Talking About Insurance

« Back to Home

Are You Doomed To Bad Auto Insurance Rates?

Posted on

If you have a poor driving record, bad insurance rates can seem like a must. But there are a few ways that you can still reduce your car insurance rates to be more affordable. 

Make Sure Records Are Accurate

Have you actually seen your physical driving record? When you're contending with high auto insurance rates, it's especially important to get your eyes on the record and make sure that it's completely accurate. Get down to the DMV and check that there are no false charges on the record, and pay down any fines you can while you're at it. 

Take Steps to Correct Risks

It helps if you are taking steps to correct the risks that you present on the road to try and get cheap auto insurance. If you have been in several accidents, then taking an online corrective driver's education class can be helpful. And since these courses are mostly online, they can usually fit in with your working schedule. If you have several reckless driving charges, then taking an anger management class may be helpful. If a DUI offense is what's holding down your record, then enrolling in a DUI class or Alcoholic's anonymous may affect your outcomes. 

Consider How Safe Your Car Is

If you're already dealing with a premium for having a bad driving record, why add to that a premium by driving an unsafe car? Many insurance institutions rate vehicle safety based on their performance in high- and low-speed crash tests. Look up your vehicle; if it falls on the spectrum of being more expensive to insure, then consider trading in your model for a more safety-oriented car to get cheap auto insurance rates. 

Look at Other Aspects of Your Record

While cleaning up a bad driving record can take a while, you can take steps right away to improve your personal record. For example, your credit history factors into your auto insurance rates for many companies. If there is something that you can do to start consolidating debt and paying down your dues now, it's a worthwhile step to take when you're looking for lower insurance rates. 

Shop Around

Finally, one of the best things that you can do if your insurer is giving you less-than-stellar auto insurer rates is to look around. It may be that your current insurer weighs your driving record very heavily in their rate calculations. And while no insurer is going to completely ignore a bad driving record, some other cheap auto insurance company may weigh it less heavily and give you a more affordable rate. 


Share