ greatly because the rate of absorption and BACs attained vary from person to person due to factors such as weight, amount of fat tissue, and stomach contents. Nevertheless, various organizations have developed charts intended to help people estimate their BACs based on the number of drinks consumed. These tables can be used to estimate BACs, but they are subject to error. Some people can be substantially impaired after only two drinks. In addition, women can attain higher BACs and become more impaired than men who weigh the same and consume the same amount of alcohol because alcohol is processed differently by women and men.

Secondly, impairment is not determined by the type of drink but rather by the amount of alcohol ingested over a specific period of time. There is a similar amount of alcohol in such standard drinks as a 12-ounce glass of beer, a 4-ounce glass of wine, and 1.25 ounces of 80-proof liquor. Beer is the most common drink consumed by people stopped for alcohol-impaired driving or involved in alcohol-related crashes.

Watch yourself and do not get drunk and you will be able to stay out of DUI conviction. If you want to save yourself from getting a bad driving record and looking around for DUI car insurance or SR22 forms than you should take a ride home if you feel that you have had a lot of drinks. 

Happy Halloween. Enjoy your party and a safe ride home.

Martin : Why is it considered alcohol impaired driving if one has a BAC of 0.08, would it really matter for  auto insurance? Why is it considered high risk insurance?

Response : Martin, a lot of questions but relevant ones. Alcohol impaired driving or DUI driving under influence or driving under intoxication is when one has BAC levels of 0.08 and beyond. This figure has not been arrived just from the thin air but based on research, statistics and scientific data all combined. Even if you consider the recent statistics gathered by the NHTSA National Center for Statistic and Analysis than the data for the past ten years bespeaks of the fact that BAC levels of 0.08 or higher have been found in cases of  motor vehicle accidents and fatal losses.

What is more disturbing is the fact that the incident of alcohol impaired driving  at these BAC levels have lead to fatal accidents in children. Below are some statistical data from the NHTSA.

Children

In 2008, a total of 1,347 children age 14 and younger were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes. Of those 1,347 fatalities, 216 (16%) occurred in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes. Out of those 216 deaths, 99 (46%) were occupants of a vehicle with a driver who had a BAC level of .08 or higher. Another 34 children age 14 and younger who were killed in traffic crashes in 2008 were pedestrians or pedal cyclists who were struck by drivers with a BAC of .08 or higher.

The national rate of alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities in motor vehicle crashes in 2008 was 0.40 per 100 million vehicle miles of travel.

The above would make it very clear to you that this would make the claim ratios very high for the insurance companies and naturally they would than classify this as high risk and charge a premium or DUI car insurance based on the nature of the risk which is obviously very high. The Government and the traffic department would also insist that such DUI offenders should carry a SR22 form and take SR22 car insurance which is given by the specialty insurers, who underwrite these risks.

DUI car insurance or high risk drivers are also served in the market since this is their need and with the keen competition cheap sr22 insurance or affordable DUI car insurance can be obtained.

Thanks.

Jack Humphrey : Can the new  insurance company find out that not reported with DMV but claimed with the current insurance company.

I want to change my auto insurance comp, I have claimed an accident with it for which i did not get a ticket. So will it matter if I don’t report it to the new company while asking for quotations? Do insurance companies talk to each other or share data?

Response : Jack, let me clarify that if something is not on the record of the DMV, it cannot be seen by any insurer. The previous insurance company does have your record, but the present company will not be talking to the other companies and will not find out at the moment.

However, if at any future date you have a claim and investigation is carried on by the insurance company than this would be considered a material misrepresentation since it directly affects the underwriting decision of whether the policy would have been accepted or not and so the insurance company would void  your policy. Your risk would be placed under the high risk category and this would be loaded almost on the same lines as drunk driving – sr22 car insurance or even high ratings. You are inviting higher premiums or infact rejection by any insurance company for this risk since no insurer would believe that you are disclosing the right facts.

Just to avoid paying higher premiums it is unadvisable and wrong to misrepresent the actual facts. Instead you should try to go for comparing online quotes or asking the agents for quotes. You can get cheap DUI quotes and high risk quotes, if you make a slight effort of  looking for this quotes online by yourself or through agents. The choice is yours.