Teen auto insurance

 

Avoid these to get cheap car insurance.

There are certain things you should know and never indulge in to stay safe. If you really want cheap car insurance and want to save money stay away from all these conseqences described below. This is what you need to avoid and help your friends also avoid.

Taffic violations, reckless driving -check out.

With most traffic violations, drivers get away with a mere slap on the wrist—a fairly small fine, one or two points against their license, and a note on their driving record. However, for a handful of especially egregious offenses, the penalties are far more severe. Large fines, jail time, and license suspension or revocation are a few of the possible consequences of committing a serious traffic offense. Read on for the details of what typically happens when you are convicted of any of the following traffic violations.

Remember driving is a privilege, not a right, and the state can suspend a driver’s license for reasons including but not limited to excessive traffic violations, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and failure to pay fines for traffic offenses. Suspensions, unlike revocations, are finite—they can last anywhere from several months to several years. If you drive while your license is suspended, a first offense could get you several months in jail, several hundred dollars in fines, a mandatory license suspension of a year or more, and/or community service. Subsequent offenses carry even steeper penalties. In most states, the penalty for a first offense of driving under license suspension is the same as driving under a license revocation. To get your license reinstated after such a violation, your insurance company will need to file an SR-22 with the motor vehicle department of your state.

This offense encompasses a wide variety of possible incidents that carry disparate punishments. If, for example, you provide details that you know or have reason to believe are false to a police officer filing an accident report, you would probably be convicted of a misdemeanor of some sort depending on your state. On the other hand, if you are convicted of staging an accident and filing a false accident report for the purpose of defrauding an insurance company, that offense will typically qualify as a felony punishable by multiple years in prison and large fines.

Most states define fleeing the police as operating a vehicle with the “intent to elude” and “knowingly and wantonly” disregarding the direction of a police officer to stop the vehicle (example language taken from Kentucky law). States also typically classify this offense with degrees (i.e., first, second, and third). In most cases, to be convicted of fleeing or evading the police in the first degree, some other crime must also be involved, such as driving while under the influence, immediately fleeing the scene of a domestic violence incident, or driving on a suspended license. A first-degree evading police conviction is almost always a felony, but the lesser forms of the offense may carry less severe penalties. A license suspension, fines, and steep insurance rate increases are almost guaranteed upon conviction regardless of the degree of the violation.

Also known as a hit-and-run violation, leaving the scene of an accident can be a misdemeanor or a felony depending on the nature of the accident and state law. In Arizona, for example, drivers involved in an accident causing serious physical injury or death who fail to stop are guilty of a class 4 felony, which carries a two-and-a-half-year term of imprisonment. However, if the driver caused the accident and then fled, he/she is guilty of a class 3 felony, which carries a three-and-a-half-year imprisonment term. The driver will also have his/her license suspended for three to five years. On the other hand, the consequences are slightly less severe if a driver flees from an accident involving only property damage. Most states define this offense as a misdemeanor and will suspend the driver’s license for at least a year. If you are a witness to an accident and not an involved party, you are not legally required to stop.

A credentials violation can apply to a long list of offenses, including driving on an expired license, driving without proof of insurance, driving with a counterfeit or stolen license, driving on a suspended or revoked license, or violating the terms of a restricted driver’s permit or license (such as those for drivers under the age of 16 in most states). Some of these offenses, such as driving without proof of insurance, do not fall into the category of serious violations so long as you can eventually provide proof of insurance. However, other violations, such as driving without a license, typically qualify as misdemeanors, which means you could face jail time and heavy fines. If convicted, the offense will also appear on your criminal record.

In contrast to speeding, drag racing or street racing is considered intentional, wanton, and reckless and thus carries stiffer penalties. You will receive a racing violation if your speeding was the result of an acceleration contest with another vehicle. Many states treat racing as a criminal violation, while others classify it only as a serious traffic violation. A first-time offender found guilty of street racing will typically pay a fine of $100-$500, face a license suspension of 30 days or more, and receive demerit points on his/her license. Some states also have mandatory jail sentences for first-time racing offenders. Repeat offenders will face much larger fines and significant possible jail time.

Whereas careless driving is considered a minor traffic offense, reckless driving qualifies as a serious violation because the law typically deems the driver to have shown a wanton disregard for the rules of the road. In other words, careless driving may just involve an oversight, while reckless driving involves a deliberate act. In some states, mental state is considered in assessing a reckless driving charge. In others, the commission of specific traffic violations alone is enough for the charge. For instance, in many jurisdictions, going 30 miles or over the posted speed limit is enough to qualify as a reckless driving offense regardless of the mental state of the driver. Common punishments include a license suspension averaging about 90 days, fines of $100-$1,000, and possible jail time of up to 90 days for first-time offenders. As with most serious driving violations, offenders will need their insurance carrier to file an SR-22 with the DMV of their state in order to reinstate their licenses.

Vehicle theft, also called grand theft auto, is defined as the taking of another person’s vehicle with the intent to deprive the other person permanently of the vehicle. This offense is distinguished from joyriding, which is the taking of another person’s vehicle for only a temporary period of time. In many jurisdictions, the law also differentiates between grand theft auto and taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent. In the latter case, the offender typically had access to the driver’s keys somehow. Usually, grand theft auto carries a term of imprisonment of 1-3 years. If you are a victim of auto theft, bear in mind that your rates will probably go up after you file a claim under the collision/comprehensive portion of your policy. Rate increases typically last for three years.

Also known as vehicular manslaughter, is an offense resulting in the death of another person due to the negligent operation of a motor vehicle. Some jurisdictions do not create a separate offense for vehicular homicide; rather, they include the offense in the category of negligent homicide. Some states have subcategories of vehicular manslaughter that account for aggravating factors. For instance, California has more serious penalties for those who commit vehicular homicide while intoxicated.

Depending on the state and the circumstances of the incident, vehicular manslaughter may be classified as a felony or a misdemeanor. For instance, in Georgia, first degree homicide by vehicle is a felony resulting in 3-15 years of imprisonment, whereas second degree homicide by vehicle is a misdemeanor that can result in a prison sentence of up to one year and a fine of up to $1,000. A multi-year license suspension is likely in either case, and some states will revoke the offending driver’s license completely.

Get your cheap car insurance quote here.

A safety check is surely better than a traffic violation- right?

Thanks.

Kamlesh

Teen auto insurance

Teen auto insurance

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.

Teen auto insurance