Auto Insurance Guide to Risks and Premiums
The cost and benefits of an auto insurance policy are influenced by numerous factors including national and state laws, the type and make of vehicle, and perhaps most volatile of all, the insurance enrollee's risk profile. Simply put, when you are at a higher risk of meeting a traffic accident for one reason or another, then you will need to pay a higher price to be insured. For example, having a drunken driving record will be taken to mean that you are likely to be involved in a DUI or DWI-related incident in the future, thus potentially costing the insurance company more.
Vehicle insurance is a policy to protect any of the vehicle's driver or passengers, the vehicle itself and other people against losses incurred as a result of traffic accidents. Most countries and states require a person by law to have vehicle insurance before using a vehicle on public roads. Car insurance will cover the aforementioned losses in exchange for a premium, or the amount of money a person must pay for the car insurance policy. The premium depends on a process known as risk assessment, in which a person is evaluated based on factors expected to affect the cost of auto insurance claims to be made in the future.
Getting fast auto insurance quotes online should give you a good idea of your risk profile, on top of being a convenient means of comparison shopping. First-time car owners would be surprised to find out that individual attributes like age, gender and marital status can raise or lower auto insurance quotes. Long-time car drivers would be confounded by how a change of home, job or lifestyle can affect how much they pay for auto insurance from one month to the next.
Personal Profile
Age is easily the first personal attribute having a noticeable effect on auto insurance comparison quotes. It operates on the assumption that the more knowledge and experience you gain in driving a car, the less likely you are to meet a traffic accident. Higher car insurance premiums will be imposed on new drivers, specifically, teenage drivers without an existing driving record. Premiums typically start decreasing by age 25. Even lower premiums are then imposed by retirement age due to the anticipated lower mileage covered at this stage in life.
Recognizing that teenage drivers have less financial independence, auto insurance companies offset high premiums by offering conditional discounts. Common conditions to qualify for a car insurance discount would be by earning a higher driving education, such as via recognized advanced driving courses, by maintaining a good academic standing, or simply as a resident student incentive to teenagers living far from home while studying. Auto insurance companies would then protect discounted premiums by enforcing driving limitations, commonly, disallowing the teenage policy holder from giving rides to other teenagers or from driving at night.
Gender is another individual characteristic that affects car insurance comparison quotes although not by much. The incidence of traffic accidents involving females is statistically lower than of those involving males. While gender tends not to impact car insurance for adults, teenage female drivers usually enjoy lower insurance premiums.
Marital status has always been a determining factor for insurance across the board, from car insurance to home and health insurance. Marriage signifies a more financially capable household. Married persons may be more compelled than single persons to earn money because a family depends on them, and at the same time, having more than one gainfully employed person in a house means more help in shouldering expenses.
Driving History
Once you enroll in a car insurance policy, the insurer will automatically pull up your driving record. Online Auto Insurance typically indicates the use of a points system to compute for risk, each offense on your driving record corresponding to a specific number of points. As a general rule, the worse your driving record looks, the higher you will pay. The insurer will further review your driving record periodically, say, every two to five years, and if it isn't looking any better, your insurance premiums can go up as high as by 20 to 30 percent.
Some of the most common drivers' offenses are moving violations, such as speeding or running a red light. A DUI or DWI is no doubt a more serious offense that will cause your premium to swell unexpectedly. Car insurance companies typically let one moving violation, DUI or DWI offense pass every three to five years and will not raise your premium until after a second such offense. The number of traffic accidents where you have been involved will definitely be dug up, the nature and graveness of each, based on your driving record.
Uses for the Vehicle
In tandem with your driving history, your predicted driving history will be considered when ascertaining the risks you pose. That is, how you intend to use the insured vehicle can make or break auto insurance rates quoted for you. Driving to and from work at an established distance, with an established frequency, will make you a different risk profile than someone who has no need to be in certain places at certain times regularly. By moving from an urban to a suburban address, closer to or farther from work, you also affect risk selection. Other than cautionary driving, your mobility will be assessed, like how much you go out socially. Regular odometer readings are presently the most widely accepted means of determining the risks involved in your reasons for using the vehicle.
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