Andy Jenkins : How would speeding influence car insurance rates?

Speeding and Car Insurance Rates
Response : Speeding, especially for young drivers or teens is very common. Most drivers drive faster than posted speed limits, at least now and then, and many speed every time they get behind the wheel. It doesn’t seem to matter that average speed limits across the country are higher now than they were a decade ago.

Most drivers push beyond the posted speed limits, whether they are running late, not paying attention to their speed. Of course when you have a new sports car just for the thrill of riding fast. Clearly, there are not enough highway patrol officers to give speeding tickets to all those who speed. This means the odds of not getting caught and ticketed always favor the speeder.

Until they do get a speeding ticket, most drivers give little thought as to how this may affect their car insurance rate quote. They may be in for an unpleasant surprise! They will have to pay an expensive increase in their auto insurance rates, in addition to the ticketed fine, once they get their speeding ticket. In cases of extreme speeding, a driver’s cost of car insurance could actually double, even on a first offense.
Why do insurers often raise your car insurance rates after only one speeding ticket? It’s simple. Numerous studies by highway safety experts show that “the faster you go, the more deadly it is,” says Jeanne Salvatore, spokeswoman for the Insurance Information Institute (III), an industry trade group. “There’s a higher possibility you’re going to cause a lot of damage to people or property,” Salvatore says.

If you’re cited for speeding, your insurer may attach a temporary surcharge to your policy for three years. One large auto insurer may raise your rate by up to 26 percent the first year, then gradually lower that surcharge and drop it completely after three years, as long as you have no more moving violations.
The size and duration of the increase varies depending on several factors, including:
• Your driving record and your relationship with the insurance company. Some insurers waive the surcharge if the customer has had a long relationship with the company and previously had a clean driving history.
• Where you live. Insurance is regulated by the states, and different states have different laws regarding the cost of car insurance. Some states don’t allow insurers to impose a surcharge for first-time speeding tickets, while others require insurers to raise rates for some speeding violations. For example, a single male driver who lives in Phoenix and receives one speeding ticket will experience an average rate increase of 16 percent, but the same driver will pay no more if he lives in Philadelphia.
• How much you were exceeding the speed limit. An analysis by USA TODAY found that 10 percent of ticketed drivers in 2002 were “extreme speeders”—drivers who exceeded 90 mph, or 15 mph above any speed limit. Extreme speeding is considered reckless driving, a major violation. Even a first-time citation can more than double the cost of car insurance and inflate your car insurance rate quote.
Speeding may also affect insurance rates other than just your auto insurance.General auto insurance companies may look at your driving record when deciding whether you’re a high-risk customer and could charge you higher rates for life, health, disability or long term care insurance.

Once upon a time in the ancient past—at least 30 years ago, anyway—there were a series of public service ads on television and radio with the overall message, “Speed kills.” One displayed a clock and then showed a car speedometer pushing 65. “Don’t try to catch this hand [the clock] with this one [the speedometer],” the announcer advised.

In other words, it might be better to be late than dead or seriously injured. It’s been a long time since there was a public campaign aimed at getting America’s drivers to slow down and save lives. But that doesn’t mean speeding is any safer. Speeders are still more likely to have accidents, injuring themselves and/or others, than drivers who obey speed limits.
An increase in car insurance rates caused by speeding is troublesome, but the increased risk of death or serious injury is even worse.

Parents of teenagers and young drivers should always explain to them the dangers of speeding. Speed less on the road but speed up to get cheap auto insurance quotes.

Happy Motoring.
Thanks.
Kamlesh.

Ross Goldberg : I am looking for the best car insurance rates from the general auto insurance companies, especially for young drivers who are aggressive. Information on why agressive driving is rated higher by the general auto insurance companies would be appreciated?

Best car insurance rates from general auto insurance companies.

Response : February is denoted as Aggressive Driving Month and is a time when all efforts are made to spread the awareness and dangers of aggressive driving, especially to the young drivers.

What exactly is aggressive driving? The list as to what encompasses to be part of aggressive driving is endless. Aggressive driving is speeding. It is operating the vehicle in an erratic, reckless, careless, or negligent manner or suddenly changing speeds or changing lanes all of a sudden. The aggressive driver fails to yield right of way, obey traffic signs, traffic control devices or safety zone traffic laws. They also fail to observe warnings or instructions on vehicle displaying them. In short aggressive driving is driving in such a way that you are the sole driver on the road and not caring about others on the road.

Many general insurance companies like Cure auto insurance, Liberty insurance,Progressive insurance are taking steps to reduce aggressive driving.

Aggressive driving certainly, would lead to accidents whether it is you or another driver who is aggressive. You need to ensure that you are not an aggressive driver, since this way you will stay away from accidents, your driving history will imporve and you would qualify for the best car insurance rates for young drivers. Get your comparitive auto insurance quote today.

Thanks.
Happy Motoring.
Kamlesh.

Shawn White : My teen – a young student has moved back home. He had his own auto insurance policy but now with my job gone. I am lokking for cheap students auto insurance quotes or teen car insurances. I cannot afford the high auto insurance premium. Please help me to get cheap car insurance?

Teen auto insurance : Cheap car insurance
Response : A recent Pew Research Center study found that, in the past year, nearly 13 percent of parents with grown children have had at least one of their adult sons or daughters return home to live for financial reasons. Saddled with college loans and unexpected job loss, these young adults are forced to live at home until they can find a job and get their finances back on track.

This is a time of economic down turn and with the layoff in the jobs, bad employment situation, you are not the only one. Yes, you might be considering the auto insurance coverage.

Teen auto insurance coverage is another important consideration. Does the young adult have his or her own car that needs to be added to the parent’s policy? Or does the young student need to be added as another driver of an existing family vehicle? The good news is parents can keep any member of the family on their auto insurance policy as long as that person lives in the same house. But rates may increase and to decrease this and get cheap auto insurances and the best car insurance rates you must start looking for additional discounts.

Here are some additional discounts that you can have – multiple auto insurance discount, multiple polices discount – coverage for home and auto insurance together gives you a discount of 10=15% on both. Low mileage discounts, anti-theft discount. You can still get your good grades discount and of course compare auto insurance quotes online to get the best auto insurance quotes. I am sure you will find cheap auto insurance quotes.

Jessica Dube : Why are teen drivers or new drivers, student drivers more likely to be in accidents? And how can they better prepare themselves to be safe when driving unsupervised? How can you reduce general auto insurance rates for students?

Students cheap car insurance

Response : It has been observed that the teens who have just learnt to drive are more prone to accidents within the first six months of their driving. This is because they are driving themselves without the support of an instructor or their parents. They lack the experience behind the wheel and are less likely to take a decision behind the wheel.

Over the 10 years period from 1998 to 2007 the young drivers killed in these fatal crashes have accounted for 39 to 43 percent of the total fatalities. In 2007, 3,174 of those killed in young-driver-related crashes (41%) were the young drivers themselves. Thus, the remaining 59 percent of those killed in fatal crashes involving young drivers were people other than the drivers. Approximately two-thirds of the people killed in these crashes are the young drivers themselves or the passengers of the young drivers.

Reducing general auto insurance rates for students and preventing accidents:

You can reduce general auto insurance rates for students, young drivers and get cheap teen auto insurances, if you can stop the accidents. Auto accidents are the main cause for increase in the auto insurance or car insurance overall rates for yourself and your group. You can prevent accidents and stay safe by implementing the following, since they have been found to be the main reason for auto accidents for this age group :
1) Know and follow the rules – it is in your own and your friends best interest to obey the rules. This is not a place or a time for experimenting or experiencing something.
2) Avoid having passengers in your car. They can distract you and you are risking their life also. It would be better to be alone and take the right decision.
3) Avoid distractions of the cell phone or text messaging. In most states now this would go under following the rules
4) Limit yourself from night driving.
5) Learn to drive in all kinds of weather first under supervision. Pick up the tips for driving in difficult weather conditions from your driving instructor, parents or a reliable source of information like the websites, or the NHSTA.
6) Do not drive when you are tired.
7) At all cost avoid drunk driving.
A little bit of precaution on your part would save you from adversities and also pave the road for cheap car insurance or cheap auto insurance. Why throw this away just for a thrill.

Jenffier Garnier : I learnt a lot on how to get cheap car insurance for young drivers and a cheap auto insurance quote for my car . Thanks I saved $477/- per year. I have some querries for auto insurance claims. What if I meet with an accident when I am a passenger in a car? Will I qualify for cheap car insurance if involved in an accident as a passenger?

Teen auto insurance and car insurance claims
Response :Jennifer, thanks for sharing with me that you got cheap car insurance for young drivers from here. Your satisfaction is most rewarding for me. When you are involved in any auto insurance claims situation if you are aware of how to go about things, it saves a lot of time and grief on both sides – yours as well as the insurance company.

There will be two situtations where you are the passanger of a car involved in an auto accident. One is when you are riding in the car out of choice in your friends vehicle or family vehicle. As a passenger, you can collect for damages from one of two ways: 1) under your driver’s medical payments coverage or 2) filing a claim against the at-fault driver’s liability coverage. You must collect like the driver, all important information—names, addresses, license numbers, policy numbers, etc. How much you will be paid would depend upon the extent of your injury, how much coverage your fried or family has, how many people were involved in the accident, and on how well insured the other drivers are. This is because under liablity there is a per person and per accident limit.

Taking another example, if you are riding a cab as a paid passenger and are involved in an auto accident, than besides the above ways of claiming you have another option. You can file a legal suit against the cab driver or the cab driver’s company claiming for your injury and any other damages resulting from the injury.

Will I qualify for cheap car insurance if involved in an accident as a passenger?

This will not blemish your driving record since you were not driving and also not affect youa auto insurance rates since it was not involving your vehicle. You will still get the cheap car insurance rate on your auto insurance policy which you can continue to enjoy.

Thanks.
Happy Valentie Day.
Kamlesh