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Your Driving Record Matters

December 21, 2021

When it comes to car insurance, these companies that insure you have to assess all of the risk that you carry when driving around on the street. One of the things that affects your risk is how well you drive. It is not always about just you, either. For example, if the state of Indiana is experiencing a higher rate of traffic violations and car accidents, even if you are not the one doing it, your insurance premiums could increase because the risk of you getting in an accident is higher. If you are the one with the traffic violations and accidents, then your insurance premiums are going to take a larger hit. 

Driving Record in Indianapolis, IN and Chicago, IL

Whenever you shop your car insurance, the company will pull a CLUE and MVR report. A CLUE report looks at all of the accidents you and all listed drivers and cars on your policy have been in. A MVR report looks at all of the listed drivers on your policy to see if they have any traffic violations. Some insurance companies will not even accept you as a customer if you have three or more violations and/or accidents within the last 5 years. 5 years is the amount of time most insurance companies have chosen for following your driving record. 

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If you know you have violations or accidents on your record, take note of when they happened. Once 5 years have passed on the violation or accident, you may want to try shopping your car insurance again because it could save you a decent amount of money. 

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Some people think they are really good drivers, so if you want to try to prove that, you can ask your insurance company if they have a tracking device or app that can track your driving. These devices or apps usually track your driving for a certain period of time (i.e. 90 days). It tracks fast accelerating, hard braking, the time of day you drive, how many miles you drive, and sometimes distracted driving. If you score well during the designated time frame, you could save some money on your insurance premiums. 

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At the end of the day, your driving record could have a potentially large impact on your premium. Having a clean driving record usually doesn't save you money unless you use the tracking device or apps the insurance company provides. You've probably heard the phrase "history repeats itself," but insurance companies can't just look at your past. They also have to look ahead to your potential risk. Don't violate the traffic laws and be a defensive driver. If you happen to get a violation or in an accident, be sure to keep track of them so that in 5 years you can shop your car insurance and save some money.

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Check out our auto insurance page to see what the other rating variables are and get a better understanding of what your coverages mean.

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