John Resse : I am sometimes an aggressive driver and will this be considered high risk. Can you give me an example. Will I need SR22 insurance, DUI car insurance or high risk insurance?

Response : Aggressive driving is also considred high risk and would require the quotes from high risk insurers which are the same as DUI insurance or SR22 insurance. If you are already an aggressive driver you need to be careful since some times when you are angry or aggressive when driving it can cause a problem. Let me give here a recent example of aggressive driving from a celebrity.

“Tiger Woods caused $3,200 in property damage, wasn’t wearing a seat belt and was driving erratically outside his Florida home before crashing into a tree, according to a report. The six-page report only describes the accident and does not include statements from Woods, his wife, Elin Nordegren, or witnesses. It also includes 105 photos of the accident scene.
The report’s release came just hours after the world’s No. 1 golfer put out a statement saying he had let his family down with “transgressions” he regrets “with all of my heart.” The final accident report shows Woods didn’t just hit a fire hydrant and tree.
Upon leaving his driveway, Woods’ vehicle rubbed up against a line of bushes, crossed over a curb, onto a grass median and into a row of hedges before swerving left into the hydrant and crashing into the tree, an illustration in the report shows. Woods’ vehicle was traveling 30 mph in a 25 mph zone. Damage to the SUV was estimated at $8,000. Photographs of the accident were taken by security officers in the Isleworth community, a neighbor and troopers. The photos show damage to both front sides of the Cadillac Escalade, and the windows on the back passenger doors were broken.
Nordegren told Windermere police she used a golf club to smash the back windows to help Woods get out.
The Florida Highway Patrol closed its inquiry into the crash Tuesday. Woods, who refused to talk to authorities, was charged with careless driving, which carries a $164 fine and four points on his driving record.

This incident has really put Tiger Woods to have a bad driving record for now and earmarked his auto insurance rate to be very high, which would be near high risk category. If you drive like this again and again you are likely to be included in the same category as high risk driver and DUI car insurance quotes. You always need to be careful on the road.

Thanks.
Kamlesh

John Calton: Florida : Would a high risk driver for DUI or aggressive driving who requires FLFR44 car insurance or Sr22 as it is called in other states, be eligible for some safety features discount like air bags?

Response : John, in Florida you require FLFR44 insurance which is similar to SR22 car insurance but has higher limits. Most of the insurance companies would consider a discount for the safety features of a vehicle when they are rating the insurance. However, honestly more than the discount given by the insurance company the safety feature is more an added feature that acts as a life saver for you. Let me give you some statistics given by the NHTSA:
“Airbags are designed to inflate in moderate to severe frontal crashes. NHTSA estimates that by 2006, more than 177 million passenger vehicles were equipped with airbags, including 162 million with dual airbags. NHTSA says that frontal airbags saved 2,788 lives in 2007. From 1987 to 2006, 22,466 lives were saved by the devices. Airbags, combined with seatbelts, are the most effective safety protection available for passenger vehicles. Seatbelts alone reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent. The fatality-reducing effectiveness for air bags is 14 percent when no seatbelt is used and 11 percent when a seatbelt is used in conjunction with air bags. Side airbags that protect the head, chest and abdomen reduce driver deaths by an estimated 37 percent, according to the IIHS. Side airbags without head protection, which protect only the chest and abdomen, are less effective but still reduce deaths by about 26 percent, according to a 2006 study. Head-protecting side airbags reduce driver deaths when cars are struck by SUVs and light trucks, probably because when cars are struck in the side by these higher riding vehicles, heads are more vulnerable.”

Thus in case of drivers who are in the habit of alcohol consumption or are aggressive dirvers who speed, these safety features are certainly life savers.
Be safe and drive safe.
Thanks.

Arymen Shawn : The traffic authorities, goverment and insurance companies are bringing in a cell phone ban. Is this necessary and will it help in reducing the auto insurance premiums.In which states is it prevelant?

Response : Arymen, I know that most of the time this would sound very weird to people but it would certainly impact the automobile insurance rates and the SR22 car insurance premiums in the long runs since this would reduce auto insurance premiums.Distraction is one of the leading cause of aggressive driving and this leads to accidents and SR22 car insurance or the driver being named as high risk driver. More than 270 million wireless subscribers in the United States used 2.2 trillion minutes in 2008. Teens and novice drivers learn the complex task of driving a motor vehicle, they are the most likely group to be involved in vehicle crashes as the result of distracted drving.

On Your Side survey, which found that eight in 10 Americans surveyed said they would support legislation restricting cell phone use while driving. The survey, conducted Aug. 5-9, 2009, by Harris Interactive, reports that 80% of Americans favor a ban on texting while driving, while two thirds favor a ban on cell phone calls, and more than half say they would support a ban on cell phone use altogether.

With an astounding 110.4 billion text messages sent and received each month last year, it’s obvious that texting is easy, fast and increasingly popular. It’s also incompatible with safe driving, a fact that has not escaped the interest of the National Safety Council and CTIA-The Wireless Association, which recently announced a joint teen education campaign designed to explain the dangers of distracted driving. The campaign—and its slogan, “On the Road, Off the Phone”—includes a television public service announcement and Web site with information for parents and teens to learn more about distracted driving

A jurisdiction-wide ban on driving while talking on a hand-held cellphone is in place in 7 states (California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Utah, and Washington) and the District of Columbia. Utah has named the offense careless driving. Under the Utah law, no one commits an offense when speaking on a cellphone unless they are also committing some other moving violation other than speeding.

Local jurisdictions may or may not need specific state statutory authority to ban cellphones. Localities that have enacted restrictions on cellphone use include: Oahu, HI; Chicago, IL; Brookline, MA; Detroit, MI; Santa Fe, NM; Brooklyn, North Olmstead, and Walton Hills, OH; Conshohocken, Lebanon, and West Conshohocken, PA; Waupaca County, WI; and Cheyenne, WY.

Localities are prohibited from banning cellphone use in 8 states (Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Utah).
The use of all cellphones while driving a school bus is prohibited in 17 states and the District of Columbia.
The use of all cellphones by novice drivers is restricted in 21 states and the District of Columbia.
Text messaging is banned for all drivers in 19 states and the District of Columbia. In addition, novice drivers are banned from texting in 9 states (Delaware, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Texas, and West Virginia) and school bus drivers are banned from text messaging in 1 state (Texas).
I am sure you will find this information and intersting and also appreciate that this is a leading cause of high auto insurance premium. Lets ensure safety and get low auto insurance or car insurance and enjoy our rides.

Mary : Oklahama : My husband needs SR22 insurance since he was involved in drunk driving in Oklahama. What is SR22 form?

Response : Drunk driving and alcohol impaired driving is the problem of many people. If you need SR22 car insurance, you can shop online for a affordable quotes from specialty insurer. The speciality insurers underwrite high risk drivers who are invovled in drunk driving, aggressive driving or have had multiple claims. SR22 car insurance is more costly than the normal market rates. However, it is advisable to shop for this quote and maintain insurance so that you can get normal insurance rates sooner. You can get an steering wheel ignition lock and ask your husband to take defensive driivng lessons to reduce the sr22 car insurance rates.

SR22 form is a form given by the insurance company which indicates that you have the required limits of liablity and car insurance. Once the requirement for SR22 is there than the same has to be maintained for a period of atleast 3 years.

If you live in the state of Oklahama, than as per the new provision you will need to abide by the new law which provides greater protection for children endangered by drunk drivers.

Senate Bill 1139, by state Sen. Mary Easter and state Rep. Jeannie McDaniel, allows drunk drivers to face felony child-endangerment charges if children are in the vehicle. The bill was singed by Gove. Brad Henery in a special cermonial signing in the week of 9th September 2009. 

 Parents who allow their children to ride with drunk drivers could also face new penalties under the law. In addition, minots can be taken into protective custody when a parent is arrested for drunken driving.

Hence if you have children, you should take care of this.

Thanks.

Kamlesh