Affect of Points on Car Insurance Premium

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Your driving history is the most important factors for insurance companies to use in their calculations for setting a premium. The number of points you have against your driving record will substantially affect your premiums.

How Does Car Insurance Points Work?

Most states use a system of points for each ticket or moving violation that is committed by the driver. A bad driving record will develop if the points reach a certain level depending on the rules and regulations set by the state. If your driving record is poor, learn here how to get an affordable coverage for your car.

Police Pulled over for Speeding

The system is designed to forgive an occasional occurrence of bad driving such as a single speeding ticket that happens every so often. However, if enough points accumulate you will be facing higher insurance premiums and even the threat of your driver’s license being taken away. Generally speaking, the number of incidents would have to stack up over a period of just a few years to risk having your license taken away.

However, your car insurance premiums may go up even when the first point is added to your driver’s license. Some insurance companies have forgiveness policies for the occasional violation, but some do not so you will need to check with them to fully understand their policies on car insurance points.

License Suspension:

The number of points varies depending on the state, but a typical score is 12 points for suspending a driver’s license such as found in Colorado.

However, there are certain violations such as leaving the scene of an accident, engaging in a speeding contest, going 40+ mph over the speed limit or evading an officer of the law that automatically places 12 points on your license for immediate suspension.

Other states have their point system or only use an accumulation of offenses that are added to your driving record.

How Much Does 2 Points Affect Insurance?

The answer will depend on your present driving record and the policy of state authorities and your insurance company. In some states, a single violation such as a speeding ticket may affect your insurance premium rates for the next three years. In other states, the same offense may add a surcharge to your insurance for a single year and is removed if you do not commit any additional crimes.

If your driver’s license gets suspended as a result of a 2 point increase, then you will be facing more severe issues. The premiums for car insurance with suspended license go up considerably, and it may take years before it comes back down to normal levels. Can you get a decent car insurance with a suspended license? Here is your answer.

How to Reduce Points Off Your License?

Depending on the violation there are a few ways to have points removed from your driver’s license.

Time: All points will drop off your driving record after a pre-set period. If you are not far from having the violations go off your record, then do not shop for new car insurance until they have been removed.

Participate in Defensive Driving School: Be sure this is a state-approved school through your DMV and that a certificate will take points off your driver’s license. This approach will only work with certain types of violations, so be sure to check before attending the program.